Anonymous donor throws silly money at Virginia Athletics

An anonymous donor dropped $40 million on the Virginia Athletics Foundation, money that surely could have been better spent somewhere else.

Sorry to be the wet blanket here, but all this money – which is going toward something called the Honor the Future campaign, a $500 million initiative of the VAF – will do is help keep Virginia Athletics within being only about 10-15 years behind the big-money players in college athletics.

People seem to be falling all over themselves to try to figure out who gave the money, with the only clue in a university-issued press release being that it was a “former student-athlete.”

“This extraordinarily generous gift reflects a deep passion for the University and our athletics program,” University of Virginia President James E. Ryan said. “We are grateful to have philanthropic leaders among our former student-athletes, and we applaud their desire to make the UVA experience even better for future generations. This commitment will do just that, and strengthen the student-athlete experience for years to come.”

“This type of philanthropic giving helps to ensure UVA Athletics will remain a leader in college athletics and positively impact generations of student-athletes,” Director of Athletics Carla Williams said. “The commitment of this very special family is inspirational to everyone who loves the University of Virginia.”

“This former athlete and their family have supported our annual fund for many years and have made commitments to an endowed scholarship and facilities,” Virginia Athletics Foundation Executive Director Dirk Katstra said. “We are incredibly thankful for this estate commitment and the countless ways it will benefit future student-athletes and coaches.”

It’s great that this person has $40 million sitting around that isn’t doing anybody else any good and decided to give it to the alma mater.

And, yes, the money will have some good use, in helping student-athletes at UVA become better people, but that’s not why somebody gives $40 million to athletics.

A person gives $40 million to athletics to win games, and ultimately championships.

I’m all for winning games and championships. Winning games and championships is a load of fun.

It’s hard for me to get too excited about winning games and championships when the university, for years, literally sued thousands of families into bankruptcy over unpaid medical bills, and only relented when it was shamed into doing so by a flood of negative publicity.

So there’s that, people whose lives were ruined, families broken up, the rest.

I’m speaking as an alum here now, an alum who came from a most humble background, growing up in a single-parent household, in a trailer park, and we’re only now paying lip service to making it possible for more kids from similar backgrounds to access a UVA education.

We can do more in healthcare, more in accessibility, more to impact the world.

I’m not sure about prioritizing winning games and championships.

The positive impact on generations of student-athletes that Williams and Katstra referenced is tangential to the athletics experience, so I have a problem with that being a point of emphasis from a public-relations perspective.

Again, I’m all for winning games and championships. I love winning games and championships.

I’m just not all that jumping up and down happy about hitting an athletics fundraising goal.

Maybe that’s why the former student-athlete who committed the money wanted to remain anonymous.

Maybe they feel a little guilty, too, about throwing down serious cash toward fun and games, when there’s so much else that money could do.

Story by Chris Graham