It's probably more nuanced than we all believe

by Domer99, John Wesley Powell's Expedition Island, Tuesday, April 07, 2026, 07:05 (51 days ago) @ HumanRobot

Or maybe it's pretty simple. I think there are some wealthy former football players donating to the program. But it's not guys who made millions on the football field. It's your Pat Eilers (Executive Chairman of AirJoule Technologies and founder of Transition Equity Partners) or Byron Spruell (vice chairman of Deloitte LLP) or Tracy Graham (founder and CEO of Graham Allen Partners) or Rod West (group president, utility operations for Entergy Corporation).

I think even some of Kelly's guys like Faine and Dayne Crist have been contributors.

So, I guess my point is a bit moot. It's not guys who racked up significant earnings on the field or on the court. It's guys who felt an affinity for the institution, made it later in life, and wanted to give back.

But now that we've brought the issue up, we should probably clear up a misnomer. I've made this point before and it bears repeating. Much of the funding that every sports program receives is primarily the beneficiary of external sources. It's not this Wizard of Oz ND Administration Boogeyman behind the curtain that is trying to screw over MCBB at every turn. Many of these sports have benefactor champions (Lacrosse - Arlottas; Hockey - Comptons [really Jeff Jackson and not hockey]; Fencing - Castellans; Men's Soccer - McFarlands). The list goes on and on. For whatever reason the men's basketball team doesn't have the waiting list of benefactors like other sports do. The Purcell brothers have been the primary donors but most of their contributions went to renovate the JACC (although I am sure they've contributed in many other ways). The Rolfs family was gracious to donate their facility from the general student population to the basketball program.

Football will always be king, because nearly every student has some fond affiliation with the football program. It's hard to escape. So naturally it's easier to fundraise. Probably like basketball is for UNC, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, UConn, Gonzaga, Villanova. Most schools have a primary sport. Football is the one that drives interest and dollars.

And if you're a donor with a bottomless stockpile, I am not sure that MCBB is the first sport you'd pick to donate. It's so fleeting and temporary especially among the elites of MCBB. I guess if you're a Michigan donor then today feels great. But next year is likely going to be a new roster and new names. It just doesn't feel like the payback is worth it. Many people say that there is a fatalist exaggeration of the future of college sports. Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. But if there is then it does feel like MCBB is at the forefront of that movement because of the temporary nature it's become.