Donate Back Former Players

[Cowbell]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

The last time I looked in a program guide there are less than 100 perpetual scholarships. I'm not sure how many were started by former athletes. My gut tells me a lot more were started by fans than former athletes. I don't think those scholarships are an indicator of anything other than people loving SDSU sports.

[Nidaros]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

The last time I looked in a program guide there are less than 100 perpetual scholarships. I'm not sure how many were started by former athletes. My gut tells me a lot more were started by fans than former athletes. I don't think those scholarships are an indicator of anything other than people loving SDSU sports.

A bunch of them were started by former athletes. The reason there is less than 100 is probably due to you and others not starting your own perpetual scholarship YET!!!. Whether they are athletes or non athletes is not important. We need more and I dont understand why you want to continue to defend the notion that our former athletes dont care or that they sold so many tickets while playing on the field and that they no longer owe SDSU anything. I suppose there are a FEW who think this way, but IMO its a false notion.

[Cowbell]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

I'm not defending the notion. I would argue that you have limited contact with most former student athletes and you have no gage on what they might think other than what you hopefully think about what they might think. How's that for an ugly sentence?

[Nidaros]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

I'm not defending the notion. I would argue that you have limited contact with most former student athletes and you have no gage on what they might think other than what you hopefully think about what they might think. How's that for an ugly sentence?

Maybe these are the people I rather avoid. I would imagine these people could be counted on one hand. BTW how do you know who I am or am not in contact with? You seem to be assuming a great deal of things about me and I do not believe we have ever met.

[6-4-3 Jackrabbit]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

Yes - Banter. I'm very excited to see all the discussion on the issue. Maybe a little talk might add up to something for the baseball program. On a positive note. I just got off the phone with a former teammate of mine. He was inquiring how he could give back to the program!

Come on former players - "I know you can do it!"

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

I think just communication among former teammates can go a long way towards helping the university realize some of their revenue goals and ultimately finish and in some instances begin some of these projects.

[76Rabbit]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

Keep the rally going 6-4-3. If there was ever a time that all of the programs including baseball need help from alum, this is it.

[Cowbell]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

Hey Nidaros, I don't want this to come down to a personal match between you and me. But I stand by my statement that former athletes by and large (a few have) do not give back to their colleges. This isn't just an SDSu thing. It's everywhere. Pick up old game programs and think about some of the high profile athletes in the past and see if their names are listed. Heck just think about any old athlete and see if their names are included. Some will be but most will not. They have their reasons which includes the way they were treated when they were at SDSU, maybe they got hurt and feel their injury was payment enough, they saw butts in the seats and that made dollars for the university, they only received a partial scholarship and felt they should have received more, the men's basketball team got better treatment on the road than the track teams, etc. The list goes on and on. That's the feeling out there among a lot of former athletes.

[CatchEmAll]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

Just had to through this in...I recently finished Seth Davis' new book "When March Went Mad" about the 1979 NCAA National Championship game with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. There was a quote from Jud Heathcote regarding Magic along the line of the one regret Jud had was he could never get Magic to donate back to Michigan State, as in not a penny.

[Nidaros]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

Hey Nidaros, I don't want this to come down to a personal match between you and me. But I stand by my statement that former athletes by and large (a few have) do not give back to their colleges. This isn't just an SDSu thing. It's everywhere. Pick up old game programs and think about some of the high profile athletes in the past and see if their names are listed. Heck just think about any old athlete and see if their names are included. Some will be but most will not. They have their reasons which includes the way they were treated when they were at SDSU, maybe they got hurt and feel their injury was payment enough, they saw butts in the seats and that made dollars for the university, they only received a partial scholarship and felt they should have received more, the men's basketball team got better treatment on the road than the track teams, etc. The list goes on and on. That's the feeling out there among a lot of former athletes.

I dont want to make this a personal match either, but what is your point in saying that athletes in general are ungratiful and do not give back to their alma mater? Can that same be said of non athlete alums and more specifically at SDSU? I come of a family of nine and only two of us are SDSU grads. My older brother has given zip to SDSU, I have given plenty so am making a point, I doubt it and neither are you by bringing this generalization up about former athletes. Its pointless. I think we can agree that there are athletes and non athletes alums who give zip, but does that mean we stop trying to raise funds?

Should SDSU stop trying to soliciting funds from former athletes because of your preceived notion? That would be stupid. I am very happy that Cowbell is not in charge of fund raising at SDSU. If you are in charge, you should be replaced. With that I let it go.

[Cowbell]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

I never once said former athletes were ungrateful. The comments by filbert about his wife and the U of Tennessee, 6-4-3 Jackrabbit's comment about former athletes from the U of Miami and CatchEmAlls note about Magic Johnson and not giving to Michigan State underscore my point. By the way, congratulations to you for giving money to SDSU.

[Nidaros]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

I never once said former athletes were ungrateful. The comments by filbert about his wife and the U of Tennessee, 6-4-3 Jackrabbit's comment about former athletes from the U of Miami and CatchEmAlls note about Magic Johnson and not giving to Michigan State underscore my point. By the way, congratulations to you for giving money to SDSU.

Okay so Magic is tight fisted and some unknown person from Miami does not give to Miami, and the entire Tennessee team does not give a dime or a damn about UT. How does that relate to SDSU? Not very well. Are we speaking of generalities or are we speaking of SDSU?

You said we had less than 100 perpetual scholarships at SDSU. According to the Beef Bowl program, we have 178. That includes those endowed over $10,000 and acorn endowments that are less than $10,000. The acorns are a start and will grow with annual gifts.

I been watching SDSU sporting events since 1953 and before that I knew Pete Retzlaff through the Brookings Register and I never got to seem him play at SDSU, since I lived on a farm, had radio but no TV and my parents did not go to games. The point is I can recognize a number of names, and amongst the 178 scholarships, I found about 49 that I recognize as former athletes. I did not bother and go through the gifts of $100 and up but if I had I would have found a ton of former SA names.
My point is that even though in general, student athletes do not give I can not say that applies to SDSU, when 25per cent of the perpetual scholarship have been started by former athletes. There may be names I may have missed so that per cent could be has high as 35%.

I think by in large most of our former athletes from SDSU are gratiful and will give back some time in their life. Name me one that does not feel that way and someone should start working on him.

I am not a former athelete by the way. But I suspect if you were to talk to some of the foundation staff, they could give you a percent of our living Alumni Association membership that have never contributed to SDSU in any shape or form. We would be surprised by that percentage, and how many were once on an athletic scholarship? I would venture that most of this percentage were never on an athletic scholarship.

SDSU opened every door for me and thats why I have given and given generously. I sure those student athletes feel the same way, and many have learn to compete in the market place. This is a skill that non-athletes do not have when they leave campus for the real world.

I hope the baseball guys come through and I think they will and I too might help out here.

[1bunnies]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

Hey Nidaros, I don't want this to come down to a personal match between you and me. But I stand by my statement that former athletes by and large (a few have) do not give back to their colleges. This isn't just an SDSu thing. It's everywhere. Pick up old game programs and think about some of the high profile athletes in the past and see if their names are listed. Heck just think about any old athlete and see if their names are included. Some will be but most will not. They have their reasons which includes the way they were treated when they were at SDSU, maybe they got hurt and feel their injury was payment enough, they saw butts in the seats and that made dollars for the university, they only received a partial scholarship and felt they should have received more, the men's basketball team got better treatment on the road than the track teams, etc. The list goes on and on. That's the feeling out there among a lot of former athletes.

You may not see their names listed in the programs because when/if they donate, they have the option of having their name listed or not. Many times donors wish to remain anonymous instead of having their names plastered all over everything.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

I would guess the percentage of former athletes who give back to the athletic programs in which they participated is roughly the same as the percentage of people who give to the college in which they graduated. Some people are very generous and wish to give. Others are not--whether due to family obligations, business obligations, resentment, higher giving priorities (church, etc), tight-fistedness, or a number of other reasons.

Bottomline--if you feel inclined to give, give. If you don't (whether a former athlete or just a couch potato fan), its not the end of the world.

[Nidaros]

Re: Donate Back Former Players

I would guess the percentage of former athletes who give back to the athletic programs in which they participated is roughly the same as the percentage of people who give to the college in which they graduated. Some people are very generous and wish to give. Others are not--whether due to family obligations, business obligations, resentment, higher giving priorities (church, etc), tight-fistedness, or a number of other reasons.

Bottomline--if you feel inclined to give, give. If you don't (whether a former athlete or just a couch potato fan), its not the end of the world.

Thats what I have been trying to say all along. Agree 100%.