Facebook Post: Highest Bidder

Since visiting the University of Richmond several years ago with my son, I was favorably impressed with the school and its administration. I was shocked to learn about the recent decision to replace soccer with lacrosse, which apparently is the beneficiary of a $3 million anonymous donation. In defending its decision, the President of the University indicated there is limited funding for sports in aggregate. The decision was made without any input from the student body as apparently students were not considered sensible enough to have a say in matters such as this. The administration’s treatment of its soccer and track athletes lacks compassion. By apparently selling one of its limited slots for sports to the highest bidder, the Board of Trustees has shown a lack of integrity. Replacing the greatest international sport with a relatively provincial sport also shows a lack of wisdom. The entire decision-making process demonstrated poor judgment on many levels. The Board of Trustees could redeem itself by finding a creative way to allow soccer and track to continue. If in fact the University is not large enough to handle soccer and lacrosse, of course the correct course would be to allow the beautiful game (i.e., soccer) to continue.