I Joined UCats and So Should You
By Chris Bains
As of this post, Bearcats Nation is running in the black. It’s a small profit, but a profit none the less. So I decided to reinvest the extra cash in the team I love by joining UCats for the first time.
How much did I pledge? Well I can’t give you an exact figure but I’ll give you a hint: It’s somewhere between $50 and $1,000,000 and they’re naming that brand spanking new Nippert Stadium press box after this site. The “Bearcats Nation Press Box”. Has a nice ring to it don’t you think? So be on the look out for that!
Why did I do this?
In essence I just love watching UC sports. I grew up with it when I moved back to Cincinnati at the age of 6. Ever since then UC football and basketball have always interested me and I really can’t imagine my life without Bearcats sports. It’s as much apart of me as the Skyline Chili that that runs through my veins (actually that’s probably more literal than figurative). At its core I just honestly don’t really care if UC wins or loses. Of course I always want them to win but seeing them play is what I look forward to every week for six months out of the year. I love the touchdowns and dunks. The interceptions and fadeaway threes. The sacks and blocks. And all this done with “Cincinnati”, my city, donned across their chests in beautiful red and black lettering, the best color combo in all of sports.
So to show my appreciation I started this website to stir up interest in UC sports and essentially voice my opinions about the teams I am unhealthily obsessed with. But now that it’s making money I decided to turn it around and donate it to UCats. I urge you to do the same.
Signing up is easy. You can create an account with a donation here and you will automatically be given an account number that will allow you to use priority points, which will open up the doors to receive benefits that non-UCats members do not have access to. All it takes is a minimum gift of $50 dollars. Per year. Like nothing, right? And UC really does a great job making it extremely easy for you. Fill out one page, submit, and you’re done.
At this point Bearcats athletics will rely more on a large amount of smaller gifts than “the big one”. In rare cases, football programs don’t necessarily need the nickle-and-dime donations from across the fanbase. Just ask Oklahoma State. Billionaire T. Boone Pickens essentially bought the Cowboys a brand new football stadium along with other athletics upgrades and he regularly donates millions of dollars to the university. Similarly up in the Pacific Northwest, Nike co-founder Phil Knight famously endorses the Oregon Ducks football program and has made hundreds-of-millions of dollars of donations to the athletic department over the years.
But here’s the thing, folks. Cincinnati’s version of T. Boone Pickens or Phil Knight ain’t walking through that door. So it’s up to regular fans like us to shell out a little here and a little there to keep the ball rolling in Bearcats athletics.
Donating to UCats generally goes into a general fund but it helps pay for a number of projects and ordinary costs throughout the department. Or it at least helps divert cash otherwise subsidized by the university or the athletic department. For example, recruiting can be create a sizable dent in an athletic department’s budget and as Bearcats football becomes more of a national brand UC’s coaches are pulling in players from all over the country. In recent years they have especially targeted the talent rich regions of Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. Flying in a prospects for official visits can cost $3,000 per player. Cincinnati brings in dozens of recruits over the course of a year and these costs add up quickly. Donating to UCats can help UC pay to bring in more and better high school players to see what UC has to offer. As we know, recruiting is the lifeblood of any football program and giving Bearcats football the financial boost will pay off with wins on the field.
So I encourage you to do what you can to give whatever you can to UC athletics as we witness the renaissance of Bearcats sports.