Kansas City Sports Trust is a Thing That Exists, Disproving Myth that KC Has Zero Rich People

Idiot. (via)

So, have you heard about this, have you seen this?


From the Columbia Missourian (bold added by me for super-emphasis):

The MU athletics department received a $30 million donation from the Kansas City Sports Trust, the second largest private donation in MU history.The donation comes in conjunction with the department’s $102 million facilities renovation plan, which the UM System Board of Curators unanimously approved Tuesday. The plan calls for the renovation of Memorial Stadium, as well as renovations for the baseball, golf, softball and tennis complexes. 

[...] 

The $30 million donation is the second largest private gift the university has ever received, trailing only a $31 million contribution from the Reynolds Foundation to the Missouri School of Journalism, MU spokesman Christian Basi said. It marks the second major gift the athletics department has received from the Kansas City Sports Trust, which contributed $10 million in 2004. 

Mark Foster, a partner of the Kansas City law firm of Stinson, Morrison, Hecker LLP that administers the trust, said the group is made up of anonymous donors who have ties to MU. 

"The trust is designed to benefit the Missouri athletics program," Foster said. "Obviously, the motivation is to assist in transitioning into the SEC." (ed note: lol wut)

Okay, first question: What in the blue hell is the Kansas City Sports Trust?  It's just a bunch of rich guys?  Oh, I do hope they wear monocles and sit around and read the Racing Forum while at the Yale Club.  That would be so 1920s stereotypical of them.  

Second question: Where are these "richers" when it comes to stepping up for KC to get an NBA or NHL team?  For you see, it is our fault (allegedly) the Sprint Center does not house a professional sports franchise.  Is that cause not "Mizzou" enough for them?  Or hell, why not just put some money into Kansas City area sports?  (*looks at rich guys patronizingly)  There's a bunch of them sports around these parts, and you could get your name on something (*winks, rubs fingers together in universal sign for 'money').  

Oh, but please, donate more money for pointless causes at a major university already with odd priorities when it comes to funding.  Education, of course, comes second, and this comes as no surprise, but does the University of Missouri really need $30 million dollars for their athletics department?  Yes, of course they do, because who cares about discontinuing funding for the University of Missouri Press, it's only been around since 1958.

And, hoo boy, don't get me started on the new Missouri Student Center building, which parts of are often shut down to students (STUDENTS!) for large "private" events.  That's friggin' hilarious.

And the list goes on, but it's just too damn windy up here on my soapbox to continue.

The main point, of course, is that if you are going to spend money on sports (which the KC Sports Trust is doing), then why not spend it locally?  Mizzou will get their money.  This doesn't necessarily fall on the shoulders of the KCST to give us what we want, but why not spend that money close to home?  On anything.  Anything at all.  Whatever.    

Here's Mark Foster's Stinson profile if you want to read up on him, or just say 'hi'.