Wealthy Univ. of Texas alumni reportedly threaten to yank donations if cancel culture isn’t ended, traditions upheld

Hundreds of wealthy University of Texas alumni donors are threatening to yank their donations to the school if they don’t put an end to cancel culture and the allegations of racism against the school song “The Eyes of Texas.”

The university is famous for its historic football program. The media and leftists are now claiming that the school song played at their games is racist and has Confederate origins. Many players will no longer stand for the school song or sing it. Alumni have finally had enough of the “cancel culture” allegedly permeating the school.

The Texas Tribune got wind of emails sent to University of Texas president Jay Hartzell. Wealthy donors vowed to stop their contributions if the school doesn’t fix the situation and stand up to the “cancel culture.”

“My wife and I have given an endowment in excess of $1 million to athletics. This could very easily be rescinded if things don’t drastically change around here,” one donor emailed in October. His name wasn’t revealed because donor identities are protected under the law. “Has everyone become oblivious of who supports athletics??”

Video Credit: KXAN

Fans and donors were incensed when a picture of Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger surfaced showing him as the only player standing for the song and showing pride in his school. It’s traditional for players and coaches before and after a game to stand and sing “The Eyes of Texas” while holding up the “hook ’em horns” hand signal. The team had just suffered a loss in quadruple overtime to Oklahoma. Other photos show some players joining Ehlinger for the song. The University of Texas band also didn’t play their school song for the final two home games of the season.

“It is disgraceful to see the lack of unity and our fiercest competitor Sam Ehlinger standing nearly alone,” one donor angrily wrote. “It is symbolic of the disarray of this football program which you inherited. The critical race theory garbage that has been embraced by the football program and the University is doing massive irreparable damage to our glorious institution and the country. It has got to stop.”

Other alumni and donors are also threatening consequences if the song is banned. They could cancel their season tickets and boycott games. This is causing fundraisers for the university to panic.

“[Alumni] are pulling planned gifts, canceling donations, walking away from causes and programs that have been their passion for years, even decades, and turning away in disgust. Last night one texted me at 1:00 am, trying to find a way to revoke a 7-figure donation,” President of the Longhorn Alumni Band Charitable Fund Board of Trustees Kent Kostka said. “This is not hyperbole or exaggeration. Real damage is being done every day by the ongoing silence.”

Head Coach Steve Sarkisian claimed in January that as long as he was in charge, the song would stay. “I know this much, ‘The Eyes of Texas’ is our school song,” Sarkisian passionately stated. “We’re going to sing that song. We’re going to sing that proudly.”

The words to the school song are as follows:

The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
All the livelong day.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
You cannot get away.
Do not think you can escape them
At night or early in the morn —
The Eyes of Texas are upon you
Til Gabriel blows his horn.

They are sung to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”

According to Wikipedia: “The lyrics of the song have been interpreted as embracing the “Lost Cause” ideology, which advocates the belief that the practice of slavery in the antebellum South was just and moral. In June 2020, several players on the University of Texas at Austin football team requested that the university replace the song with one “without racist undertones.” In response to the players’ request, African-American former University of Texas football players Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams spoke out to keep the song in place as UT’s alma mater.”

It is alleged that the title of the song is linked to a saying by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. For that, students have been calling for the song to be nixed and replaced with something more culturally acceptable. They are being met with intense pushback by those who pay the bills.

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles