I stand with Nevin Shapiro

Entrepreneur. Philanthropist. Perfect angel. Friend. These are the words that come to our minds when we think of our one and only Nevin Shapiro, the U’s kind benefactor and hero to us all. How can one person be so selfless as to devote his own life to nothing but giving? Giving his time. Giving his sweat. Giving his money. Giving so much and with such dedication that we don’t know where we’d be without him.

What are parents willing to give their children? Everything in their power. If your children needed thousands in cash, would you tell them no? If your son had a rough week, would you make everything worse by denying him prostitutes? And if your daughter needed an abortion, would you hold out? The answer is no. You wouldn’t because you are a responsible parent and you love your children as much as they love themselves, which is way too much.

Shapiro wasn’t in it for the money. He wasn’t even in it for any love of sports. He did it for us. For all of us. Shapiro is a kind soul. He is a capitalist and a lover of people. He wanted what’s best for our athletes, and that’s a yacht to have crazy sex parties on. And how did we repay this generosity? We didn’t.

“Once the players turned pro, they turned their back on me. It made me feel like a used friend,” the great Shapiro once said, probably sobbing at the pain of this betrayal.

Is this who we are? Is this the Hurricane way? Maybe the NCAA is right. Maybe our athletics department doesn’t deserve the privileges we once enjoyed until we learn how to treat our closest allies with respect. Shame on us. Shame on the University of Miami.

However, I still hold hope that the next time a beautiful martyr such as Shapiro donates millions of dollars acquired through a Ponzi scheme they put their heart and soul into, we here at UM will have the dignity to treat them with the gratitude they deserve.

Thank you, Nevin. Thank you. May we forever sing your praises.

 

Adrian Alonso is a sophomore majoring in creative writing.