It’s always nice to see sports be a force for good, and we saw a little slice of that on Saturday.
Following the Tennessee Volunteers’ big win over the Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend, Vols coach Rick Barnes presented legendary ESPN college basketball announcer Dick Vitale with a $10,000 donation from his team to Vitale’s cancer research charity.
the legend in the building!
in honor of @DickieV‘s return to Rocky Top, our coaches and student-athletes are proud to make a $10,000 donation to @TheVFoundation pic.twitter.com/602jrOZ3hG
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) March 1, 2025
“[The team] decided to use a little bit of their NIL money and cut you a check here for $10,000 for The V Foundation in your honor,” Barnes told Vitale, with the beloved commentator giving Barnes a kiss on the cheek to show his appreciation.
Vitale has recently returned to action following multiple battles with cancer that kept him sidelined since 2023. His charity, the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund, a part of The V Foundation, raises money to fight childhood cancer.
NIL payments have had a fair share of detractors since becoming a prevalent part of college sports in recent years. But it’s hard to argue against players using some of that money to donate to a good cause.
Props to the Vols.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.