I might upset a few people here, but,... Why does this even have to in
any way link to Wikipedia?

Just because we've a pet 800lb gorilla is no reason to point people at
it repeatedly.

Because Wikipedia has the biggest audience. Most partners care about getting audience and exposure for their material. Our best offering there is Wikipedia. 

It's the only Wikimedia project which is completely, unequivocally better than its competitors. 

Not that this means everything has to have a Wikipedia angle, but it is an important point. :-)

Chris