Colleges Slashing Millions From Athletic Department Budgets
U.S. colleges are “slashing millions of dollars from their sports budgets,” according to Ken Belson of the N.Y. TIMES. Some have “cut the size of their travel squads, eliminated trips requiring air travel and done away with housing teams in hotels the night before home games.” The Univ. of Cincinnati “wiped out scholarships for three men’s sports: track, cross-country and swimming,” while Stanford Univ. “told its fencing teams to look for other financing.” Taken together, the cuts “could deeply alter the college sports landscape,” as the “gap will widen between the haves with television and sponsorship deals, and the have-nots that rely mostly on alumni and their universities for financing.” NCAA President Myles Brand: “One of the things we have to worry about is competitive equity. If some schools have too small a budget, it could affect their play, and that isn’t fair.” Stanford AD Bob Bowlsby: “Once programs go away, they seldom come back. And if they do, they take many years to start again because all the remaining athletes are off campus and the money gets used for something else.” Belson notes college sports “have grown steadily during the past three decades thanks to Title IX,” as the “number of women’s teams has increased drastically.” The number of men’s teams “has also risen, though more modestly.” Only “twice in the past two decades -- in 1988-89 and 1997-98 -- has there been a net decline in the number of men’s and women’s athletic programs nationally.” But Brand said that he “expected the number of athletic programs to shrink about 1[%] this year, or by about 130 teams” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/4).
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Univ. Of Washington Is Eliminating Men's And
Women's Swimming To Save Money |
UNDER WATER: In Seattle, Bob Condotta noted to “help make up for an anticipated $2.8[M] budget cut in the athletic department,” the Univ. of Washington (UW) is “eliminating its men’s and women’s swimming teams.” UW officials said that the decision “would account for up to $1.2[M] of the needed cuts.” UW AD Scott Woodward said in a statement, “We are clearly operating in a time of economic distress and we are forced to make decisions that will help us maintain long-term financial stability.” Woodward added that dropping swimming “was necessary to avoid dipping into the athletic department’s reserve, estimated at about $7[M]” (SEATTLE TIMES, 5/3).
FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL: In New Orleans, Pierce Huff reported the Univ. of New Orleans (UNO) athletic department “suffered a setback” Friday when students voted against an increase in athletic fees. UNO Chancellor Tim Ryan indicated that the “loss could mean the end to Privateers athletics, unless the [Louisiana] Legislature reduces proposed budget cuts to the university.” Facing a $1.4M “shortfall for next year, UNO athletics will depend on pending cuts by the university for the 2009-2010 fiscal year in order to survive” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 5/2).
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