Cutting up to 120 male athletes will probably be necessary to meet Christ's directivesUNIV. OF CALIFORNIA
While it "could take years before Cal makes final decisions on trimming rosters or transitioning entire sports from varsity to club status," many in the athletic department "have already accepted what seems inevitable," according to Rusty Simmons of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Cal Chancellor Carol Christ "maintains that cutting sports is a 'last resort.'" But she said that "trimming some male rosters will probably be necessary in order to achieve" her mandates of a balanced budget by '20 and reaching Title IX requirements by '21. Christ's directives were informed by an "exhaustive review of the Cal athletic department" by consulting firm Collegiate Sports Associates. The report includes a survey of athletic department and campus community members, of which 86% "expressed a desire to consider changing the university's broad-based program." Cal currently has 30 varsity sports -- 16 female and 14 male. CSA estimated 100-120 male roster spots would need to be trimmed, or 100 male spots trimmed and the "addition of 20 female roster spots, or some other math that gets to the magic number" by '21. After 20 years of debate, an "overwhelming majority agree" it is time to "modify or eliminate some sports." Cal tried to cut five sports in '10, including baseball, but the move was met with "fierce protests and philanthropic mobilization that eventually rescued the programs" (SFCHRONICLE.com, 3/31).
