I just heard that two more universities, Rutgers and James Madison, are ditching men's swimming while spending zillions on football and golf. My own alma mater almost cut women's swimming several years ago. They were saved by alumni fundraising, but not until the swim team put itself up for sale on ebay. Endurance sports get no respect. It makes no sense. I thought open water swimming and triathlons and road racing were on the rise even among young kids. If so, why cut all those sports in college? I guess it's still just a miniscule percentage that participate compared to other sports, like my least favorite youth sport -- travel soccer.
Parents
Former Member
lapswimmr - gambling doesn't drive media interest in football! I think you are wrong. Gambling drives SOME interest in many sports. But I think media is both a leader and a follower with coverage of any particular sport. If fans (and advertisers) get interested, the media will follow. When the media covers a sport well, fan interest will grow.
Most major college athletic departments are treated as independent organizations with their own finances. They sell tickets, advertising, share TV revenue, raise alumni donor money, etc. and spend money as they see fit. They have to abide by many rules including the NCAA, the federal government, etc.
The Title IX "problem" isn't really a budget problem for many football schools. It is a scholarship problem. Football programs generally have up to 85 athletes on scholarships - and they are full scholarships. Add basketball, baseball, etc. and the school must have more women's sports to balance the scholarship count. Most swimmers earn partial scholarships. That's why a team with 9.9 scholarships has 20 or more on the roster.
I'm a football AND swimming fan and hate to see men's swimming suffer. I've believed for some time that football would not suffer significantly if the number of scholarships was reduced from 85. I think the revenue side of football really wouldn't change.
lapswimmr - gambling doesn't drive media interest in football! I think you are wrong. Gambling drives SOME interest in many sports. But I think media is both a leader and a follower with coverage of any particular sport. If fans (and advertisers) get interested, the media will follow. When the media covers a sport well, fan interest will grow.
Most major college athletic departments are treated as independent organizations with their own finances. They sell tickets, advertising, share TV revenue, raise alumni donor money, etc. and spend money as they see fit. They have to abide by many rules including the NCAA, the federal government, etc.
The Title IX "problem" isn't really a budget problem for many football schools. It is a scholarship problem. Football programs generally have up to 85 athletes on scholarships - and they are full scholarships. Add basketball, baseball, etc. and the school must have more women's sports to balance the scholarship count. Most swimmers earn partial scholarships. That's why a team with 9.9 scholarships has 20 or more on the roster.
I'm a football AND swimming fan and hate to see men's swimming suffer. I've believed for some time that football would not suffer significantly if the number of scholarships was reduced from 85. I think the revenue side of football really wouldn't change.
