…to support the rest of the programs, the other shoe is about to drop.
https://www.si.com/college/cal/other-sports/stanford-cuts-11-sports
Stanford had 35 teams. That’s okay for schools in leagues that also have 35 teams (Ivy), but Stanford is in the PAC 12 and most PAC 12 schools have more like 20 varsity teams. The outlier teams like wrestling and field hockey had to travel to the east coast to find competition and weren’t building any rivalries with other PAC 12 teams. I was surprised that men’s volleyball was cut as that is a big sport on the west coast, and rowing just because of the history with Cal and Washington.
I think schools in the PAC 12 are also shifting to bring in men’s lacrosse in the next few years. Utah is the only PAC 12 with men’s lacrosse (and surprisingly no women’s lacrosse) but most of the rest have championship club teams that could easily convert to varsity.
^^^True but this is about severe budget cuts. Only football and men’s basketball are revenue generating. With the latter taking a huge hit, if the PAC12 copies the BIG10 and plays in-conference only to bring in a portion of income, it’s ineluctable that this plays out as it has. Money v Safety.
Bringing in students to fill the dorms, even if all are singles, when there are no classes in-person, is a money grab. Risk v Reward. Politely disagree about bringing in new sports anytime soon. Colleges will be paying athletes required by law, too. Zion Williamson allegedly getting $400k will no longer be illegal. @SevenDad