Eastern Mich. U Cuts 4 programs, but leaves Men's and Women's Track And Field untouched.

I was very surprised to not see men's track cut. To continue with their D1 status, the university can only cut one more sport. Then no more left to cut!

You will see this in many conferences around the country. The conference usually gives up completely on a sport (wrestling, men's track, men's soccer, etc). For instance, no men's soccer in the SEC.

We are on the brink of nationwide university reform as a whole not just athletics. Moreover, the high schools are right along with them. Too much liberal "social studies" and focus on sports while not enough math and science. USA youth falls behind many other countries in that area. Teachers not making enough money to sustain. School lone wolf terrorism is increasing by the day. Boys allowed to pee in the girls bathrooms and vice versa. Racism is more subtle but clearly still an issue.

Reform lamar, reform

https://youtu.be/_DngRIHs5eM

Just get rid of track and field altogether, especially the men. It just makes perfect sense, the idea that only one man wins is rediculous. We just can't make a safe space in this activity anymore.

Roxe wrote:

Could track possibly be next? If so, that would leave only 5 out of the 12 schools in the MAC conference left with Men's track programs (Buffalo, Kent State, Akron, Central State, and Miami).

The MAC would definitely be that last looked at conference in terms of Men's track recruitment if this happens.

What do you think? Should the MAC just cut track entirely? Or should form into a female-only conference?

Or Maybe...Just maybe....

Reallocate funds from much larger programs and revamp the smaller, cheaper programs? The MAC is definitely just concerned with just Football and Basketball.

Discus.

EMU is a really bad situation. In a recent year it spent $27 million from institutional funds to pay for the sports. Some of that comes from student fees but the rest comes from operations money. Money that could be spent to upgrade labs or pay for additional instructors or just less cost for the student (but hey they can just take out more loans!).

Even in a situation as bad as EMU, the football and men's basketball teams are often the only ones generating any sort of revenue that would be worth it. Some women's basketball programs probably would be self-sufficient. A few baseball teams. Maybe a sport here and there. But for the most part without the revenue from football and basketball the revenue stream would be a trickle.

And in the SEC because of the money from the SEC Network (which is largely football driven), coaches salaries in other sports have risen. They are never going to be the level of the football or basketball coaches, but they have been rising.

Some called for EMU to drop down from D1.

In 2015 EMU spent $30 million on football while the total athletic department budget was $34 million according to:

More at:

As a non-revenue sport, T&F is cheap, particularly if you consider existing facilities a sunk cost. Maintenance for those facilities (the track, a grass infield, a few jump pits and a throwing ring) are also minimal compared to the nightmare of a competitive pool. Many schools open up T&F facilities to the student body during off hours so I imagine most of the facility cost can be legitimately reclaimed through student rec fees.

T &F has a limited number of meets so travel costs are low compared to other non revenue sports like softball, soccer, etc.

T&F athletes as a group generally earn high G.P.As , stay out of trouble, graduate, and actually get real jobs post college.

Unless there is wholesale change in college athletics, most DI programs that have track right now will keep it for the foreseeable future.

Also EMU is successful in XC and Track.

To those saying Football and Basketball keep schools like EMU Athletic budgets afloat, they also are the anchor driving them down. Yes they bring in the most money, but they also usually spend well more than they bring in.

What sports were cut?

Wrestling , Women's tennis, Men's swimming and diving, and softball. Somehow kept rowing for some reason.

Keep in mind that EMU's men's Swimming and Diving has the most MAC championship wins within the conference, so the Athletic department doesn't seem to care about "success".

How does this cut affect the xc and track teams in the bigger picture? Lower operating money? Less scholarships?

Who knows. But as stated above, EMU has one program left to pull the plug. Looking at the rest of the MAC, T&F would be the most susceptible. At least the men's. In regards to scholarships? Chances are less will be given out for the low revenue sports like track. I read an article saying that EMU has given scholarships to 80 players on the football team. Chances are thats not going to change even if the FB program is the reason they are in the situation they're in now.

Eastern Michigan has very solid alumni support for track and field. I would think that the programs are somewhat "protected" by donors.

EMU has had funding issues for years. The track program has always brink of extinction but somehow is still around. Surprised they are dropping 4 teams. YIKES!!!!

The EMU teams have been pretty competitive lately . Football team is not a doormat they once were year in and out. Hoops was decent this year too.

Its not like they are the only game in town ( or next town). Kidding there

That women’s distance coach is kinda weird... like she is still living in 1988

The EMU women's distance coach is one of the best in the business . She's literally had success everywhere she has coached, not to mention, places like Ball State and EMU where it's not exactly easy to be successful.

Cross Country and Track count for three sports so they can't be cut unless just one of the three gets eliminated and that won't happen at EMU.

Maybe strange, but she has been successful.

Speaking of some of the Eastern track alums: http://www.emueagles.com/news/2008/2/29/mcclorygift022908.aspx