I'm not necessarily disagreeing nor am I necessarily agreeing. There are just too many moving parts now to know where they'll stop moving and sure, if the NCAA goes away so do the requirements for sponsoring a minimum number of sports. But lots of schools, Power Four or impending Power Two or just plain old D1 sponsor more sports than they're required to. If they're hell bent on only having sports that bring in a lot of money why aren't most of them only sponsoring the minimum number that's required now?
Will the NCAA go away? Again, too soon to tell but there are over 1,000 member schools across all three divisions and about fifty of them that would be leaving to run their own show. The remaining 900 plus schools may not find the idea of having no overall organization to structure how they'll run their athletic programs. It's just too up in the air.
Everyone should go run at uk unis. Its fun, lots of quality and good unis. Sure there's no scholarships and paid for kit/travel, but at least there's no ncaa red tape or stupid colleges that treat an amateur sport like track and field like a business
I'm not necessarily disagreeing nor am I necessarily agreeing. There are just too many moving parts now to know where they'll stop moving and sure, if the NCAA goes away so do the requirements for sponsoring a minimum number of sports. But lots of schools, Power Four or impending Power Two or just plain old D1 sponsor more sports than they're required to. If they're hell bent on only having sports that bring in a lot of money why aren't most of them only sponsoring the minimum number that's required now?
Will the NCAA go away? Again, too soon to tell but there are over 1,000 member schools across all three divisions and about fifty of them that would be leaving to run their own show. The remaining 900 plus schools may not find the idea of having no overall organization to structure how they'll run their athletic programs. It's just too up in the air.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you either about all the moving parts. But all of these schools' costs are about to sky rocket compared to even this year. And without NCAA rules/minimums/incentives to drive sport sponsorship anymore...best to plan for the worst just in case.
A good place to start is all the mid-major/"small" DI's that sponsor football and more than the DI required minimum this summer. They've already flushed too much money down the toilet now to admit they were wrong, so now they're going to feel like they have to double down on their baffoonery by keeping them around, while paying them each a base salary of $30k a year, while doubling their already bloated budget just to "keep up" with the P4's. Expect the hammer to drop around this June.
Next will be the mid-major/"small" DI's that don't sponsor football, do sponsor more than the DI legislated minimum, but have convinced themselves that just one March Madness Cinderella run every decade will completely make up for all the money they've set on fire the last 9 years & the following 9 years. They'll hang in there until sometime in April of 2025. That'll be right when they can blame missing the tournament "again" on having too many other "costs" and they have to take drastic measures to keep up with the Power 4.
The P4 will inevitably turn into the P2 at some point over the summer of 2025 at which point the NCAA will likely dissolve. That's the moment when the former P4's that couldn't find a way to scramble into the P2 (Rutgers, West Virginia's, Maryland's, NC State's, Cal's, Washington States, Oregon States, Kansas State, Cincinnati's etc) make one last ditch effort to remain relevant and cut the non-revenue sports they are no longer required to keep in a chaotic hodge podge blood bath during the 2025/26 school year.
The only programs left standing by the summer of 2026 will be the P2's who don't know what else to do with all that money...as long as their football programs are still considered "part of the educational mission" for Title IX purposes.
That's about how our sport at the collegiate level will end. At least what I was able to spit ball during my lunch break on a Friday afternoon.
One way or the other, with the NCAA likely being forced to pay athletes directly from their schools, the Power 2 of the Big Ten and SEC possibly breaking away to form their own league, and all the other changes coming down the pipeline, this summer is going to be a blood bath of track & cross country cuts, especially to men's programs. Is everyone ready for this? It's coming...time for all you boys to start identifying as women. But which programs are most at risk?
UCLA is cutting cross county.
I just heard the same thing. UCLA is cutting Cross Country next fall. I hate to say it, but it makes sense.
I just heard the same thing. UCLA is cutting Cross Country next fall. I hate to say it, but it makes sense.
UCLA’s AD Martin Jarmond has shown lack of ability to lead effectively I am hearing from contributing alum that UCLA cross country and Track & Field are not in a good spot right now.
I just heard the same thing. UCLA is cutting Cross Country next fall. I hate to say it, but it makes sense.
UCLA’s AD Martin Jarmond has shown lack of ability to lead effectively I am hearing from contributing alum that UCLA cross country and Track & Field are not in a good spot right now.
They have moved from Brosnan’s “The Rise” vision, to this?
Just not true, they're recruiting pretty hard. Would make no sense
So was LMU in LA and we know how that turned out. I don’t think they will drop Track , but XC could be toast. Just like the USC men’s structure they will keep Track without XC
lol, lmfao even. The best decision I made at my DIII college was to quit the XC team and join the football squad. I was an ok distance runner and decent corner, but playing on the football squad was next level. I hooked up with most of the XC girls and had access to all the exams I needed to graduate and get into the business school of my dreams. I’m now a commodities trader and the XC guys I knew are public school teachers bragging about 2:4x marathons while I make six figures.
Sorry to hear you weren't good enough to be top 7 on a D3 team with your 17:30 5k, and had to sit on the bench in a meathead sport for your consolation prize instead.
Assuming there will be fewer colleges/universities with xc programs, high school xc will be negatively impacted. Seems the club environment needs a big boost.
A good place to start is all the mid-major/"small" DI's that sponsor football and more than the DI required minimum this summer. They've already flushed too much money down the toilet now to admit they were wrong, so now they're going to feel like they have to double down on their baffoonery by keeping them around, while paying them each a base salary of $30k a year, while doubling their already bloated budget just to "keep up" with the P4's. Expect the hammer to drop around this June.
Next will be the mid-major/"small" DI's that don't sponsor football, do sponsor more than the DI legislated minimum, but have convinced themselves that just one March Madness Cinderella run every decade will completely make up for all the money they've set on fire the last 9 years & the following 9 years. They'll hang in there until sometime in April of 2025. That'll be right when they can blame missing the tournament "again" on having too many other "costs" and they have to take drastic measures to keep up with the Power 4.
The P4 will inevitably turn into the P2 at some point over the summer of 2025 at which point the NCAA will likely dissolve. That's the moment when the former P4's that couldn't find a way to scramble into the P2 (Rutgers, West Virginia's, Maryland's, NC State's, Cal's, Washington States, Oregon States, Kansas State, Cincinnati's etc) make one last ditch effort to remain relevant and cut the non-revenue sports they are no longer required to keep in a chaotic hodge podge blood bath during the 2025/26 school year.
The only programs left standing by the summer of 2026 will be the P2's who don't know what else to do with all that money...as long as their football programs are still considered "part of the educational mission" for Title IX purposes.
That's about how our sport at the collegiate level will end. At least what I was able to spit ball during my lunch break on a Friday afternoon.
I think your time frame is off but I wouldn't be surprised to see it play out this way.
I just heard the same thing. UCLA is cutting Cross Country next fall. I hate to say it, but it makes sense.
I just heard you are dead wrong. Sorry, SB.
I do know some big football alum and I was told cross-country could get the ax in a few years. Now with the Big 10 change, the recent football mess and athletics still in a major deficit I was told UCLA was following the USC model. They will keep Track & Field but dump cross-country. Football has lots of power and the alum have insight. I was told it’s happening this year. Schools always keep it hush hush but somehow it ends up slipping through the cracks. I’m a recreational runner now who ran years ago in the south. I have no attachment to UCLA, I’m just telling you what know. You may not like it or want to hear it. I’m sorry if it bothers you.
Pretty confident that Lehigh is going to cut Men's track...just look at the restructuring over the past 3 years. wth? Also, looking at schools like UNH, Colgate, Dartmouth....
Pretty confident that Lehigh is going to cut Men's track...just look at the restructuring over the past 3 years. wth? Also, looking at schools like UNH, Colgate, Dartmouth....
Again, maybe. Programs have been getting cut for years now. But if it happens at any of these places I can't see how it's related to having Power Four (or Three or Two) schools going off and playing football on their own outside the NCAA. These are all 1-AA football schools. If they cut any sports it's not going to be to reallocate the savings in hopes of being competitive with Penn State or Clemson, etc. Might they do it to make their football teams more competitive against other 1-AA schools? Possibly. But if that's what they want todo why haven't they already done it?
Pretty confident that Lehigh is going to cut Men's track...just look at the restructuring over the past 3 years. wth? Also, looking at schools like UNH, Colgate, Dartmouth....
Lehigh is safe because they host big XC meets and many high school indoor meets, generating revenue.
Lafayette is 100% cutting track and probably XC. They got 9th out of 10 in XC and will probably get last place in track. Lafayette has over 20 sports, so they don't need track.
They had some great XC seasons just a few years ago but the distance coach left and now they are really bad again. There are literally zero reasons to keep the team.
Lafayette has a dual meet with Lehigh each season and Lehigh nearly doubles their score in track and nearly gets a perfect score in XC.
Lehigh could be at risk. Keep in mind hosting meets means nothing.
Clemson built an amazing indoor facility (in the southeast where there are no facilities) and still tried to cut the team.
I think mid majors are at risk but most are already at the minimum sports offered.
I could honestly see some fringe power universities cutting teams. The new big 12 schools, the AAC. Especially as football is added walk ins with NIL money.