(05-20-2020 12:49 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(05-20-2020 12:34 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(05-20-2020 11:54 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(05-20-2020 10:30 AM)eastisbest Wrote:  Cutting sports also risks losing some of your best students and most loyal alums, be they involved or peripheral: fans, band.... Re: BG Baseball.

We've had this discussion per the last Admin. They're here for the short term, to get short term accolades and let someone else pick up the mess. Under no condition did BG do a wise thing for BG. Downsize, reduce costs, whatever but eliminate a program that had received such support? No way.

While I agree that it probably isn't a long-term move, and will have ramifications...it was a situation where there was no "good" out. They had to make a big market cut because incremental cuts wouldn't get down to the number they needed, and the NCAA regulations kind of dictated the rest. Due to the sport count limits, Title IX restrictions, and the need to take a significant chuck out, it was essentially down to Baseball and Hockey...and I think the blowback would've been MUCH worse if Hockey got the hook.

As for baseball and softball at UT...I don't know that we would have the same alumni smear-job, simply because we don't have many (if any) prominent alumni from either sport...and based on the state of their facilities there clearly hasn't been much money dumped into either program.

A couple of thoughts about baseball and softball:

1. I went to games when they both were on main campus. Nobody went to the games.

2, As far as Scott Park goes, there is a nice team building there and an indoor hitting/pitching area. The field really isn't bad. Softball just needs a basic press box built and they are OK. Also plenty of easy parking. It is what it is. Move on.

The rub with that is that UT has made it clear they want to divest from Scott Park, as it is costing the University nearly $750,000 per year in maintenance for a campus that, quite simply, is not being utilized at all now.