Wisconsin Baseball???

[Samurai Bucky]

So with Barry Alvarez retiring, will Bucky have a baseball program soon? I'll say 2022/2023. What do y'all think?

[homer]

I think there is less than 1% chance

[Baldkin]

What men's sport are they going to get rid of to meet Title IX requirements?

[DHonks]

What men's sport are they going to get rid of to meet Title IX requirements?

 

Why would they do this? Why not add other sports for women? Men’s sports being cut due to Title IX is a cop out. These schools like UW need to simply reallocate resources or raise more money to support greater opportunities for all genders.

[Baldkin]

What men's sport are they going to get rid of to meet Title IX requirements?

 

Why would they do this? Why not add other sports for women? Men’s sports being cut due to Title IX is a cop out. These schools like UW need to simply reallocate resources or raise more money to support greater opportunities for all genders.

 

Because it would require the administration to invest in non-revenue generating sports, which they have shown, time and time again, they don't want to do.

[Mr Southpaw]

What men's sport are they going to get rid of to meet Title IX requirements?

 

Why would they do this? Why not add other sports for women? Men’s sports being cut due to Title IX is a cop out. These schools like UW need to simply reallocate resources or raise more money to support greater opportunities for all genders.

 

Because it would require the administration to invest in non-revenue generating sports, which they have shown, time and time again, they don't want to do.

 

How about Women's Ping Pong....just kidding

[tmwiese55]

What men's sport are they going to get rid of to meet Title IX requirements?

 

Why would they do this? Why not add other sports for women? Men’s sports being cut due to Title IX is a cop out. These schools like UW need to simply reallocate resources or raise more money to support greater opportunities for all genders.

 

Because it would require the administration to invest in non-revenue generating sports, which they have shown, time and time again, they don't want to do.

 

Exactly. It would require adding two non revenue sports at a time when their budgets just got crushed. Sure, I guess maybe down the line if/when budgets are fixed a discussion could be had but unlikely it will anytime soon after what happened last year. But even before rona they were always up against budget.

 

They also probably have to contingency plan for some kind of change to the payment model for football and basketball and how that might affect the budget in the future if some increase payments to the players becomes part of it.

[pacopete4]

As much as I'd love to see it, I won't be expecting it. It is a bummer that Wisconsin is a great baseball state and we can't figure out how to get UW-Madison on board with that.

[igor67]

I'll jump in by questioning to what extent DI athletics presents an opportunity for anyone? In my 4 years at Madison I had class with 2 athletes. One of those was on the spirit squad for Men's BB. The time commitment to competing at the level causes real trade-offs in what those students can do in terms of majors. As college has become more common place I have substantial doubts that those scholarships are actually getting kids to college who wouldn't otherwise. Maybe in the high profile revenue sports (and the economic incentive of being a pro-athlete), outside of that though I struggle to see why most students wouldn't be better off with club level sports and time commitments. This is reinforced by my sons experience at the DIII level where the time commitment was still quite extensive, to the point it also tends to force students only to socializing in those groups.

Put another way is there a sport not currently being offered to girls at UW that would even open up scholarship chances for disadvantaged populations as opposed to random sports? My daughter is looking at other colleges since UW doesn't offer her area of interest, but scholarships for her activity of choice would not address any kind of imbalance I can see.

[SomewhereInTime]

0%. Not as long as Title IX is enforced.

[homer]

The timing coming off of Covid could not be worse for adding a sport. Many schools are dropping non revenue sports altogether.

[bjkrautk]

The UW dropped baseball when Alvarez was a football coach (if not before), so a change in the AD position doesn't mean anything.

 

I think it is likelier that the school would drop other mens programs, rather than adding new women's sports, for budget purposes. Could the school ditch men's soccer, rowing, swimming & diving, etc., without most of us batting an eye? Yes. My suspicion is that the budget for baseball - particularly traveling - is more prohibitive than the number of scholarships themselves.

[nodakfan17]

Is baseball a revenue sport? I honestly don’t know.

 

I’m guessing it’s similar to men’s hockey where a small number of programs are revenue neutral (revenue exceeds expenses, but doesn’t fund the athletic department like football or men’s basketball).

 

When North Dakota dropped women’s hockey, they re-allocated the scholarships to other women’s sports and remained Title IX compliant. They consulted with a law firm specializing in Title IV issues beforehand, but were sued anyway. They successfully fought off the legal challenges, but it was costly.

 

Most colleges should have fewer sports, not more.

[BillScottCanRake]

Baseball was dropped after the 1991 season. I went to their last home game, and all I remember was it was cold and gloomy and rainy and no one at the game seemed to actually care about the game. Suzy Favor was there (I think her future husband was on the baseball team) and she was getting far more attention than the game was.

 

In addition to the Title IX and revenue issues, Wisconsin (the university) doesn't have much of a baseball tradition. Their last conference championship was in 1950, and if this list is accurate, not many alumni made the majors. A lot has changed within the athletic department since 1991, and maybe a new baseball team would be more successful than it was before. But starting up a sport which will probably be at best revenue neutral no matter how successful on the field probably will never happen.

 

EDIT: The original list might not be accurate. Baseball-Reference has this list, which includes HOFer Addie Joss.

[homer]

Is baseball a revenue sport? I honestly don’t know.

 

I’m guessing it’s similar to men’s hockey where a small number of programs are revenue neutral (revenue exceeds expenses, but doesn’t fund the athletic department like football or men’s basketball).

 

When North Dakota dropped women’s hockey, they re-allocated the scholarships to other women’s sports and remained Title IX compliant. They consulted with a law firm specializing in Title IV issues beforehand, but were sued anyway. They successfully fought off the legal challenges, but it was costly.

 

Most colleges should have fewer sports, not more.

 

It probably is a revenue sport for a few schools in the south or California (maybe ASU too). I think your hockey comparison is a good one.

[Samurai Bucky]

Women's Field Hockey would be an add to balance out Title IX.

 

Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State has a full slate of sports. I guess they make a lot more money. Minnesota can play indoors, sure, but that is a northern team that plays.

 

The athletic department was in shambles before 1991 because the primary revenue source, football, was not good at all. I think, when I was in the band, the average was 40-50K if we were lucky. The last game I marched against MSU after Thanksgiving probably had 10K tops.

 

The decision would be whether or not to spend the money on more non-revenue sports or on nicer concourses or training facilities for existing sports. I'm thinking they will go with the former, but there is much more revenue coming in and the Emperor is leaving... Goodman is now used by the softball team, so they would have to use or build a new facility.

 

One never knows what will happen.

[AKCheesehead]

Women's Field Hockey would be an add to balance out Title IX.

 

Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State has a full slate of sports. I guess they make a lot more money. Minnesota can play indoors, sure, but that is a northern team that plays.

 

The athletic department was in shambles before 1991 because the primary revenue source, football, was not good at all. I think, when I was in the band, the average was 40-50K if we were lucky. The last game I marched against MSU after Thanksgiving probably had 10K tops.

 

The decision would be whether or not to spend the money on more non-revenue sports or on nicer concourses or training facilities for existing sports. I'm thinking they will go with the former, but there is much more revenue coming in and the Emperor is leaving... Goodman is now used by the softball team, so they would have to use or build a new facility.

 

One never knows what will happen.

 

I remember attending a stretch of years’ final home games through that era. The stadium would be so empty a group of maybe 5 people would sit in the top corner of the upper deck and danced around in their underwear in the 4th quarter. Nobody within a mile of them. The dozens of us still in the stadium got a chuckle out of it.

[patrickgpe]

the athletics department just played an entire football and basketball season in front of empty arenas. I don't see them spending more money then they have to for a while.

[tmwiese55]

I'll jump in by questioning to what extent DI athletics presents an opportunity for anyone? In my 4 years at Madison I had class with 2 athletes. One of those was on the spirit squad for Men's BB. The time commitment to competing at the level causes real trade-offs in what those students can do in terms of majors. As college has become more common place I have substantial doubts that those scholarships are actually getting kids to college who wouldn't otherwise. Maybe in the high profile revenue sports (and the economic incentive of being a pro-athlete), outside of that though I struggle to see why most students wouldn't be better off with club level sports and time commitments. This is reinforced by my sons experience at the DIII level where the time commitment was still quite extensive, to the point it also tends to force students only to socializing in those groups.

Put another way is there a sport not currently being offered to girls at UW that would even open up scholarship chances for disadvantaged populations as opposed to random sports? My daughter is looking at other colleges since UW doesn't offer her area of interest, but scholarships for her activity of choice would not address any kind of imbalance I can see.

 

The advantage would simply be that it's free instead of paying. School loans are a big problem. Overall you're generally right, most of these people would be able to go to college anyway, but not for free. For some inner city situations from bad schools, possibly not, but for the most part yes. The other aspect is that, generally speaking, the kid really loves the sport and wants/enjoys playing.

 

I think your point rings fully true for D3, this was the opinion of myself and several other people I know who didn't deem it worth it, especially the physicality for football. But I know some who passed on it for basketball too. But, if you're getting school for free along with many of the perks/connections that come from playing at a major D1 school then I think it would be worth it. Or at the least it makes sense.

[owbc]

Football and basketball are paying for a bunch of rich kids to go to school for free playing golf or rowing or whatever. At least at Wisconsin they bring in enough revenue to subsidize the other sports. I work for a university where the football program loses money and yet they continue to throw more money at it, while the academic departments fight for table scraps. It’s absurd.

 

In my view athletic scholarships should be reserved for families in lower income brackets. Then maybe Wisconsin could afford a baseball team.