Don't blame Title IX

**r.payton@att.net** · 11-24-2008 04:06 PM

In the Indianapolis Star dated 11/22/2008 NCAA president Myles Brand has a message for institutions ''Don't blame title IX'.
Brand further states he expects some schools to drop men's teams because of ''the economic downturn''.
''My expectation is that over the next year or two we are going to see more cuts of men's teams , and so I am trying , frankly,to preempt the arguement against Title IX, an unfair arguement , I believe, and dissuade universities from going public with this approach.''Brand goes on to mention Rutgers and James Madison as examples.

''That is utterly disgraceful'', said Jim McCarthy of the College Sports Council , ''He knows perfectly well Title IX is going to force schools to targetmen's sports first .He is asking schools to join him in a white wash.''

Anyone want to hazard a guess at which program bites the bullet first ?

**clmetal** · 11-24-2008 04:41 PM

How exactly is this recession hitting colleges? Every year tuition seems to outpace inflation - of course their endowment investments will be down.

Non revenue mens sports will be the only ones considered to save costs.

**grapplefan** · 11-24-2008 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by r.payton@att.net

In the Indianapolis Star dated 11/22/2008 NCAA president Myles Brand has a message for institutions ''Don't blame title IX'.
Brand further states he expects some schools to drop men's teams because of ''the economic downturn''.

What he meant to say is that he supports the use of "the economic downturn" to excuse universities who only cut men's teams. The economy may motivate some new cuts, but who gets cut is often motivated by title IX.

**FATGUY** · 11-25-2008 05:18 PM

Unfortunate for Wrestling when a down size happens and a mens sport has to be cut most A.D.'s will cut wrestling first. This is because it is not a mainstream sport and wrestlers are a pain in the ass! I was, I know when I was a college wrestlers (ask MOJO) hardly a week went by when the coach was in the Dean of Athletics office (the old wrestling coach). Due to the fact one of us beat up a football or basketball player. I do not know it for a fact, but I would bet if you look at college athletics alcohol and violent acts over the last 20 years the majority would be football players and wrestlers (they will do nothing to the football team). Many teams are on double secret probation like animal house. So some A.D,s would like to get rid of wrestling and are looking for an excuse. It is up to us to keep the pressure on them to keep wrestling. Letters, calls and donate to school in name of the wrestling program. One letter before a program is lost is worth one hundred after it has been cut.

**WrestlingTerp** · 11-25-2008 05:31 PM

Fatguy:

I think that is an old stereotype. I'm not saying college wrestlers these days are studying for the priesthood and spending their nights at the Christian Science Monitor reading room, but I think today's athletes are generally more focused on the demands of their academics and wrestling. I know the demands on their time are much greater than during my era.

**FATGUY** · 11-25-2008 05:44 PM

Terp.

You are correct but now they have very little slack when something does happen. I know Cal Poly has been getting grief ever since one of their light weights put a football player in the hospital and ended his season last year. He redshirted last year and is wrestling again this season. They are watching their steps very close.

The main point I wanted to get across is that with cuts coming we need to be proactive in keeping wrestling programs alive. A great thing to do is send the A.D a note saying you went to a wrestling match at his university and had a great time and would like to thank him for having a wrestling program so you and your family could enjoy. If he gets 10-20 of these every match (from different people) he will think that wrestling has a bigger following. Since only one in 100 would take the time to write.

KEEP WRESTLING STRONG!!!!

Originally Posted by WrestlingTerp

Fatguy:

I think that is an old stereotype. I'm not saying college wrestlers these days are studying for the priesthood and spending their nights at the Christian Science Monitor reading room, but I think today's athletes are generally more focused on the demands of their academics and wrestling. I know the demands on their time are much greater than during my era.

**RYou** · 11-25-2008 06:51 PM

Rutgers cut their program back in 06 when economics were flying high. The reason was not the economy it was as the jerkwad Governor that slashed $30 mil in university funding rather than the real fat in the state budget. In total higher ed funding from the state was slashed more than $60 mil across all of the state universities. Those cuts meant the universities had to did into unrestricted funds in the endowment to payoff some of the construction bills that had incurred over the prior two years.

Yea RU like every other has taken a 25-30% hit on their endowments due to the market downturn.

I'll hazard a guess all states will be slashing funding in 09 because their pension investments are in the tooilet. I know NJ lost $32 billion since the 6/30 accounting. Some $2 bil of that was from a June 08 investment in Bear Stearns....yup that one was inspired by one of the Govs buddies from his days at Goldman Sachs.

Government is all F'dU.

**grapplefan** · 11-25-2008 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by WrestlingTerp

Fatguy:

I think that is an old stereotype. I'm not saying college wrestlers these days are studying for the priesthood and spending their nights at the Christian Science Monitor reading room, but I think today's athletes are generally more focused on the demands of their academics and wrestling. I know the demands on their time are much greater than during my era.

I agree. I think that most of the Division I wrestlers lead very disciplined lifestyles now. Kids in college are more aware of the consequences of poor grades these days.

**TycoonSlam** · 11-25-2008 10:42 PM

Sports, both high school and college level are too much about money and not enough about community. In my area they are cutting back on magnet education programs and buying the sports teams new equipment when the old equipment works just fine.

I find the support of sports at the harm of education to be entirely to the tax departments benefit at the expense of a better education for our next generation. Don't get me wrong here, I love sports and I love coaching, but I want my boys whom I know 99% of them will never make it in the pros, to get a great education.

**legridder155** · 11-26-2008 07:12 AM

but I want my boys whom I know 99% of them will never make it in the pros, to get a great education

Very well said. I preach this all the time, but most of the time it is falling on deaf ears. Everyone thinks little Johny is going pro at whatever sport.