Leatherneck Nation

Been waiting for an announcement about a sport being dropped at WIU, since other schools are doing it. I know it is just a suspension at the moment, but does anybody think it will be reinstated? I assume it will go away permanently. Also I wonder with all the problems with the tennis program lately if they would do away with that. And maybe with Title IX they can't.

Should have been dropped awhile ago

meganeck wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2020 9:47 am Been waiting for an announcement about a sport being dropped at WIU, since other schools are doing it. I know it is just a suspension at the moment, but does anybody think it will be reinstated? I assume it will go away permanently. Also I wonder with all the problems with the tennis program lately if they would do away with that. And maybe with Title IX they can't.

Hard to say at this point, but I think it's likely that it's gone this time. Some of you may remember that it was announced to be suspended once before...around 2010ish maybe?...but parents and alumni stepped up with some financial backing and were able to keep it going.

Like you said, I don't know that we can cut women's tennis by itself without Title IX implications. If they needed to cut more, I could see them getting rid of something like men's golf (keeping the women's golf team) and women's tennis (so we don't have any tennis programs), as something of a "balance". That's just a guess on my part though.

You can cut all the low hanging fruit and still not even come close to solving the problem. Until you either cut football or go D2, you will not save much in the way of $$.

Tere North wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2020 11:00 am You can cut all the low hanging fruit and still not even come close to solving the problem. Until you either cut football or go D2, you will not save much in the way of $$.

You're not wrong. I just don't see cutting football as something they're likely to do. I would have thought going D2 might be a possibility, but with the recent moves in men's basketball, it doesn't sound like D2 is on the table in the near future.

leatherneckcountry wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2020 10:00 am Should have been dropped awhile ago

The program had one of the lowest overall costs and the teams consistently had the highest overall student-athlete GPAs. Almost nothing is gained by doing this. The athletics department is just being lazy and using COVID as an excuse.

themanwithmanyhats wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2020 3:14 pm

leatherneckcountry wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2020 10:00 am Should have been dropped awhile ago

The program had one of the lowest overall costs and the teams consistently had the highest overall student-athlete GPAs. Almost nothing is gained by doing this. The athletics department is just being lazy and using COVID as an excuse.

I came from a Juco who had one of the top programs in the country and anytime they had a home event the place was packed and I never once got sick after going. Then I went to an event my 1st year here and there was like 5 people there and I’ve never been as sick in my life as I was after going to that. They brought absolutely nothing to the university. Plus we were getting crushed by schools that aren’t even D1.

They are officially dropping Swimming & Diving now.