OT - EMU eliminating four sports (softball, men's swim/dive, women's tennis, and wrestling)
Dear EMU alumni,
Please see below for an announcement from the University:
Eastern Michigan University announced today, March 20, that it will reduce its intercollegiate athletic program by four sports, effective at the end of the 2018 spring season. The action is being taken as part of the University’s overall budget restructuring efforts.
Affected by the decision are the sports of softball, men’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, and wrestling. With the change EMU, which previously led the MAC with 21 sports, will now have 17 sports (seven men’s sports and 10 women’s sports). This action in no way impacts Eastern’s affiliation with the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
The move affects 58 male student-athletes and 25 female student-athletes, and once realized an expense reduction of approximately $2.4 million.
Hate to see this - pretty crushing for a current student-athlete in one of these programs.
What they needed to eliminate was FBS football.
I think they did that already
Haha -- fair -- but oficially dropping down to FCS would be very nice to their budget.
At some point in the past, someone posted EMU's athletic budget and it's typical performance for the board's review and the gigantic moneysuck that football is to them...well, it's something. That they try to maintain it at the level that they do makes almost no economic sense for them, or so you would think from the numbers, but yet there they sit.
For real...I hate to see this, but damn, make the best economic decision for the school. Or drop to FCS like someone else mentioned.
probably their spring game.
And who knows how many are on the other side.
I went to an (entertaining!) game last year -- it was a night game, last home game of the year. I literally got in through the "payment" of two cans of soup.
There were about 5,000 people there. The entire east side, except for just a couple small parts, were cordoned off.
The AD said that he was told by the President and the Board that eliminating football or dropping it down to FCS was not an option.
The rafters of Jones Natatorium are littered with MAC championship banners. It seems like they'd get a lot of good overflow swimmers from the area's fine Club Wolverine and other USA club teams, that weren't fast enough for Michigan but wanted to stay in the area. That's just a theory through observation though.
Eastern didn't always compete in the NCAA for Swimming and Diving. When I was in high school ('68-'70), they competed in the NAIA and won their Swimming and Diving Championships all three years. I am sorry to see it go, it's a sad day for a lot of good (if not world class) old swimmers.
Damn twitchy fingers.
I don't think the status of UM has any relation to EMU. The programs they need to keep an eye on are Central, Western, Oakland and Detroit.
All MAC schools should drop to FCS or D2 for football. No one would notice any discernible difference and the universities could save some money instead of building new multi-million dollar facilities for a 7-5 program
EMU will never drop down to FCS when CMU and WMU are still in Div 1 (and vice versa). So the Michigan legislature should make it easy on them:
1) figure out within 3 years how to reduce, by at least $10 million per year, the amount of money each school diverts from the general fund to athletics or
2) if they don't, MI will cut their state appropriation to each school by at least $10 million.
It is horrible that $20-million plus of general fund money, every year, is diverted from academics and student support in order that these schools' regents egos can be fed. GVSU (and to a lesser extent, Wayne State) is doing just fine without being in the MAC.
For as much as EMU doesn't fit the profile of a typical FBS school - they don't fit the profile of a typical D-2 school either. And neither do GVSU and Wayne for that matter. They all have 5-8x higher undergrad enrollment vs. the average D-2.
Never will happen - but this always seemed to make sense to me:
(1) GVSU, EMU, Wayne plus the eastern MVFC football schools (Youngstown State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Southern Illinois, Missouri State and Western Illinois) would be a solid FCS football conference.
(2) The western MVFC football schools (Northern Iowa, 4 Dakotas) plus the northernmost Big Sky schools (Montanas, Idahos, Eastern Washington) would be a 10 team group, and a great FCS football conference.
(3) Rest of the Big Sky football conference remains (Big Sky is already a bit bloated right now).
(4) GVSU, EMU and Wayne could all put their Olympic sports in the Horizon.
made here.
March 21st, 2018 at 12:06 AM ^
March 21st, 2018 at 10:40 AM ^
March 20th, 2018 at 11:58 PM ^
Added a comma for you.
Although, you might be onto something there... women's wrestling would probably sell some tix!
No. They are combining wrestling with women's tennis.
Haha thanks. I need that Oxford comma!
Eats shoots and leaves.
I had eggs, toast and orange juice.
EMU unloads tickets to their corporate sponsors every other year in order to meet the FBS minimum attendance mark. Drop down to FCS or eliminate football altogether.
I’d imagine so, but if not that puts those kids in an awful position.
More than likely, they will be given free release from their LOI and free transfer and immediate eligibility at their new school.
I read that current athletes would be able to remain at school on scholarship. I don't know about athletes that have committed but not yet enrolled.
This kind of strikes me like a man who is bleeding profusely and saying, "Hey, doc, just slap a bandage on - I'll be fine."
Per the DetNews article:
The NCAA requires Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools to sponsor a minimum of 16 sports and the Mid-American Conference requires member universities to sponsor football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball, according to the university.
Seems like FBS/MAC is not where EMU should be, it's just too expensive for them.
It is not just EMU that this is too expensive for. Look at WMU for example (arguably the most successful directional school in sports in our state).
EMU takes $27.3 Million from the general fund every year to prop up sports or $1,219 per student per year.
How is that any different than WMU?
WMU takes $25.8 Million from the general fund every year to prop up sports or $1,081 per student per year.
The only difference is you see more wins and a few more butts in the seats at WMU, but they both are similarly insolvent are they not?
have any famous alums they could hit up for 2M???
Let's see...
Judge Mathis?
TJ Lang?
The Iceman?
Earl Boykins and Charlie Batch must have a few dollars left from their playing careers.
you mean $2 million every year. That's a bit harder to fundraise.
Many, many years ago I was in HS and went up to wrestle with the EMU team (they allowed HS kids to come up during some of their pre-season practices.). It was a great experience. And I got my ass kicked. (At one point, my 'partner' was Steve Frasier. I went home very very tired, and very very sore).
I hate to think that will be gone now.
Seems that wrestling is always one of the first to go when these athletic departments downsize.
Wrestling always gets the axe. A few years ago it was extremely common. Now next year there will be 3 new programs. Now minus one.
EMU is not overly bad in wrestling. They get some very good recruits. They had an All American this year who came up from Florida.
Wrestling only get 9 scholarships, so most starters aren't even on a full ride most the time.
If they have outside funding they can stay DI. Duke does NOT offer scholarships for their wrestling team and has a DI team. Also had a HWT All American. a 2xer at that. Think they might have had one or two more this year too. So it can be done.
Just sad wrestling is always the first to go. Grrr.
3rd best team in the state this year. MUCH better than MSU.
Wherever Tanner Smith transfers - that school should be getting a good wrestler.
Always a case of "1 step forward, 1 step back" in terms of adding wrestling programs. Little Rock coming on - that's intriguing. Nice to add a program in a completely new state.
This is the life of so many mid-majors in FBS football. They accept the boat anchor that is football because it increases their school recognition some amount that appears to be worth it. I live.
I live in New York so I see Buffalo doing the same thing. They just burn money keeping an FBS program because I guess it's worth the name recognition to them. I wish they would ditch it and just focus on staying good at basketball and maybe adding hockey and lax as well.