Sports Cut From MD Education

The President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics recommended that the University of Maryland cut eight of the school’s 27 varsity sports, effective July 1, as part of a series of recommendations released Monday night.

A source said last week that the Terrapins’ women’s water polo and men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were informed they were expected to be dropped. The commission included those three teams, as well as acrobatics and tumbling (formerly competitive cheerleading), men’s tennis and the men’s cross-country and indoor and outdoor track and field programs.

The commission recommended that all scholarships to current athletes in those sports be honored through graduation and for coaches affected by any potential cuts have their contracts upheld.

The commission’s other recommendations included revamping outreach and fundraising activities, reinvesting resources for remaining teams to bolster things like academic support and fitness and reformatting the department’s annual financial reports so they are stated more clearly.

“By putting into place a balanced and sustainable fiscal and programmatic plan, Maryland Athletics will be able to support the 529 student athletes on these teams at a proper level to ensure their success in competition and in their studies,” the commission wrote.

Finally, financial cuts in schools that make sense. I've wanted to see sports completely severed from education since I was a kid and had to read used textbooks when I saw new stadiums being built and new uniforms every year. There is little reason to promote sports over education when vying for the same educational funds, since sports and education are mutually exclusive. Using educational funds for sports programs should have ended generations ago.

Maryland could cut 8 sports in July - Washington Times