Does cutting track & field make sense?

Supporters want men’s team back at CMU

They cut the sport they need to add.

Make sense?

Back in mid-may Central Michigan University announced it was cutting its men’s track and field program because of looming budget cuts brought about via dwindling enrollment and the future uncertainties set forth by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This decision put an end to a program that had over 100 years of history to save CMU roughly $300,000 this year and $600,000 annually.

Moreover, in cutting the program, CMU fell below the minimum number of male sports required to maintain Division I status. The university received an NCAA waiver in June so it could compete on the Division I level through 2022, but after that it must add a men’s sport or risk losing its Division I status.

The financial cuts at CMU were not unique either in that hundreds of collegiate athletic programs around the country were cut to save money going forward. The COVID-19 pandemic played a massive role in these cuts and to this day it’s wreaking havoc across the college landscape.

Ever since it was announced CMU was cutting its men’s track and field team — a move the affected 36 student-athletes and cost a couple coaches their jobs — a grassroots groundswell to reinstate the program has taken shape and sprang into action. To date, well over 500 CMU track and field alumni have joined the cause and are supporting a newly-formed committee that fully intends on getting its track and field program back at CMU. In recent weeks this committee made its pitch to CMU President Robert Davis and new Athletic Director Amy Folan.

In short, the committee made its pitch to CMU’S top brass in hopes of bringing back men’s track and field. What happens going forward awaits to be seen.

In terms of what the pitch was, well, it’s a legitimate argu

ment that makes sense on every level. CMU needs to add a men’s sport by 2022, thus what are the options and what can be afforded?

Hockey? Skiing? Fencing? Golf? Gymnastics? Lacrosse? Tennis? Soccer?

Track and field?

For a university that preaches diversity and inclusion Central Michigan University has its own way of not practicing it. In cutting the men’s track and field program CMU also cut the possibility of being diverse and inclusive. Track and field is the third-most inclusive male sport in the NCAA behind football and basketball, thus cutting it is limiting opportunities for African Americans.

Moreover, on average, a collegiate men’s track and field team has a maximum of 12.5 scholarships to give out annually. Considering most men’s track rosters consist of between 35 to 50 studentathletes the fact is track is bringing in considerable monies.

Thus, in short, track is all-inclusive and brings in money.

Could hockey do that? Absolutely not.

How about any of the other aforementioned sports? Nope.

Hockey, golf, soccer, lacrosse, fencing, skiing and gymnastics are all pretty much non-inclusive sports played by whites.

In the end CMU has a decision to make in the next couple years when it comes to adding a varsity male sport and the obvious answer is to add the sport it cut.

The indoor track is already there.

The outdoor track is already there. The equipment is there.

The CMU men’s track and field team needs to be there too.