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Adding sports
Posted February 26, 2008
Every once in a while, CU fans start talking about the possibility of adding a few sports to the Buff menu.
More often than not, the sport of choice is baseball, followed by wrestling and women's softball.
As someone who is actually old enough to remember when CU had baseball and wrestling -- as well as swimming and diving and gymnastics -- I'm here to tell you it would not be a good idea. Not right now, and not in the near future.
Anybody who has followed CU knows money is tight. The addition of any of the aforementioned programs would add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the department budget, with virtually no revenue in return.
Fact is, baseball never worked well at Colorado. The weather is not conducive to a spring schedule. When CU did have baseball, attendance was sparse (that's actually a generous description). Ditto with wrestling, gymnastics and swimming and diving.
Remember, the department just recently cut another sport -- men's tennis -- in an attempt to balance the budget. The act of adding another sport would not be a sound fiscal decision.
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Posted by LJBUFFS on February 26, 2008 at 4:48 p.m.
I'd be the first to buy season tickets to baseball! To bad that CU couldn't team up with the city of Boulder to build a stadium and get an independent team. That'd be legit.
Posted by ssg on February 27, 2008 at 8:51 a.m.
Neil--
Certainly $$ are the overriding negative factor. While the climate was a problem in the prior existence of baseball, it should not be such a negative now that all colleges must open the season late in February (this year Feb 22) where before the good-weather teams had played 20 games by then. Also, the bubble could be used for some practice, I would think.
Posted by buffalotom on February 27, 2008 at 9:06 p.m.
wow! there is much to be said on this topic so i'll stick to the main issues. one, the sports were cut in '79 or so when title ix was implemented - budget. then, as now, the dept just doesn't have the jing. two, cu current is at the d1 minimum for sports - budget. three, although the dept had a small surplus this year, it is $8 mil and counting in debt to the university and the hank brown picked up the first installment otherwise the surplus would have been smaller or nonexistent - budget. four, the folsom east addition still is not earning its keep and is far from supplying significant dollars to retire its project-specific debt, contribution to other debt or projects is years out - budget. five, this year's surplus was due in part to a great home schedule and record tv money which we can't assume will be replicated. six, football pays for everything so before we add sports, football - like it or not - must be on firm ground which means better facilities, coaches salaries, and so on. as you know, cu lags the conference in these areas, again - budget. seven, unless we all start contributing or bohn finds the cu equivalent of pickens or the nike guy it will be a slow climb out the financial predicament. eight, significant revenue contribution from men's hoops is years away, also. eight, if we want to remedy the situation, a few bucks from everyone will help: ralphies' kids, chauncey's kids, buy an extra season ticket and bring a friend. sorry, but adding sports can't happen - even under rapid improvement - for at least another ten years.
Posted by reallifeshocker on March 12, 2008 at 7:28 p.m.
there is no way the c.u. should not fork over the dough to have a mens baseball team. and womens softball, or whatever. get a stadium complex done and come into the real world.