Oregon daily emerald., February 18, 1981, Section B, Image 9

_ .weekly _
emerald sports
Wednesday, February 18,1981
Budget axe aims at sports
Four may fall
as money woes
plague athletics
Ever since “intercollegiate” found its
way into the jargon of athletic directors,
athletic departments have been faced
with financial difficulties.
Competition between schools costs
money — for coaches, scholarships,
equipment, administrators — at an
ever-increasing rate.
A budget would be trimmed or a
scholarship dropped, but as long as the
revenues from football, basketball and
television appearances continued to
rise at least as fast as inflation, no one
considered elimination of any sport.
Until now.
Faced with a $375,000 budget deficit,
the athletic department must make
drastic changes. In order to alleviate
the red in the balance books, Oregon
might drop as many as four sports —
two men's, two women’s.
“The athletic department is $375,000
in debt,” says Athletic Director John
Caine. “Obviously it is a real problem. It
would be real nice if we could continue
on as we are, but obviously we can’t
continue — we can’t carry these bur
dens any longer.”
“As I understand it, the problem is
financial,” says Acting University Pres.
Paul Olum. “Exclusively financial and
nothing else. Like everyone, I hate to
see us cut any sport, major or minor.
“But the athletic department simply
can’t balance the budget the way its
going.”
The burden isn’t just on the athletic
department, says Deputy Athletic Di
rector Julie Carson. It’s on the entire
University. ‘‘The money just isn’t
there.”
It isn’t there for library books as well
as training shoes and coaches’ salar
ies.
But athletics, unlike the rest of the
University, can’t go to the Legislature
for funds, Carson says. "We have to
raise all the money we use."
And in the past, the Department of
Intercollegiate Athletics has done just
that. Football revenues last season,
including television appearances and
Oregon’s share of the Rose Bowl, ad
ded $2.8 million to the athletic budget.
Basketball contributed about $1 million
more.
The rest of the $5-million athletic
budget has to come from donations
and student fees. And that isn’t in
creasing fast enough, Caine says.
So, the athletic department is back to
square one. With 20 teams to support —
10 for men and 10 for women — an
administrative staff to operate and
equipment and facilities to maintain,
the athletic department needs that
money and then some.
“Since NCAA rules for Division I (un
iversities) specify eight sports and the
University has 10, there is a possibility
of cutting two sports," Olum says. “I
assume a corresponding thing would
be done to the women.”
“There’s no doubt that you worry
about something like this happening,”
says wrestling coach Ron Finley. “We
don't want to see any program cut.”
Fortunately for the students and
coaches concerned, the search for an
alternative to elimination is underway.
‘‘All the coaches have agreed unan
imously that we should continue with
the present number of sports, that no
sport should be cut,” says men’s
swimming coach Rich Schleicher, a
member of the coaches advisory com
mittee.
The coaches, from football to bas
ketball to golf, agree that no sport
should be tossed out of the athletic
department. But they are all aware just
how limited the athletic department
budget is.
Vet their suggestions will be unwor
kable unless they save money, Olum
says. “I’ve heard a rumor that some
people thought we could get away
without cutting any sports. If it were
For example, says Van Rossen, since
the University of Houston cut swim
ming, it has been unable to gain the top
caliber athletic program it wants.
“Instead of cutting sports to rectify
the problem we should cut the budget
to save sports," Schleicher says.
On the one hand Oregon has its
Pac-10 and NCAA Division I member
ship, Olum says. “And a responsibility
to do well in the sports we have.”
On the other, a balanced budget and
the athletic departments' debt. “None
of us are happy about it,” Olum says.
No one is at liberty to say what sports
are being considered for the “axe."
“That decision is a little premature,”
Olum says. “A decision will be made
within the nest few weeks.”
But obviously football and men’s
basketball are the “untouchables,"
‘Once rumors start they really fly. Even if
no sports are cut, someone will always
believe sports are under the axe.’
anything but money, though.”
Finley, like other coaches, is
especially worried about the effect a
sport cut will have on the athletic
department and the University overall.
‘‘Oregon is a tremendous sports
school,” Finley says. "If we cut sports
we ll lose athletes. If we lose athletes
we’ll lose students — and the University
will probably lose more (money) than
the sport costs.”
The loss in tuition revenue is only one
argument the coaches are using to
advance the cause of saving athletics.
The cost of the cuts to the athletic
department and to the University in
terms of donations should also be con
sidered, Finley says.
“Those schools that have cut sports
immediately hurt the pride of their
alums,” says Donald Van Rossen,
former Duck men’s swimming coach
and a member of the NCAA’s swimming
and diving committee for the past 14
years.
“Oregon State alums are backing our
(swimming) program because OSU
dropped theirs,” Van Rossen says.
“People don’t forget those things.
“And they don’t forgive.”
says Carson. Other than that, no one is
guessing.
"There are a lot of factors that have
to be taken into consideration," Carson
says. "Golf obviously is a small, inex
pensive program — the same with ten
nis. Very little money is spent there.
Swimming also receives minimal
funds.”
So golf and tennis and swimming are
not "under the axe.”
For the men's program, the only
costs of the three programs are the
coaches. The sports raise the rest of
their funds.
And the women are considering a
fund-raising model since the men’s
fund-raising program is so successful,
Carson says.
Three sports gone from the list for
women, five for men.
Track and cross country, while low
revenue sports, are high in prestige,
she says. And "soccer is an investment
in the future. It's a sport that has cap
tured the American youth.”
Everything else, from secretary to
adhesive tape costs, is under scrutiny.
The coaches advisory committee has
made its recommendations to the ath
letic department — cut no sports, cut
the budget instead, says Schleicher.
And the faculty's intercollegiate ad
visory committee is awaiting word from
the athletic department on its recom
mendations, says committee member
Paul Swadener, an associate professor
of finance.
At this point no one has seen or made
any final decision, Caine says.
But a decision needs to be made
before women’s letter of intent day
(March 2), says Carson. "We need to
know by then if we do have to cut a
sport or two, so we can tell our athletes,
coaches and other schools."
Carson is hoping for at least two
weeks to notify all parties concerned,
but as March rapidly approaches, that
may be impossible.
“Everyone is understandably disap
pointed about the turn of affairs," Car
son says. "Oregon has one of the top
programs in the country.
“It is almost with disbelief that we
approach this point."
The disbelief has struck especially
hard in sports in which Oregon is tradi
tionally strong.
Oregon’s sixth-ranked wrestling
team first came under budget-cutting
scrutiny last year, along with the
fourth-ranked men’s gymnastic pro
gram and the top-caliber women’s
gymnastic program. This year, scrutiny
has extended to baseball and softball.
"The one thing that we’ve really got
going for us is that we’re a real Oregon
sport,” Finley says. "Every high school
in the state has a wrestling program."
The hardest thing for Oregon to
overcome will be the rumors, Finley
says. "Once rumors start they really fly.
Even if no sports are cut, someone will
always believe sports are under the
axe.”
Right now, nobody knows which
sports, if any, will go. And if anyone
does know, he or she isn’t talking.
Eventually the three advisory com
mittees will make their recommenda
tions, Caine will make his recommen
dation and Acting University Pres. Paul
Olum will make a decision.
Until then, "We’re scrambling hard to
save sports,” says Carson.
"We should know what will happen
by the end of the week. At least I hope
we’ll know.”
By Tamara Swenson
Graphic by Ken Babbs