Stanford University, a school that long embraced having a full and robust athletic department, announced Wednesday it was cutting 11 of its current 36 varsity sports programs — men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling.
The reason? Money.
“The financial model supporting 36 varsity sports is not sustainable,” the school said in a statement. It was projecting a $12 million deficit for fiscal 2021.
With that announcement, you can see the collegiate sports model — and perhaps even the multi-billion dollar youth sports industry that feeds it — buckle.