Cal Bears to drop baseball

**cdekovic** · 02-12-2011, 05:37 PM

Not sure if this has been posted but here's a team that is ranked in the preseason top 20, NCAA post season last year and expected to make the CWS this year and will end their baseball program at the close of the season. Cal Athletics have operated in the red to the tune of $10-$13 million per year.

**Three4Cy** · 02-13-2011, 12:43 AM

California Bears reinstate three sports, still cut baseball - ESPN

**52ynnel** · 02-13-2011, 12:48 AM

Originally Posted by Three4Cy

California Bears reinstate three sports, still cut baseball - ESPN

That sucks.

**edr247** · 02-13-2011, 03:44 PM

That's very strange that you'd cut a winning program. However, the article make is clear that baseball and gymnastics didn't make enough money fundraising to cover their costs for 10 years or whatever they were expecting.

Is baseball just an expensive sport because of the cost of frequent travel?

Also, due to Title IX, money from the donations to men's rugby (saved) went towards saving women's gymnastics and women's lacrosse. I have a feeling cutting the other men's sports may also have to do with the university wanting to comply with Title IX.

**Cyhops** · 02-13-2011, 04:42 PM

You hope they will return the donations for the baseball program.

**cdekovic** · 02-13-2011, 04:42 PM

You would think with pretty much year round fair to decent to great weather, it would be a desitination for other teams to travel to get games.

**ISU_Alum_2000** · 02-13-2011, 06:44 PM

Sucks. The state of California is broke, and this is one of the fall-outs. It's not surprising that UC-Berkeley is where an action like this would take place (very liberal/academic-focused university).

Meanwhile, down in SoCal....

UC-Irvine (where I live) revived their program in 2002 (it was also cut in 1992 due to state budget cuts) and made the CWS in 5 years (2007).

With UC-Irvine, UC-LA, Cal State-Fullerton, Cal State-Long Beach and USC (private), college baseball in LA/OC is outstanding.

Funny thought... what if the Iowa schools were referred to as "UI-Iowa City" and "Iowa State-Ames" (aka Ames State, like Long Beach State)? I guess that's the difference between having 3 and 37 million people in a state, and only one school in each of the UI and Iowa State branches.

**Wesley** · 02-13-2011, 06:54 PM

Expect more cuts to come from federal sources with the FY12 budget. They may be getting ahead of the game. The additional stimulus money will dry up almost immediately.