Long Beach State Sports : Re: oops

I agree with your list and I would add beach volleyball, as you suggested, since there is a bunch of cross over with the indoor team. Plus, having beach volleyball, top 10 nationally, enables the indoor team to attracted a higher level of recruit since many P4 teams currently do not field beach teams. Also, LBSU is a volleyball school and having those three teams are almost a must.

The department needs to look at what sports teams can compete outside just the conference. Now that their is not a power 4 western conference, schools that invest in certain sports can become relevant regionally and that can help grow the program and the schools visibility. Western mid majors need to use this as an opportunity but the problem is trying to figure out how you can maximize your impact in this ever changing environment.

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I counted wrong. My best hope would leave us with 7 programs not looking like club sports
Mens Bball
Womens Bball
Mens Vball
Womens Vball
Mens Bball
Womens SBall
Womens Soccer

4 womens sports vs on 3 mens with schollies would probably guarantee compliance with Title X.

Maybe we can salvage more, like beach vball. Can only hope.

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Interesting, here is the source article
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2024/08/21/ohio-state-ad-ross-bjork-nil-d1-sports-teams-big-ten/74893167007/

This quote from the Ohio State AD says it all
"We'll still have scholarships, we'll still have programs," Carter said. " Some of those sports may start to look and act a little bit more like a club sport , but yet compete at the Division I level and still travel and still compete."

In the Big West, translate that to 'Most of those sports' and 'act a lot more like a club sport' and you get the picture where we are headed. I see no way out where we look the same as we do now in five years. I hope we can salvage mens and womens bball and vball, baseball and softball, womens soccer. Everything else may become a club sport, yes this sucks but that is the best I can hope for right now. And those five remaining scholarship competition level programs will be in a lower division.

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https://bigwest.org/news/2024/8/26/the-bold-type-with-commissioner-dan-butterly.aspx

Article that caught my eye:

“Athletic departments plan to "tier" sports by de-investing in many of them to invest more resources in a small group of sports that (1) generate revenue, (2) attract fans and (3) are capable of competing for championships.” Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports