I mean, really? I've heard that there is a donor that floats the whole team. I've heard that it is tied to Title IX. I've heard that it is a cheap team to sponsor so that we can meet the minimum number required to be members of the MW. Does anyone know the real story? I know we are on the cusp of greatness and all, with the men’s team finishing almost 60 shots out of first place (10th place out of 11 teams) after shooting 2 over at the MW Championships, but maybe UW doesn't need a freegin' golf program. The kids don't even play in WY from what I understand. How is this, in any way, a Wyoming team other than they wear brown and gold? Water polo makes more sense to sponsor than golf.
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Why do we have a golf team again?
- Thread starter LawPoke
- Start date
LanderPoke
Well-known member
I would find a different sport to sponsor in order to meet title nine requirements. It’s absurd you can’t even do it in our own state
LanderPoke
Well-known member
I’d rather see men’s tennis than golf. Cut golf, men’s and women’s, and add men’s tennis and women’s wrestling
OrediggerPoke
Well-known member
There is a donor that allocates a substantial amount of money that direction. But I don’t believe those funds come anywhere close to fully supporting those programs. In addition, I believe that certain folks with CJC and the foundation like their yearly paid for trips to Phoenix and Palm Springs for our ‘home’ golf tournaments. But golf is a complete waste, a drain on resources and makes zero sense as a program at the university of Wyoming .
Women’s wrestling is the fastest growing sport in the country and it makes a tremendous amount of sense at Wyoming and costs would be greatly minimized because of existing facilities.
But I personally don’t believe our athletic decision makers are looking out for fan engagement, our athletes and fiscally wise decisions…as much as they are for the nice mini vacations golf can provide them.
Women’s wrestling is the fastest growing sport in the country and it makes a tremendous amount of sense at Wyoming and costs would be greatly minimized because of existing facilities.
But I personally don’t believe our athletic decision makers are looking out for fan engagement, our athletes and fiscally wise decisions…as much as they are for the nice mini vacations golf can provide them.
Jensen has been the head men's coach since 2001. I don't care if he is the biggest bargain in all of college golf, we still aren't getting our money's worth. The fact that we have tolerated the crappiest of programs for 24 years and still not fired the HC shows that it is a throw away...and the fact is, UW doesn't have any money, time, energy, or otherwise to simply throw it away on anything or anyone. So at this point, golf (men's and women's) is clearly not of value to anyone - outside of the kids that are on schollies (sorry kids, reality is a big ol', warty, mean witch) - so we need to wind those useless programs down and find something worth doing and at least trying at. I don't care for wrestling, but whatever. I prefer hockey (men's and/or women's). But again, whatever. Just not golf. Anything to generate any excitement beyond amping up the jollies of old, lecherous farts that like to flit off to AZ to nip out in their way-too-small UW polo shirts and boondoggle when it is cold and windy in WYO, their wives are driving them crazy, and the booze cabinet is running low.
PorkerPoke
Well-known member
Wyoming is more hospitable as a geographic fit to skiing than golf. I can’t imagine it would be a huge financial difference. Maybe it’s off the charts expensive.
Golf in Wyoming?? Green growing grass sometime in May if the spring is warm and frosted dormant brown by early October.
Indoor men’s tennis or volleyball and yes, hockey (M&W) is a fit for a place known for long winters.
Where does Wyoming go to golf - the deserts of California and Arizona. The “snowbirds” from Wyoming are the first species to arrive at these locations in late September and early October while the last to leave in late May. Most snowbirds arrive before the end of October and leave by the end of April with the primary reason being the high season for golf is November 1 to April 30 when prices often triple.
Golf in Wyoming?? Green growing grass sometime in May if the spring is warm and frosted dormant brown by early October.
Indoor men’s tennis or volleyball and yes, hockey (M&W) is a fit for a place known for long winters.
Where does Wyoming go to golf - the deserts of California and Arizona. The “snowbirds” from Wyoming are the first species to arrive at these locations in late September and early October while the last to leave in late May. Most snowbirds arrive before the end of October and leave by the end of April with the primary reason being the high season for golf is November 1 to April 30 when prices often triple.
evilpoke
Well-known member
Pretty much all the reasons you mentioned.
If we were to end the golf programs, we should replace it with bowling and/or rifle.
LanderPoke
Well-known member
Forgot about men’s volleyball. Let’s get that!!
OrediggerPoke
Well-known member
I fully agree! It makes absolute sense from a fiscal perspective given existing facailities and actually makes some sense with our new olympic sports conference members that already sponsor it (Hawaii and UC-Davis). In addition, women's volleyball probably has the highest percentage attendance of any sport at the University when you figure in facility capacity.
For those arguing for hockey and alpine skiing - - that is simply ignoring the immense financial capital/operating costs of those programs. Hockey would be the opposite of fiscal prudency despite how fun the sport is to watch.
I would just throw away Men's Golf as a money saver. You can't get rid of Women's Golf due to Title IX unless you add a sport like you guys mentioned in Women's Wrestling.
For hockey reference DU spends ~$4M per year on their Hockey team and Laramie has absolutely zero arena for it. I love hockey but there is not enough talent in the front range or Rocky Mountain Region to field a competitive D1 team
For hockey reference DU spends ~$4M per year on their Hockey team and Laramie has absolutely zero arena for it. I love hockey but there is not enough talent in the front range or Rocky Mountain Region to field a competitive D1 team
bladerunnr
Well-known member
Funny thread. At least the golfers aren't leaving for the portal! The track team had one great runner last year - Salma Elbadra. She was the only runner who scored points for the Cowgirls in the MW championship last year. She won the 1500 and was 3d in the 800. Anyways, she hit the portal after her freshman year and ended up at South Carolina - where she just ran the 5th fastest 1500 in NCAA history. So it doesn't matter either way. If we're bad, we stay bad. And if we get a few good ones, they just leave.
Interesting take - and I'm not being a jerk. I think that this sort of mentality is real and pervasive - the idea being that if we have nice things, they will just get taken away, so we should just continue to live in poverty. I don't judge this thinking as harshly as some. I had it through the 80s and 90s as good coaches left to go to bigger schools. I do think that we should acknowledge that it is real and make decisions with it in mind. If we simply are worried about losing the good we have found or cultured, we should just stop trying all together (IMHO). Why waste time, money and energy when we are afraid to succeed?
Of course, the alternative is to find a new model - one that allows you to succeed while understanding and embracing the realities of the portal and NIL. But WYO isn't really into innovation and doing things differently to be really candid. We'd rather lament our current plight and cuss at the night instead of grabbing a flashlight to find a way through.
In any event, we need to File 13 golf. And now. A dollar spent on Jensen and the schollies (outside of the women's team for Title XI considerations) is one dollar too many.
LanderPoke
Well-known member
Forgot about her.
Poke in New England
Well-known member
Hockey travel would be a nightmare. We would not even be close to the pedigree necessary to join a conference with the schools already in the region. Air Force is in a conference that doesn't have another team located west of Western PA.
OrediggerPoke
Well-known member
Bringing back baseball or adding softball equally ignore the fiscal or climate realities of those sports. They make even less sense than Golf. In fact, from both a fiscal and climate perspective , beach volleyball makes a lot more sense (it can be played indoors without the cost of a dome).
As much as I love baseball and miss games at Cowboy Field - this is correct.
I don’t love wrestling but others apparently do. I don’t know the economics of skiing, but others do and it likely doesn’t pencil.
My thought is to be wholly dispassionate about the sport, the current student athletes playing in that sport and the coach and to audit all current sports offered at UW. The audit should ask:
1. What sports do we need to keep or have to comply with the law (Title IX)?
2. What sports do we need to keep or have to maintain conference affiliation?
3. What sports can we play and recruit athletes to be middle of the pack or above in our league?
4. What sports are growing and that fit us and our culture?
Then start cutting and adding accordingly. I would guess golf might be cheap (relatively) and women’s golf helps us with Title IX and MW affiliation- but they are beyond awful and show no signs of getting better. All I’m asking is that we try and field a winner. It seems that with golf, we aren’t even trying.
OrediggerPoke
Well-known member
Because of the new NIL age and the increasing costs of scholarship sports to taxpayers and students alike, I'd clarify:
1. What are the individual costs of each sport taking into account revenues and all costs of the sport including coaching salaries, scholarships, player salaries, facility costs, maintenance and use, etc... (also evaluating whether some of the costs can be mitigated by combining facilities/coaches/travel/etc...)? Then arrange the fiscal prudency list to be used in evaluating all of the criteria that follows.
2. What is the minimum number of scholarship sports and which ones do we need to keep or have to maintain conference affiliation?
3. What is the minimum number and what scholarship sports do we need to keep or have to comply with the law (Title IX)?
4. What scholarship sports can we play and recruit athletes to be middle of the pack or above in our league?
5. What scholarship sports are growing or have a significant following and that fit us and our climate and culture?
6. Then, maintain a minimum level of scholarship sports and axe any sports deemed to be unnecessary and replace the costly sports with other sports that better fit the criteria.
7. All other sports desired are moved to club/intramural levels.
Dominoes will fall sooner than later and all sports not named football and basketball will probably be in bucket 7. As a Club Sport administrator, I look forward to the continued job security.
