Eastern Michigan University budget woes prompt cutting of 4 sports programs

[IAA Fan]

Getting cut are softball, men’s swimming and diving, and women’s tennis and wrestling. With the change EMU, which previously led the Mid-American Conference with 21 sports, will now have 17 sports — seven men’s sports and 10 women’s sports. The school will remain in the MAC.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/03/20/eastern-michigan-university-budget-woes-prompt-cutting-4-sports-programs/440893002/

[Kandrase]

... and stories like this are why I hope YSU never joins the MAC or jumps to FBS in general.

[Kandrase]

Unless the MAC becomes an FCS conference, which I think is completely reasonable from a financial perspective but these schools alumni’s pride won’t let that happen.

[Penguin Nick]

In a conference like the MAC, it's reasonable for each university to sponsor only 16 sports (EMU will now have 17).  I believe that many MAC schools spend money frivolously in areas that they probably don't need to.  I still want YSU to be in the MAC as a Division 1 football member if at all possible.    

[IAA Fan]

The two YSU points for me are:

1. This is the 3rd MAC school with faculty, staff (now students) crying to drop football. YSU faculty has their athletic hating faculty like all academic institutions, but you don't hear all the screaming to drop football.

2. After some lean years in athletic spending (which brought about some wonderful academic buildings) we are now in a growth cycle on athletic dollar$. We may not have a lot, but we are better than most.

[ytownchief22]

MAC is in trouble. I always laugh when people say YSU should join.

[YSUGO]

I laugh at how we still act like YSU is way to good to be a MAC member.  News flash:  The MAC is not going to break up.  Playing D1 football is where it’s at and that is not ever changing.  We won 4 championships in FCS and has gotten us nothing but another side of a stadium that sits nearly half empty and we are in a football conference that we have no rivalries and a basketball conference that is a bottom feeder in the eyes of the NCAA.   
When are you football diehards gonna see that people don’t care that our conference is the SEC of FCS and the last time we we were truly relevant in football Clinton was President.  Maybe we need to drop down a division.  I love YSU and it hurts to say what I said but it’s true.  We have lived of the past and that was like 25 years ago.  We have no identity in athletics in our community, the state of Ohio, or on the national college sports scene.  We had our chance and let it slip through our fingers.  Other teams we beat have parlayed it to get to D1 in football or moved or changed conferences like Loyola and Butler.  Till we find a better fit in football geographically or get into a conference where we compete in all sports we will have this fractured identity of a sports program.  If you think it’s working it not.

[Penguin Nick]

I agree with YSUGO 100%. 

[Kandrase]

I laugh at how we still act like YSU is way to good to be a MAC member.  News flash:  The MAC is not going to break up.  Playing D1 football is where it’s at and that is not ever changing.  We won 4 championships in FCS and has gotten us nothing but another side of a stadium that sits nearly half empty and we are in a football conference that we have no rivalries and a basketball conference that is a bottom feeder in the eyes of the NCAA.   
When are you football diehards gonna see that people don’t care that our conference is the SEC of FCS and the last time we we were truly relevant in football Clinton was President.  Maybe we need to drop down a division.  I love YSU and it hurts to say what I said but it’s true.  We have lived of the past and that was like 25 years ago.  We have no identity in athletics in our community, the state of Ohio, or on the national college sports scene.  We had our chance and let it slip through our fingers.  Other teams we beat have parlayed it to get to D1 in football or moved or changed conferences like Loyola and Butler.  Till we find a better fit in football geographically or get into a conference where we compete in all sports we will have this fractured identity of a sports program.  If you think it’s working it not.

Don’t think anyone thinks we’re too good. We think it wouldn’t make sense financially. It would be nice to play those closer schools, but it would be unsustainable.

[ytowngirl]

I agree with YSUGO 100%.

Me too.  Sorry but the community barely cares about YSU football anymore.  It's not like the 90's/early 2000's.  Something needs to change to get butts in the seats. 

[guinpen]

Unless the MAC becomes an FCS conference, which I think is completely reasonable from a financial perspective but these schools alumni’s pride won’t let that happen.

You are correct

[guinpen]

The two YSU points for me are:

1. This is the 3rd MAC school with faculty, staff (now students) crying to drop football. YSU faculty has their athletic hating faculty like all academic institutions, but you don't hear all the screaming to drop football.

Do you mean actually drop football or to drop down a division.

[guinpen]

I laugh at how we still act like YSU is way to good to be a MAC member.  News flash:  The MAC is not going to break up. 

Not sure if it will be a break-up but sooner or later the mac will be forced ( by money ) to make some changes

[YSUGO]

The only changes that will be made is the lesser sports will be dropped or budgets reduced.  Football rules the roost and till the NCAA says nothing changes.

[IAA Fan]

The two YSU points for me are:

1. This is the 3rd MAC school with faculty, staff (now students) crying to drop football. YSU faculty has their athletic hating faculty like all academic institutions, but you don't hear all the screaming to drop football.

Do you mean actually drop football or to drop down a division.

to actually drop the sport. kent, akron, buffalo and now emu