1:24 PM: University of California at Berkeley officials said today that they’re going ahead with their plans to eliminate the school’s baseball and men’s gymnastics programs, but enough money has been raised to spare women’s lacrosse, women’s gymnastics and men’s rugby.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced last Sept. 28 that the university would eliminate five sports in order to reduce its subsidies to its athletics program.
He said the university had been spending more than $12 million in subsidies to sports teams and he wanted to reduce the subsidy to $5 million by 2014.
Vice Chancellor Frank Yeary said today that fund-raising efforts have generated enough money to ensure that women’s lacrosse and gymnastics and men’s rugby are financially sound for at least seven to 10 years.
But he said not enough money was raised to save baseball and men’s gymnastics.
The university received $12 million to $13 million in philanthropic pledges from the organizers of the fundraising efforts and is confident that at least $8 million of that amount is solid, Yeary said.
Yeary said just under $1 million was raised for men’s gymnastics and that sum was insufficient.
He said slightly between $1.5 million to $2 million was gathered for baseball but about $10 million was needed to make sure that it was on sound footing for the long term.
“The challenge for baseball is that it’s a larger sport in terms of costs,” Yeary said.
He said Cal won’t field baseball or men’s gymnastics teams in the 2011-2012 academic year but if enough money is raised the university would consider reinstating them in the future.
Those teams “fell far short of raising the necessary philanthropic support,” Birgeneau said. “Students and staff associated with these teams must now be allowed to move forward to make other plans,” such as transferring to other universities if they want to continue with those sports.
A group of alumni at Stanford, which is UC Berkeley’s biggest rival, raised nearly $50,000 to help save the sports that were targeted for elimination.
Pete McCloskey, a former congressman who played on Stanford’s baseball team in 1947 and 1948, said today that he’s disappointed that Cal is dropping baseball because Stanford will be losing a major adversary.
McCloskey said, “Cal was very good in baseball in our day and this is going to hurt Cal.”
Referring to Birgeneau, McCloskey said, “Maybe the chancellor doesn’t understand that baseball is still the major American sport.”
He said he will contact his fellow Stanford alumni to see if they will still follow through on their pledges even though Cal will be eliminating baseball.
McCloskey said he thinks that if Cal had kept its baseball team, the Stanford alumni would have been able to raise substantially more than the $50,000 that’s already been pledged.
Although some UC Berkeley alumni have threatened to cut back on their donations if the university cuts baseball, Birgeneau said he doesn’t think that will happen.
“I’ve been in close contact with our major supporters and they remain deeply loyal to Cal and without exception they have confirmed their continued support for the university,” Birgeneau said.
10:45 AM: University of California at Berkeley officials announced today that three sports that had been slated for elimination have been saved, but baseball and men’s gymnastics will be cut.
The sports that have been spared are women’s lacrosse, women’s gymnastics and rugby.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced last Sept. 28 that the university would eliminate five sports in order to reduce its subsidies to its athletics program.
He said the university had been spending more than $12 million in subsidies to sports teams and he wanted to reduce the subsidy to $5 million by 2014.
University officials said fundraising efforts were sufficient to save three of the five sports that had been targeted for elimination.
The university said that in recent months, alumni, student-athletes, coaches and fans mobilized to solicit funding to preserve the teams’ intercollegiate status.
But the university said in a statement, “Unfortunately, it was determined that the pledges for baseball and men’s gymnastics fell short of the criteria provided to potential donors: sufficient funding to support team expenses for the next seven to 10 years and the presentation of a feasible plan for sustained financial independence.”
According to the university, the campus received $12 million to $13 million in philanthropic pledges from the organizers of the fundraising efforts.
The university said that of that total, it is confident that at least $8 million will be available to support the net expenses of women’s lacrosse, women’s gymnastics and rugby, and that those three teams will be able to cover their costs for at least the next seven to 10 years.
“While every member of the Cal Athletics family is saddened by the fact that the fundraising was not sufficient to bring back all five teams, I want to express my great appreciation and thanks to the literally hundreds of our alumni and friends who rallied to show the kind of financial and emotional support that was necessary to make this decision possible,” Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said.
Jeff Shuttleworth, Bay City News
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