THE CONCEPT of "survival of the fittest" applies to more than just evolution. The phenomenon can be seen in the academic arena: First year pre-med wannabes who are at the bottom of the curve in the introductory chemistry classes realize that majoring in art history might be a better option. It can be seen in social life: The rush process for fraternities is grueling to ensure that the faint of heart do not gain access to the wonders of fratland.
Now, budget problems in the athletic department mean that survival of the fittest will begin to govern in the University sports world as well. If implemented, a new tier system will mean that funding will be cut for sports on the fourth tier, and the people involved with those sports protest that the funding cuts will kill their ability to be competitive. They're right. Their sacrifice, however, will not be in vain, because the "fitter" sports - the ones that survive the purge - will be better off when the department doesn't try to stretch itself too thin, and their improvement will be good for the University as a whole.
The tier system was recommended to the Board of Visitors by the Strategic Planning Task Force for Athletics, which was given the unenviable assignment of finding a way to keep the athletic department from going into the red. If the Board adopts the task force's recommendations, four tiers will be established for University sports, with sports like football and men's basketball in the top tier and sports like men's baseball and golf in the fourth tier. Funding for fourth tier sports will be reduced, meaning that they will have minimal staff and budgets and only need-based financial aid, resulting in less money for things like travel to competitions as well as scholarships to attract the best players to join their teams.
Being realistic, it's almost certain that the funding cuts will spell the end for the fourth tier sports' competitiveness, as the coaches and athletes who participate in those sports predict. It's unfortunate, because all of those sports have talented athletes and dedicated coaches. It's also unavoidable.
The reality is, something has to give. If the athletic program keeps operating on a deficit as it has been for the past few years, it will be mired in debt - by as much as $44 million - ten years down the road. A lack of funds would threaten the health of the entire athletic department, and that is something that no one wants to see.
Funds for the athletic program are overextended as is, and, unfortunately, spreading the wealth equally among all the sports in the program will mean that they will all decline in quality. Unfortunately, the University just does not have the money to give sports like baseball and wrestling the resources they deserve, and trying half-heartedly to do so would weaken the whole program. Then, the question becomes whether we want to do some things well or all things on a mediocre level.
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The task force had to make a choice, and its choice of giving the more high profile sports priority was a good one. The success of sports that get a lot of media coverage can have beneficial effects on the University as a whole, because they cast a positive light on the University and get the U.Va. name out there. Popular sports' successes also can spill over into positive effects for academics, as seen with the success of Virginia Tech's football team a couple of years ago. The publicity they got from their winning football team made the number of applicants to the school shoot up, allowing them to be more selective and improve their academic standards.
Though the tier system is necessary, it shouldn't be implemented until 2005. That way, current students who play on teams that will be in the fourth tier won't get a raw deal because it's too late for them to transfer to another school where their sports may be more of a focus. It also would give coaches a little more time to plan career moves, as well as more notice to prospective students about what the future situation will be. That way, they can make an informed decision about whether they will want to apply to the University when they know their sports won't be as competitive here as they have been in the past.
The University can't do everything at once, much as it may want to. It is time for the sports program to tighten its belt, and the sports that get squeezed out in the process will have to find consolation in the fact that - to use an appropriate metaphor - they have taken one for the team.
(Laura Sahramaa is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at lsahramaa@cavalierdaily.com.)
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