Posts: 4,635
Threads: 114
Joined: Dec 1969
I don\'t see what the big problem is really. C.a.l could escape many Title IX problems if it just declares that Rugby is a "club" sport. The program could then secure the rights to practice on an athletic department field with the aid of their endowment funds. The endowment would help explain why this club sport gets better treatment than other C.a.l club sports. Any other club sport could achieve the same access rights if they pay the AD. Easy!
Getting Rugby off the varsity books is critical because that will enable C.a.l to kill 2 or 3 women\'s programs. The women\'s programs are not as successful and have no financial support, so killing them off has got to be the real goal here.
If Rugby keeps its varsity status, then C.a.l needs to find 2 or even 3 other men\'s teams with real budgets to kill. Water Polo and Swimming would be likely victims. It is a numbers game. There are very few C.a.l sports with big enough budgets to help the cause that are not required by the Pac-10. The problem there is that C.a.l is actually good at Water Polo. And both water sports are really common throughout the High Schools in Cali. In many ways, those water sports define athletics in the state. Rugby clearly does not have that same statewide appeal or history.
BTW, WOW! if you are a club sport at C.a.l you really might as well just quit now. The comments about their place on campus made me feel sorry for them. Though they seem to have a higher standing than those professors that quote the leaking roofs and outdated resources.