Originally published on December 16, 2020, updated December 17 with new statements by President Caslen
In a story reported by the Charlotte Observer yesterday, University of South Carolina school president Bob Caslen said a budget deficit could result in the school cutting swimming and diving programs for men and women, among other sports.
South Carolina’s sports department faces a deficit of more than $ 40 million and is expected to borrow to survive this fiscal year. Caslen said a meeting of trustees on Tuesday included “discussions on the elimination of sports”, with men’s and women’s swimming and diving mentioned, as well as men’s soccer and equestrian.
Caslen expressed his hope to avoid any cuts to the program.
“If we can preserve these teams, my wish is because of the kindness they offer to our student-athletes, we would like to do that. There are unintended consequences, such as cutting paths for professional or Olympic sports, ”said Caslen.
“I believe [not cutting is] the right thing to do. In the end, we may have to do this. “
The day after his original comments, Caslen tried to dispel any concerns about the future of the programs mentioned.
“I want to reiterate that the goal of Athletics Director Ray Tanner and me remains to preserve the robust athletics program that we enjoy at the University of South Carolina. Student-athletes are a great example for our entire university community and the administration is working hard to ensure that each of our teams receives support, even when we face serious challenges. Our student athletes and fans deserve nothing less. There are no plans to cut any sports programs in Carolina. “
If South Carolina ends up cutting swimming and diving programs, they would join an increasing number of schools that have eliminated sports to make up for the revenue losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, other Division I programs to reduce swimming and diving include Iowa (men and women), State of Michigan (men and women), State of Boise (women), UConn (men), Dartmouth (men and women), East Carolina (men and women), Western Illinois (men and women)
The Gamecock athletics department would also be the third DI institution in the state of South Carolina to eliminate swimming and diving programs in the past decade, after Clemson cut its male swim and dive teams after the 2010-11 season and the College of Charleston cut its programs in 2015. Clemson made it to the final by eliminating women’s diving after the 2016-17 season.
Last season, South Carolina women finished ninth out of 12 teams and their men were the last in the 2020 SEC Championship. They were not without bright spots, however, as Itay Goldfaden won the 100 breaststroke conference title and the Gamecock women had several A finalists at the meeting.