NFL
By: Zachary Draves
One of life’s most agonizing moments is when you ask questions and get no legitimate answer in return.
The saga of the Michigan State University Swimming and Diving teams is one of those moments.
On October 22, 2020, Bill Beekman, the Athletic Director for MSU, announced that he had made the decision to discontinue the Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving teams after the 2020-2021 season.
The reasoning for this decision remains unknown but is part of a disturbing trend that is ongoing at several major universities where Olympic-specific sports have seen dramatic cuts.
Some of the arguments put forth on why these programs are being dismantled are due to either COVID-related matters or that these programs result in a loss of revenue.
It is hard to conceive the legitimacy of the latter argument because according to MSU’s own data, the Swimming and Diving programs have actually gained $1.2 million in net revenue.
Also worth mentioning is that the programs combined compromise of only $1.6 million of the $140 athletic budget, which is 1.15% of the budget.
The timing of this decision couldn’t have come at a worse and confusing time.
It was in the middle of the fall semester and the football season was underway so Mr. Beekman most likely presented the media with an obvious shiny object to cover his tracks.
Furthermore, it was hard for student-athletes to transfer to other schools as the recruiting process slowed and many schools were experiencing similar financial difficulties.
Mr. Beekman also maliciously avoided all opportunities to answer the questions from the swimmers and divers who were owed an explanation for this decision.
In a press release sent out by the university, it claimed that the pool size didn’t fit NCAA regulations.
It stated “Having always competed in a smaller than a regulation pool, the recent closure of the outdoor pool at IM West left our athletes without a regulation size pool in which to even train.”
But this has been proven false because MSU does practice in a 25 feet 6 lane pool that is perfectly in line with NCAA regulations.
The university also claimed that there was no possible path forward for a new facility when in fact a student-athlete in collaboration with Mr. Beekman proposed that path forward and the department just discarded it like trash.
All this is broken down on the Save MSU Swim and Dive website https://battleforspartanswimanddive.com/situation.
As a result of this confusingly cold-hearted move the members of the team, their families, and other supporters organized and began to act to get answers.
Among them is Thomas Munley, a member of the committee to save the program who shared with NBS his thoughts on the matter.
Do you all have an answer as to why the MSU swimming and diving programs were cut?
– The explanations initially offered were that the 1) the department was running a deficit and the $2M that the sport costs would help offset that and 2) the pool was not regulation size. The program actually generates $1.2M in net revenue for the university when you add in all the tuition paid by non-scholarship athletes and the pool is 25 yards long, exactly regulation. There has been no further explanation from the university.
What has been the response from the campus community (students, professors, etc.)?
– The general reaction has been one of confusion as to why they would cut a program that is approaching its 100th year and has two of the top-performing academic teams in the country. The women had the highest overall team GPA in the country this year and the men were 6th.
What course of action is the committee looking to take?
– We have taken several actions so far. We have lobbied the state government, conducted outreach campaigns to the professors and other on-campus staff, and have been relentless in trying to engage the Board of Trustees to get this decision reversed.
What can folks do to support this movement?
– Reach out to President Stanley and the other members of the board and let them know that this is a mistake and they should reverse this decision.
It is devastating that a decorated program that for 100 years has produced athletic and academic excellence https://battleforspartanswimanddive.com/program-accolades is being cast aside for no legitimate reason.
Sports shouldn’t just be about who wins, loses, or making money, it’s at its best the memories and connections you experience that make it worthwhile.
MSU needs to fess up and quick.
Lives are depending on it.
#SaveOlympicSports
Save MSU Swim and Dive.
