Stanford is known for its college sports program. However, Stanford cuts Olympic sports from its varsity program. It removed nine sports to control the athletic department’s budget deficit. However, some former student-athletes are protesting the decision. They said the school blindsided them.
If athletes from Stanford had a country, they would have been in 11th place at the 2016 Olympics. Cutting nine sports from its program will affect 240 athletes. Also, it will have a ripple effect in the Olympic world.
Even former students of the school were dismayed by the decision. They felt that the school was giving up. Also, they think that other schools might make the same decision to reduce their sports programs due to the pandemic.
Stanford Cuts Olympic Sports
By reducing the sports programs, it will decrease the talent pool for the Olympics. According to sportsbook pay per head sources, the US Paralympic and Olympic Committee relies on the college sports program across the nation.
Out of the 558 American athletes in the Rio Olympics, 75 percent came from college sports programs. According to gambling industry news sites, 85 percent of the medal winners were athletes trained by colleges.
The USOPC stated Division I schools spent around $5.6 billion on Olympic sports. Also, they said that college sports provide the grassroots program needed by the national teams. However, the numbers have been on the decline in recent years.
Stanford retained its men’s gymnastics program. However, there are less than 20 Division I programs today. Men’s volleyball has almost two dozen programs in the nation. The nine Olympic sports cut by Stanford were sponsored by less than nine percent of Division I schools.
Student-athletes who lost their scholarships can choose to start a bookie business to earn funds for their college degree. If you want to open a sportsbook, make sure you use the right pay per head provider.
