Stanford University, facing a $70 million shortfall over the next three years because of the coronavirus pandemic and the financial demands of supporting 36 varsity sports, said Wednesday it planned to cut 11 sports next year, including men’s volleyball, wrestling and rowing.
The university said in a statement detailing the decision that the teams to be cut have 240 athletes and 22 coaches. The teams will have a chance to compete in the 2020-21 academic year, if health conditions allow it, before being discontinued.
Stanford attributed the budget shortfall to the demands of having 36 teams, calling the financial model “unsustainable” for keeping them all.
“We have calculated that the total incremental funding needed to permanently sustain these 11 sports at a nationally competitive varsity level exceeds $200 million,” the university said.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
