Baseball Dropped (Updated)

[Roundball]

From any and all who so vehemently oppose these athletics and other cuts, I would like to read your suggestions of what should have been done instead.
So far, it appears to me that the cuts that are being made are not only very difficult but also fully and definitely necessary.
Prayers for all persons impacted by these decisions, including athletes, coaches and other athletics staff, faculty, all Furman staff, families, alumni, trustees, and all administration including certainly President Davis. Prayers for Furman University.
It is time for us all to support Furman.
If you have criticisms of decisions being made, again, please tell what you would have done instead and why it would have been better.

I don't have access to sufficient financial data to say. But it's interesting that Furman took this step before the hundreds of D-I programs with even fewer financial resources. What are those schools doing to avoid gutting their athletic dept.?

I would be surprised if Furman is the only SoCon school to make cuts. Maybe other schools won’t cut a major sport, but hard to think only Furman is affected. Hoping we were just the first to announce.

Some of you act like this is only a Furman issue. Some schools have already announced cutbacks. Many more are coming. ECU is one that will be announcing soon. Plus, in case you haven’t noticed, businesses are closing or cutting back across this country. All of America is affected by this virus and by politicians closing down the country. https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/art ... 16081.html

[Furmanoid]

I think part of the problem is that FU hints that the baseball and lax chopping was coming anyway, covid or no covid. (Even if that’s true I would have maybe kept that to myself.) So an athletic program that was viable a few years ago had become non viable even before the virus. That means that before the virus FU had become one of only 2 SoCon programs that couldn’t afford baseball. How did that happen? Now we just have to hope that the other possibly temporary cuts will be enough to weather covid and that other schools will feel equal pain. That depends on how many kids show up in the Fall. About 1/4 of ours live in states where people really believe they will die if they leave the house, so we have to hope they calm down by August.

[MidlandsPaladin]

JD on Sportstalk last night. Lots of our questions answered:

https://sportstalksc.com/2020/05/18/fur ... portstalk/

To summarize:

• Baseball was not on the chopping block until the past month or so

• More focus must go toward revenue-generating sports, specifically football and basketball

• $5M annually saved by cutting baseball and lacrosse that can be funneled to other programs - especially improving gameday experience in football and continued success with the basketball program

• "Never say never" when asked if this was permanent or if at some point baseball could return

• No immediate plans for what to do with Latham, but nothing will be done for at least a year

• Decision came down to what sports we could be most competitive in, and FU wants to put more focus on the sports that are currently successful

[Affirm]

From any and all who so vehemently oppose these athletics and other cuts, I would like to read your suggestions of what should have been done instead.
So far, it appears to me that the cuts that are being made are not only very difficult but also fully and definitely necessary.
Prayers for all persons impacted by these decisions, including athletes, coaches and other athletics staff, faculty, all Furman staff, families, alumni, trustees, and all administration including certainly President Davis. Prayers for Furman University.
It is time for us all to support Furman.
If you have criticisms of decisions being made, again, please tell what you would have done instead and why it would have been better.

I don't have access to sufficient financial data to say. But it's interesting that Furman took this step before the hundreds of D-I programs with even fewer financial resources. What are those schools doing to avoid gutting their athletic dept.?

I would be surprised if Furman is the only SoCon school to make cuts. Maybe other schools won’t cut a major sport, but hard to think only Furman is affected. Hoping we were just the first to announce.

Some of you act like this is only a Furman issue. Some schools have already announced cutbacks. Many more are coming. ECU is one that will be announcing soon. Plus, in case you haven’t noticed, businesses are closing or cutting back across this country. All of America is affected by this virus and by politicians closing down the country. https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/art ... 16081.html

Other D-1 schools that have already announced significant cuts include:
Iowa State
Cincinnati
Old Dominion
FIU
Wisconsin - Green Bay.

[FUBeAR]

From any and all who so vehemently oppose these athletics and other cuts, I would like to read your suggestions of what should have been done instead.
So far, it appears to me that the cuts that are being made are not only very difficult but also fully and definitely necessary.
Prayers for all persons impacted by these decisions, including athletes, coaches and other athletics staff, faculty, all Furman staff, families, alumni, trustees, and all administration including certainly President Davis. Prayers for Furman University.
It is time for us all to support Furman.
If you have criticisms of decisions being made, again, please tell what you would have done instead and why it would have been better.

I don't have access to sufficient financial data to say. But it's interesting that Furman took this step before the hundreds of D-I programs with even fewer financial resources. What are those schools doing to avoid gutting their athletic dept.?

I would be surprised if Furman is the only SoCon school to make cuts. Maybe other schools won’t cut a major sport, but hard to think only Furman is affected. Hoping we were just the first to announce.

Some of you act like this is only a Furman issue. Some schools have already announced cutbacks. Many more are coming. ECU is one that will be announcing soon. Plus, in case you haven’t noticed, businesses are closing or cutting back across this country. All of America is affected by this virus and by politicians closing down the country. https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/art ... 16081.html

Other D-1 schools that have already announced significant cuts include:
Iowa State
Cincinnati
Old Dominion
FIU
Wisconsin - Green Bay.

Akron also cut men's cross country, men's golf and women's tennis...

...and to make matters worse, last year they hired Tom Arth away from Chattanooga as their Head Football Coach, giving him a 5 year contract, and he promptly delivered an 0-12 season for the Zips in 2019.

[Affirm]

From any and all who so vehemently oppose these athletics and other cuts, I would like to read your suggestions of what should have been done instead.
So far, it appears to me that the cuts that are being made are not only very difficult but also fully and definitely necessary.
Prayers for all persons impacted by these decisions, including athletes, coaches and other athletics staff, faculty, all Furman staff, families, alumni, trustees, and all administration including certainly President Davis. Prayers for Furman University.
It is time for us all to support Furman.
If you have criticisms of decisions being made, again, please tell what you would have done instead and why it would have been better.

I don't have access to sufficient financial data to say. But it's interesting that Furman took this step before the hundreds of D-I programs with even fewer financial resources. What are those schools doing to avoid gutting their athletic dept.?

I would be surprised if Furman is the only SoCon school to make cuts. Maybe other schools won’t cut a major sport, but hard to think only Furman is affected. Hoping we were just the first to announce.

Some of you act like this is only a Furman issue. Some schools have already announced cutbacks. Many more are coming. ECU is one that will be announcing soon. Plus, in case you haven’t noticed, businesses are closing or cutting back across this country. All of America is affected by this virus and by politicians closing down the country. https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/art ... 16081.html

Other D-1 schools that have already announced significant cuts include:
Iowa State
Cincinnati
Old Dominion
FIU
Wisconsin - Green Bay.

Akron also cut men's cross country, men's golf and women's tennis...

...and to make matters worse, last year they hired Tom Arth away from Chattanooga as their Head Football Coach, giving him a 5 year contract, and he promptly delivered an 0-12 season for the Zips in 2019.

Yes! I knew there was another one that I was forgetting- Akron. Three teams eliminated by the Zips.

[FUpaladin08]

Good to hear there could be a team again one day, but it is a huge step back to any success baseball could have at Furman to start from zero if that time ever comes. This has been the biggest surprise to me in all of this, just cutting the program without any major fundraising push. I completely understand the analysis given that Furman is sponsoring too many teams given the size and funding of the school. But if I wanted to make a $5 mil donation this year to keep baseball and Lax it sounds like the university would politely refuse and ask me to fund something else.

[CharlieFU]

I have never read so much horse hockey in my life. Changes were coming, regardless of COVID19. It does not mean the admin are trying to sink the athletic Dept. In fact, it means the opposite. We are cutting back so we can succeed elsewhere. We simply could not sustain that many sports long term.

Charlie, why cut a major sport that does provide revenue, benefits and notoriety? How much will this cost the university in donations, publicity etc? Whether they do it or not I have already seen people say online they are removing their diamond F’s and Paladin Club stickers from their cars.

Well this assumes they did it just for the heck of it. Cost cutting was the order of the day. They could have nibbled around the edges, cut a little here and there, but with no real consequences to the bottom line. I did not say i liked it. I do not. But i understand it. And it is incredibly short sighted to abandon the athletic program at a time like this. I do not understand that attitude.

Did baseball MAKE money? I find that hard to believe.

[Dragon Paladin]

The decision to drop men's baseball and lacrosse is unpopular, divisive, and to an extent wrong. Baseball is the main draw of spring sports.

President Elizabeth Davis and Athletic Director Jason Donnelly are in hot seats.

[FUpaladin08]

I have never read so much horse hockey in my life. Changes were coming, regardless of COVID19. It does not mean the admin are trying to sink the athletic Dept. In fact, it means the opposite. We are cutting back so we can succeed elsewhere. We simply could not sustain that many sports long term.

Charlie, why cut a major sport that does provide revenue, benefits and notoriety? How much will this cost the university in donations, publicity etc? Whether they do it or not I have already seen people say online they are removing their diamond F’s and Paladin Club stickers from their cars.

Well this assumes they did it just for the heck of it. Cost cutting was the order of the day. They could have nibbled around the edges, cut a little here and there, but with no real consequences to the bottom line. I did not say i liked it. I do not. But i understand it. And it is incredibly short sighted to abandon the athletic program at a time like this. I do not understand that attitude.

Did baseball MAKE money? I find that hard to believe.

WYFF posted a graphic from the Dept of Edu. showing baseball has not lost money since 2011. I found that hard to believe. I assumed everyone but football and basketball lost money (had my doubts about football).

https://www.wyff4.com/amp/article/furma ... k/32585793

I wish they would have cut Men/women Lax completely and went non scholarship in baseball. JD says they looked at all options and decided to rip the bandaid. Wish something on the academic side could have been sacrificed out of good faith to the athletic side. Obviously nothing essential, but there is some waste that certainly could have been found. I hope they push for Latham stadium to host HS and travel tournaments to generate some revenue. I hope I get to watch Furman baseball again one day. A lot of wishing and hoping...

[furpop16]

President Elizabeth Davis and Athletic Director Jason Donnelly are in hot seats.

Pres. Davis came up through the Administrative ranks counting beans at Baylor. There's no way these decisions were made haphazardly nor without microscopic scrutinization of the numbers. Certainly a stunning day for FU sports; nevertheless, I'll unquestionably follow Pres. Davis's sign-off on all of this.

[Affirm]

I have never read so much horse hockey in my life. Changes were coming, regardless of COVID19. It does not mean the admin are trying to sink the athletic Dept. In fact, it means the opposite. We are cutting back so we can succeed elsewhere. We simply could not sustain that many sports long term.

Charlie, why cut a major sport that does provide revenue, benefits and notoriety? How much will this cost the university in donations, publicity etc? Whether they do it or not I have already seen people say online they are removing their diamond F’s and Paladin Club stickers from their cars.

Well this assumes they did it just for the heck of it. Cost cutting was the order of the day. They could have nibbled around the edges, cut a little here and there, but with no real consequences to the bottom line. I did not say i liked it. I do not. But i understand it. And it is incredibly short sighted to abandon the athletic program at a time like this. I do not understand that attitude.

Did baseball MAKE money? I find that hard to believe.

WYFF posted a graphic from the Dept of Edu. showing baseball has not lost money since 2011. I found that hard to believe. I assumed everyone but football and basketball lost money (had my doubts about football).

https://www.wyff4.com/amp/article/furma ... k/32585793

I wish they would have cut Men/women Lax completely and went non scholarship in baseball. JD says they looked at all options and decided to rip the bandaid. Wish something on the academic side could have been sacrificed out of good faith to the athletic side. Obviously nothing essential, but there is some waste that certainly could have been found. I hope they push for Latham stadium to host HS and travel tournaments to generate some revenue. I hope I get to watch Furman baseball again one day. A lot of wishing and hoping...

"WYFF posted a graphic from the Dept of Edu. showing baseball has not lost money since 2011."
I have the impression that WYFF is usually very uninterested in anything about Furman athletics. Why are they so interested in posting a graphic in this situation? If WYFF had reported more about Furman athletics over the months and years, creating more public interest generally in Furman athletics, the situation that Furman is in might not have been quite so dire. Someone will please tell me if WYFF has been more supportive of Furman athletics over recent months and years and decades than I realize.

[fufanatic]

I know I am taking this too hard and overreacting but it just feels like the Furman Paladins are no longer complete. A big void for sure. It will really hit home next spring after basketball and we have no baseball to watch either in person or on TV. It will be hatrd to get used to not having Furman sports for 6 months out of the year.

I feel ya. You have every right to be upset. Everyone is going to take this news differently. My head and my heart are telling me two separate things. I didn't even follow Furman baseball that closely, but it just doesn't feel right not having it at Furman. It's been around since the 19th century, and as a history major, that's hard for me to stomach. Plus the university is located in a popular college baseball state of South Carolina in the South. I would have expected more Northern teams to eliminate baseball before a Furman would.

Having said that, I get it from a financial point of view. And a competitive point of view. Furman baseball has never really been consistently good, and its last NCAA berth was an 8 seed miracle run in 2005. And men's lax was awful. Compare that to cross country, soccer, tennis, golf, even volleyball, which have all been very good and fairly consistent over the years. I get it, doesn't mean I have to like it.

[Dragon Paladin]

President Elizabeth Davis and Athletic Director Jason Donnelly are in hot seats.

Pres. Davis came up through the Administrative ranks counting beans at Baylor. There's no way these decisions were made haphazardly nor without microscopic scrutinization of the numbers. Certainly a stunning day for FU sports; nevertheless, I'll unquestionably follow Pres. Davis's sign-off on all of this.

I can understand other universities and colleges suspending or cutting specific programs. When you cut a program that is the greatest draw and revenue generator of the spring sports, those who made the wrong decision are held accountable for their actions and the consequences are visible directly and indirectly.

[MidlandsPaladin]

I know I am taking this too hard and overreacting but it just feels like the Furman Paladins are no longer complete. A big void for sure. It will really hit home next spring after basketball and we have no baseball to watch either in person or on TV. It will be hatrd to get used to not having Furman sports for 6 months out of the year.

I feel ya. You have every right to be upset. Everyone is going to take this news differently. My head and my heart are telling me two separate things. I didn't even follow Furman baseball that closely, but it just doesn't feel right not having it at Furman. It's been around since the 19th century, and as a history major, that's hard for me to stomach. Plus the university is located in a popular college baseball state of South Carolina in the South. I would have expected more Northern teams to eliminate baseball before a Furman would.

Having said that, I get it from a financial point of view. And a competitive point of view. Furman baseball has never really been consistently good, and its last NCAA berth was an 8 seed miracle run in 2005. And men's lax was awful. Compare that to cross country, soccer, tennis, golf, even volleyball, which have all been very good and fairly consistent over the years. I get it, doesn't mean I have to like it.

Listening to JD, it sounded like this was part of the issue. Even with the upgrades we could never recruit well enough to be successful.