UC Berkeley announced today that the university is dropping baseball from its sports program. The institution also eliminated men's and women's gymnastics, as well as women's lacrosse. Rugby, which at Berkeley nearly pays its own way, was reduced to a "club sport."The loss of a major sport by a prestigious university demonstrates how far the mighty have fallen in California. There was a time, not so long ago, when the UC system offered nearly every sort of educational opportunity to its citizens. The Golden State was proud of its public colleges and universities. They offered a refreshing, desirable counterpoint to the dominance of East Coast intellectual life. Today, California's public institutions are reeling from the impact of the state's ruthless politics and feckless spending. Even for relatively popular activities such as baseball, there is no more funding, ever. It's strike three -- they're out.
The baseball card-style illustration shows UC-Berkeley alum Mike Epstein, who later played pro ball with the Oakland Athletics.
No comments:
Post a Comment