University of Maryland to Drop Eight Varsity Sports

University of Maryland's men's and women's cross country team

Call it a sign of the times. Despite the American people being told "the recession is over," an increasing number of institutions are following a much different script. They're "trimming" operational expenses. Today's candidate for the "Cut of the Month Club" is the University of Maryland. As reported in The Washington Post, the university is so strapped for cash that it announced the dropping of eight varsity sports.

Sadly, two of the sports that aren't big enough for prime time are indoor and outdoor track. It's hard to believe track and field are expensive, even though the university claimed the programs cost $9.5 million. What did the university get for its $9.5 million? Track and field uniforms typically consist of shorts, armless tops, spikes (in the outdoor season), and socks. Running surfaces, unlike football fields, don't require a lot of maintenance. None of these are wild and crazy expenses. Where does the money go?

Meanwhile, the chief executive of USA Water Polo protested the university's cut of its water polo program. Even cheerleading got the bum's rush from Maryland's flagship public university.

The best part of Maryland university president Dr. Wallace Loh's explanation of the cuts involved a fired football coach. He was owed $2 million on his contract. The prez, who has a law degree from Yale among his academic bona fides, noted that the payoff to the coach was a "one-time revenue investment."

The ROI on that payment? Zero. If you're looking to learn what's wrong with the American university system, the rationale for the football coach's bon voyage package and the cutting of useful sports at a major institution are good places to start.