In June of 2020 the Herald Dispatch editors [1] asked, “Are non-revenue sports sustainable?”, before adding, “…economic realities will soon force schools to answer that question.” Marshall’s initial discontinuation of swimming [2] resulted from those “realities.”
Still, I’m puzzled over why a highly successful program – where athletes represent “…the very best of Marshall…” – would be jettisoned. To save money? How does eliminating 27 swim scholarships only to replace them with 65 “stunt” scholarships save money? (It seems more “stunt” than savings). OK, the natatorium needs upgrades, but remember, President Hayes insisted on an “Olympic class” facility to attract superior coaches and recruit top rank swimmers. And his insistence paid off, as Coach Robert “Bob” Saunders brought a wealth of talent to the campus from 1968 to 1988, winning five consecutive Southern Conference championships along the way. And then in 1988, like today, that highly successful program was abruptly terminated. The argument that Marshall cannot afford the necessary natatorium upgrades rings hollow when considering that funding upgrades for the sprawling football complex were treated like the NASA budget – the mission is everything and it costs what it costs.
The financial commitment necessary for swimming illuminates another funding reality; there are too many football “athlete-employees.” The NFL provides the highest quality of play in the land with a roster of 53 players. Moreover, in its halcyon days Marshall dominated in more than one conference for years, beat “powerhouse” teams like Cincinnati, BYU and Louisville in bowls, and won a national championship in 1996 with a roster of only 85 players. Clearly, today’s roster of 105 is far too costly – in terms of salaries, equipment, travel, tuition, room & board, insurance coverage, COLA expenses, etc. – to be justified. Culling 20 to 30 players, with another five in basketball, would not diminish the quality of play in either men’s sport, but redirecting those excess scholarships would strengthen “Olympic sports”, and ease Title IX compliance requirements. It’s an example of the manure principle, spread it around and everything grows, pile it up and it just smells bad.
The BOG student representative argued that transparency was “…the most vital component…” of the institution’s strength. Perhaps trust and credibility is equally important, given Gordon Gee’s recent interview in the Chronicle of Higher Education [3] where he said, “…universities cannot afford to lose trust and credibility, because that’s the only thing we have.” Gee added, “Universities have become isolated and arrogant. They have not listened to their publics.”
MU’s “trust and credibility” (and arrogance) is very much in the public eye. What, for example, is the public to think when it is announced, on Christmas Day no less, that Covid money was used to build the baseball stadium, or Marshall football opts out of a high-profile bowl game, or “BOG votes to discontinue Herd swim…”, or where “limitless” – as BOG member Waller stated in describing the swim team’s potential – was an unfortunate word choice because “…we did not know there would be a time limit placed on our team.” Those are terrible PR “looks”, reminding us that a contributor to the Chronicle [4] once asked, “Has it come to this? Is it now so generally understood as to be a piece of popular culture that colleges and universities are places where you cannot rely on anything you’ve been told?” It reminds of Howard Beale (in the 1976 movie classic, Network) shouting, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” One senses that our publics are (quietly) shouting the same.
James Joy is a retired professor of biological sciences at Marshall University. He can be contacted at [email protected].
References
[1] Herald Dispatch op-ed, 06/04/2020.
[2] Herald Dispatch, Sports, Tyler Kennett, 02/18/2026.
[3] Gordon Gee, Chronicle of Higher Education, (11/13/2025).
[4] Stanley Fish, Chron. H. Ed., 04/30/2004.
