In a stunning reversal of a decision that created national shock waves, Stanford University is reinstating all 11 varsity sports programs it had planned to eliminate.
An official announcement from the university is expected later today. But a meeting of the coaches of the 11 sports is scheduled for late morning, according to a source close to the negotiations.
Stanford did not immediately return request for comment.
The about-face comes a little more than ten months after Stanford abruptly stated it would cut more than a third of its varsity sports: men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling.
Last week, two lawsuits were filed against the university in federal court, brought by athletes on the targeted teams. But the decision to reinstate the teams had already been made before the legal action, according to those familiar with the process. The fate of the suits, one by athletes accusing the university of misleading them and violating their rights and another by female athletes claiming sex discrimination, is unclear.
In the wake of the July 8 announcement, Stanford had suffered a public relations disaster. Many of their athletes refused to wear the Stanford name while competing and some – like wrestler Shane Griffith – won national championships while protesting the school’s decision. Stanford’s image as an elite “home of champions” and a pipeline to the Olympics was badly tarnished during the process.
The original rationale offered for cutting the 11 teams was economic: in an open letter to the Stanford community last July, university leaders said, “the financial model supporting 36 varsity sports is not sustainable.” As recently as early April, university president Marc Tessier-Lavigne told The Chronicle, “It breaks our heart to have to deal with the difficult financial realities of the sports model.” The university claimed to have “exhausted all alternatives.”
But Stanford’s claims were met with a fierce backlash by not only the 11 teams targeted for elimination, but the entire Stanford community. A group of high-profile Stanford athletics alumni, including many members of the school’s sports Hall of Fame, organized a group called 36 Sports Strong, fueled in large part by anger than none of them were ever approached about donating to help save the sports.
A united front representing all Stanford athletes, 36 Sports Strong solicited support from high profile alumni such as Andrew Luck, Julie Foudy and John Elway and raised several million dollars in pledges to save the endangered sports. The group proposed a path to create endowments to self-fund the threatened sports, many of which already are fully or partially endowed.
The group also poked holes in the university’s claims that by eliminating some of the least expensive sports Stanford offers it would somehow help erase the athletic department’s budget deficit. The price tag to save the teams, estimated at $200 million by the university, was strongly disputed with detailed budget analysis.
The criticism of the decision did not only stem from from products of Stanford athletics, but also from the general alumni community. Some donors threatened to reduce their giving to the school. Athletic director Bernard Muir, already under fire because of the school’s involvement in the Varsity Blues scandal, faced strong criticism.
During a year already made trying by the pandemic, the students in the affected sports scrambled to explore their options. Many entered the transfer portal and spoke to other schools. Many also took heavy course loads, in the hopes of finishing their coveted Stanford degree before having to leave school.
The concern about Stanford’s decision went far beyond the boundaries of the campus. Because of Stanford’s dominance in so-called Olympic sports, as the winner of 25 straight Directors Cup trophies, it has long been considered not only an ideal spot for Olympic hopefuls but a leader in the Olympic movement. The United States relies on intercollegiate programs as a key developmental component. If Stanford, one of the richest schools in the country, cuts sports, how could less wealthy universities be expected to keep their programs in tact?
Stanford is the latest school to reverse course after cutting sports during the pandemic. William & Mary announced it was cutting seven teams, but reversed that decision. Dartmouth cut five teams, but reinstated them all, and the athletic director resigned in the wake of the uproar.
Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion
