Real Reasons for Dropping Football?!!!

[GaelsFootball]

The majority of times universities/colleges when dropping a program, speccifiall football will often say the lack of funds. While myself personally usually don't buy this reason; it is what we are given and told. Hopefully there are a few fans out there who have witnessed first hand the dropping of a program and how it was handled so you can buzz in on this chat.
Here at Iona they didn't want to increase our budget to join the Pioneer and blamed the loss of the program on the lack of leadership of the MAAC and the eventually dimise of it. Which in some way, I guess, is understandable (not to me!) However, since the dropping of the program Iona has continued to cough out more and more money on upgrades which they claimed to us (football alumni) that they simply didn't have.
In the past SPRING SEMESTER ALONE this is what the college itself has upgrade:
Multi Million dollor expansion of main lbirary
Total interior renovation of another library
Multiple buildings made more handicap assecible (elevators)
and also Two large statues in the middle of campus (proburaly gifts)
also just proposed a plan to build a new 10 ten on campus dorm for 2012
On the athletic side, since the ANNOUNCEMENT OF DROPPING THE PROGRAM:
Both men's and women's locker rooms under total reconstruction (something we were recruited on)
New scoreboard for Mazzellia Field
Much needed new Fieldturf
and currently in process of renovating football offices into state of the art film room for remaining teams with studio like seating

Clearly, Iona had the funds and were just waiting the past few years to cut the cords on us so they can finally undertake these projects or at least some of them. I strongly believe that Iona was upset when we won the last MAAC championship in 2007 b/c that forced them to field another team for 2008. My reasoning for posting this is because I have never seen this insititution pour so much money at one time into upgrading as they are now. Is there anyone else out there who may have witnessed or heard of similarities among other colleges?!! Or am I just another angry alum who's not seeing something

[dgreco]

to me it sounds like a better and more economical use of the money. Of course it is tough to lose the program, but the academic/facility upgrades seem like some were mandatory (handicap) and others have a roll in growing the campus (dorm). The athletic upgrades probably is funneling the left over football money to other upgrades.

[TexasTerror]

Getting rid of football, which could not compete for a national title or prestige as is, is going to boost the other sports - which will lead to much more publicity for the school.

[ngineer]

Football is the most capital intensive of all sports. Huge rosters and staffs compared to other sports and he equipment is very expensive. Other sports, on the rise nationally, like lacrosse and soccer, have half the size of squads, less costly equipment and financial support needed.

[GannonFan]

Ridiculous what this world is coming to - dropping football and using those funds for libraries and making buildings handicap accessible. Those dirty rats!!!! xlolxxlolxxlolx

[Lehigh Football Nation]

I don't think it's fair to look at libraries and say that the football money went from football to them. The other stuff you could simply say say are upgrades to existing facilities. As much as I'd like to sympathize, this doesn't appear to be a BU situation where the president canned the program and then made a multi-million dollar hockey arena and named it after their famous football star (who became a famous Red Sox player).

[GaelsFootball]

I don't mind them making upgrades within the school...what bothers me is that they told us face to face that the school can't continue funding the program b/c it doesn't have the funds. And then a few months later all this construction. I guess some money fell off the truck.
(And for the record...each player, which was about 110, paid $150 fee which bought our equipment)

[Wildcat80]

I only contribute directly to those things I want to benefit---ie football. There are many others to contribute generally or to their causes. Football alums that are fans should give to their schools' football programs unless you want to follow Iona.

[JD51]

The campus upgrades, I assume, were part of a long standing capital improvement program. Nonetheless, one has to wonder how long the Iona administration was contemplating disbanding the program as they watched the decline of MAAC football. Unfortunately, those Iona players bore the brunt of the suffering.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Wanted to bump this thread since there was a great article I found regarding the reasons that St. Peter's, Siena, Canisius, LaSalle and Fairfield had for cutting FB:

http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/index.php/2008/10/16/football-programs-a-dying-breed-at-small?blog=2

All five gave a bunch of reasons, but one common thread was scheduling. Canisius was on the record as saying that before getting forced up to D-I that they were playing natural rivals like D-III Rochester and Buffalo State, and afterwards they had to travel more to play teams like Marist and Siena and it wasn't worth it.

Another interesting thing is that it allowed all those schools to "pour money into other sports", and with the exception of St. Peter's all have had at least some success in basketball since they dropped football.

It's a complex question with complex answers, but a short reason might be "we suck at basketball, and this allows us to get better at it".

[jmufan999]

I don't think it's fair to look at libraries and say that the football money went from football to them. The other stuff you could simply say say are upgrades to existing facilities. As much as I'd like to sympathize, this doesn't appear to be a BU situation where the president canned the program and then made a multi-million dollar hockey arena and named it after their famous football star (who became a famous Red Sox player).

i think he was joking. :)

[Go...gate]

Can't help being a little frustrated when I see Fairfield. They could have made a go of it in the PL.

[JD51]

Can't help being a little frustrated when I see Fairfield. They could have made a go of it in the PL.

I agree that Fairfield would have been a decent PL prospect, but I think you would have heard the same academic and competitiveness arguments that have been posed for Bryant, Duquesne, Marist, etc…Of all the schools listed to drop football it would seem Fairfield is smarting the most from a blown opportunity.

I can understand the financial reasons for dropping a program, but bad publicity, no one to play, and losing records – one can get used to these things. :D