Iowa State's Athletic Department in Trouble Financially

[SwirlinLingerie]

There are a lot of similarities with Washington State and Iowa State.

And last summer, WSU dropped the "field" part of track and field, for both men and women. No field events, no hurdles, limited sprints. So basically compete in cross country and a very limited, more distance oriented track team. Crazy. So that's one way to save a few bucks while staying title 9 compliant.

A lot of these schools would be far better off switching to a D3 model. Take van trips to area schools. Limit overnights to conference championships. Far more sustainable.

 

[Fryowa]

A lot of these schools would be far better off switching to a D3 model. Take van trips to area schools. Limit overnights to conference championships. Far more sustainable.

This^^^

College sports were always intended to be amateur in every sense. Competitive recreation while getting a degree. That's what the NCAA was designed to police. The NCAA wasn't intended to micromanage the multi billion dollar professional leagues like what football and basketball are now.

But then came national conferences, and then came huge revenue.

Soccer and swim teams thinking they need to fly 2,500 miles for matches and meets, and have a lot of the same frills as football and basketball when they bleed money is pretty ridiculous and against what college sports was supposed to be.

One could argue that football and basketball in 2026 aren't what college sports was supposed to be and they would be right, but that genie is long out of the bottle and it ain't going back in. It's a money-making professional industry now.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I want to talk shit here, but IMO Iowa baseball could very well be on the chopping block in the next 10-20 years. I’m not a baseball guy, but glad it was there, something to check on every now and then. Would hate to see it go despite not having any emotional, financial, or any other investment in the baseball program. But we all know where this is trending……

It might even be less than 10, IMO.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

When I ran track at Morningside we did fundraisers. We rented vans for meets and the athletes and coaches drove them. We ate sack lunches. We stayed in sketchy hotels. And, it was glorious!!

Maybe the answer is some sort of separate modeling. Three buckets:

Football: Totally separate from the NCAA and just start a new league with a barely collegiate modeling.

NCAA Revenue Sports (MBB, WBB, Wrestling, Baseball) NCAA still in charge (the NCAA would fold without March madness), but separate NIL and other rules get put into place.

Non-Revenue: DIII Model. Limited budgets, no NIL, regional travel, subsidized by schools and conferences.

 

[CP87]

When I ran track at Morningside we did fundraisers. We rented vans for meets and the athletes and coaches drove them. We ate sack lunches. We stayed in sketchy hotels. And, it was glorious!!

Maybe the answer is some sort of separate modeling. Three buckets:

Football: Totally separate from the NCAA and just start a new league with a barely collegiate modeling.

NCAA Revenue Sports (MBB, WBB, Wrestling, Baseball) NCAA still in charge (the NCAA would fold without March madness), but separate NIL and other rules get put into place.

Non-Revenue: DIII Model. Limited budgets, no NIL, regional travel, subsidized by schools and conferences.

Playing DIII football in Iowa, we lived high on the hog. Whenever we took a trip to the schools south of Des Moines (Central, Simpson, William Penn), we got to stop at the all-you-can-eat buffet in Newton. I think it was Bishops? They had steak on the buffet, but you needed power tools to cut it.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

Playing DIII football in Iowa, we lived high on the hog. Whenever we took a trip to the schools south of Des Moines (Central, Simpson, William Penn), we got to stop at the all-you-can-eat buffet in Newton. I think it was Bishops? They had steak on the buffet, but you needed power tools to cut it.

Bishops and Golden Corral served the same horse meat on their buffets. But, when you are hungry and 20 years old, food was food. I remember a fancy night out on track trips was Spaghetti Works.

 

[CP87]

Bishops and Golden Corral served the same horse meat on their buffets. But, when you are hungry and 20 years old, food was food. I remember a fancy night out on track trips was Spaghetti Works.

Some of the best food I ever had was Old Country Buffet in Rochester after a 3 day canoeing trip on the St. Croix.

My grandparents also took us to Old Country Buffet when we were kids...it is hard to fully explain just how awesome it is for a kid to get to mix their own beverage at the soda machine, or make their own sundae. When you have almost no control over any aspect of your life, and all of a sudden Grandma and Grampa point you in the direction of a buffet and say, "Go at it!"...hard to beat it.

 

[BryceC]

There are a lot of similarities with Washington State and Iowa State.

And last summer, WSU dropped the "field" part of track and field, for both men and women. No field events, no hurdles, limited sprints. So basically compete in cross country and a very limited, more distance oriented track team. Crazy. So that's one way to save a few bucks while staying title 9 compliant.

A lot of these schools would be far better off switching to a D3 model. Take van trips to area schools. Limit overnights to conference championships. Far more sustainable.

It’s always been about the money for Iowa State. They didn’t cut baseball for title 9. They cut it because it was expensive. Pollard has said many times baseball could have been brought back at any time in his tenure because title 9 isn’t the bottleneck, money was.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

It’s always been about the money for Iowa State. They didn’t cut baseball for title 9. They cut it because it was expensive. Pollard has said many times baseball could have been brought back at any time in his tenure because title 9 isn’t the bottleneck, money was.

Pollard is full of shit. No way they could bring back baseball now unless they can find 12 women's scholarships somewhere in a time when they are apparently underfunding and letting women's programs die.

Baseball is expensive, but that just made it low hanging fruit. It likely would not have been cut absent Title IV, but it sure as shit will not be brought back now because of Title IX.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

It’s always been about the money for Iowa State. They didn’t cut baseball for title 9. They cut it because it was expensive. Pollard has said many times baseball could have been brought back at any time in his tenure because title 9 isn’t the bottleneck, money was.

So then, it couldn't have been brought back.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

It is so great that Pollard and our baby brother ag college are having to eat so much shit on a national level over a women's Olympic sport no one gives a rip about. But, by all means, let's keep this thing going!!

'Extremely discouraging.' Ex-Iowa State gymnast reacts to AD's comments on canceled season

Haylee Young, one Iowa State's most decorated gymnasts, pushed back against athletic director’s comments regarding what led to season's cancellation.

www.usatoday.com

 

[eyekwah]

Doesn't an unaffiliated group sponsor an Iowa Ice Hockey team?

 

[hawkinn3]

I frankly don’t see the point of having a baseball team. We will never compete in that sport absent an Iowa booster finding the philosopher’s stone.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

It is so great that Pollard and our baby brother ag college are having to eat so much shit on a national level over a women's Olympic sport no one gives a rip about. But, by all means, let's keep this thing going!!

'Extremely discouraging.' Ex-Iowa State gymnast reacts to AD's comments on canceled season

Haylee Young, one Iowa State's most decorated gymnasts, pushed back against athletic director’s comments regarding what led to season's cancellation.

www.usatoday.com

I heard on a podcast that maybe they are entertaining to drop the gymnastics team to start women's wrestling to be withing the Title 9 standard. Makes sense.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

I heard on a podcast that maybe they are entertaining to drop the gymnastics team to start women's wrestling to be withing the Title 9 standard. Makes sense.

Makes a ton of sense given that ISU is within the borders of the Hawkeye State, where high school wrestling is king (and queen). Pollard isn't stupid. Just annoying. This would be a wise lateral move for women's sports at ISU.

 

[Fryowa]

When I ran track at Morningside we did fundraisers

GF, kid, and I will be at the Sioux City Relays in April to watch some of his underclassmen teammates run. You want me to bring a sharpie and write "NorthKCHawk was here" someplace inconspicuous? I'll have a Charlie Boy in your honor.

 

[Fryowa]

Makes a ton of sense given that ISU is within the borders of the Hawkeye State, where high school wrestling is king (and queen). Pollard isn't stupid. Just annoying. This would be a wise lateral move for women's sports at ISU.

I never understood why they didn't hop on the women's wrestling train when Iowa was getting their dynasty started. Low-cost sport that might actually break even cost-wise for them. Even if they got shithammered by Iowa in the yearly duel the gate when it's in Ames would probably pay for most of their operations.

 

[Fryowa]

Doesn't an unaffiliated group sponsor an Iowa Ice Hockey team?

Yep. It's a club level sport. Been to a couple games over the years when in town for some other Hawkeye stuff, they're fun. And cheap.

 

[Fryowa]

Pollard is full of shit. No way they could bring back baseball now unless they can find 12 women's scholarships somewhere in a time when they are apparently underfunding and letting women's programs die.

Baseball is expensive, but that just made it low hanging fruit. It likely would not have been cut absent Title IV, but it sure as shit will not be brought back now because of Title IX.

On top of baseball being expensive and the offsetting schollies aside, you almost couldn't pick a worse conference to try and start a program in. B12 baseball is no joke and you'd have to pay out some serious NIL just to not go winless in that conference. It'd be Bad News Bears 2.0.

 

[kameltoez102]

On top of baseball being expensive and the offsetting schollies aside, you almost couldn't pick a worse conference to try and start a program in. B12 baseball is no joke and you'd have to pay out some serious NIL just to not go winless in that conference. It'd be Bad News Bears 2.0.

In order to compete and make money midwest baseball has to be one of the worst options. You are basically required to travel for weeks at the start of the season to play which eats a ton of money. Then when the weather gets good enough to play outside it still isn’t consistent enough to draw good fan numbers.
NIL wouldn’t be enough to overcome the logistics on my opinion. Hence why Iowa is playing the Wartburg of the world