Ohio State Considers Dropping Eight Sports Teams

In an effort to cut costs, Ohio State is considering dropping eight of its 31 intercollegiate sports.

Athletic Director Rick Bay identified the eight sports as lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, fencing, pistol and rifle shooting for men and fencing and synchronized swimming for women.

Bay said he asked the Ohio State Athletic Council last month to review the eight sports. The Council is expected to appoint a committee to study the proposal.

“I don’t want people to think of this as purely an economic issue,” Bay said. “There’s a philosophical question just as large. Our mission is to run competitive intercollegiate varsity sports.”

Bay noted most of the eight teams involved compete against club teams at other schools, with the Big Ten not crowning champions in those sports.

“As painful as it is to cut sports, it’s almost as painful to have sports that are meagerly funded to the point where you have coaches and athletes unhappy with their level of competition,” Bay said.

Ohio State, with 31 sports, has the most in the Big Ten. Wisconsin is second with 25.