ANALYSIS: Decision day for Loh years in the making for oversized athletics department

Since reports first surfaced last week that university President Wallace Loh's Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics would recommend cutting the Terrapins swimming and diving teams, athletics teams throughout the university held their breaths for an indication of which would ultimately have a future in College Park.

Last night, they got their answer. And as painful as it may be, it shouldn't be a surprise: Eight teams, at a minimum, have been recommended to be cut from the university's total of 27.

The report, sent to Loh on Friday and released to the public last night, seeks to identify ways to salvage the athletics department's finances. The department's deficit is expected to total $4.7 million this fiscal year and more than triple to upwards of $17 million by 2017 unless cost-cutting measures — such as those identified in the report — are seen through.

With a department battling numbers so drastically in the red, it should come as little surprise to the university community that cuts will be made. Early reports last week speculated that as many as 10 teams could ultimately be eliminated, and the commission's recommendations for austerity measures include only a bare-minimum list of expendable programs.

At least 166 student-athletes could be affected and about $5 million of the athletics department's $57.7 million budget could be saved if these recommendations become a reality. By cutting eight teams, the university could conceivably cover its $4.7 million deficit and actually have a fighting chance at getting ahead.

These recommendations have been a long time coming, spanning back more than 17 years ago to when former Athletic Director Debbie Yow, who now holds the same position at N.C. State, first took over the department. Under Yow's tenure, athletics teams did exceptionally well, capturing 20 national championships.

But her push for success on a national scale, to put this university on equal footing with the Stanfords and Virginias of the NCAA, likely spread the department's finances too thin. Only Boston College and North Carolina support more teams at the varsity level, and the Terps' 27 squads soon became untenable amid lagging donations, a slumping economy and the university's underachieving big-ticket sports.

At the time, Yow's massive expansion was covered by tapping into the department's reserve fund, which covered any shortfalls at the end of each fiscal year. But when that fund was emptied last year, the department had to borrow $1.2 million from the university to cover the deficit.

The cost of the university's ambition may be at least eight Terps teams. The cuts are no doubt extremely painful to the officials who had to recommend them and to the athletes who could soon be without a team. But given the magnitude of the department's situation, these cuts could ultimately benefit each remaining student-athlete and give the university the opportunity to stem the bleeding and rebuild.

Most saliently, the university ranks last among ACC teams in spending per athlete. According to The Washington Post, the university spends $67,390 on every student-athlete. In comparison, Florida State spends $118,814, and five other conference schools top $100,000 per student.

The NCAA mandates supporting at least 16 varsity teams to maintain Football Bowl Subdivision status, and the university appears headed closer to that minimum. Although the athletic future of scores of this university's student-athletes only recently became imperiled, Loh's looming decision on what to keep and what to cut was set in motion long before yesterday.

redding@umdbk.com