TCU has no plans to eliminate any non-revenue sports anytime soon
The University of Arkansas’ recent decision to eliminate men’s and women’s tennis sent shock waves through the world of college athletics.
It wasn’t the first time a Power Four conference had eliminated a sport. Iowa State canceled its gymnastics program in February, but the Cyclones had a number of issues internally. Arkansas’ decision was about resources, or a lack thereof, it could prove to tennis athletes to compete in the SEC.
It probably won’t be the last time a major program eliminates a sport as teams continue to grapple with funding football and basketball with revenue sharing and name, image and likeness payments.
Could TCU be the next program to cut a non-revenue sport? Director of athletics Mike Buddie told the Star-Telegram that the program has no plans to cut any sport anytime soon.
“We believe in opportunity and student-athlete participation as a mechanism to attract not just student-athletes, but all students,” Buddie said. “We remain fully committed to supporting our broad representation of sports.”
Football and basketball are the biggest sports at TCU, like most schools, but the Horned Frogs have developed a host of strong programs across the athletic department.
The Horned Frogs won the national championship in beach volleyball last year, men’s outdoor tennis in 2024 and in rifle in 2024. TCU women’s soccer also reached its first Final Four in December.
Buddie said he believes all those successes impact the university positively, and he is committed to continue fielding nationally competitive teams.
“I think if you ask our soccer players and our beach volleyball players how important it is, they would give you the best answer,” Buddie said. “My role is to provide kids opportunities to compete for championships. ... So it may not directly translate into more applications, or more television revenue by any chance, but you play the game to win, and so anytime that you win the ultimate game, it’s a big deal for those of us who work here.”
While TCU remains committed to its non-revenue sports, Buddie isn’t surprised to see other programs making the decision to eliminate programs.
“I think the ongoing conversation is to look at every facet of your business,” Buddie said. “And you know, sadly, we truly are running businesses now. We used to talk about it being calling and providing opportunities to earn degrees at these places, and that’s kind of gotten lost in this new format.
“And that’s OK, as long as you’re still committed to educating young people. But the flip side of it is, if every penny is going to matter. ... now that we have to take those dollars and share them directly with student-athletes, you do have to review your ledger and make sure that you’re you’re making the best decisions for your department. And so while TCU is committed to maintaining our current offerings, it’s not shocking to me to hear that others are having to make some really tough decisions.”
