Should we be adding more sports teams?

Ottawa University Athletics Photo

Ottawa’s latest athletic blast brings lacrosse into the mix of men and women’s sports on campus.

Ottawa University just added men and women’s wrestling to the sports schedule, and now they are adding both men and women’s lacrosse.

The NAIA does not sponsor lacrosse, so the men will most likely be playing in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MLCA) and the women will compete in the National Women’s Lacrosse League (NWLL).

What does this mean for all of the other sports at Ottawa? I will be graduating, so I thankfully do not have to worry about cuts in funding for golf, or an even bigger lack of indoor practice space, but what about the freshman that came in this season? I care about them and want their sport, whether it is wrestling or volleyball, to continue being appreciated and funded as it should.  

After the addition of lacrosse, Ottawa will have 20 sports teams, compared to other KCAC schools: Bethany College: 17; Bethel College: 15; Friends University: 15; Kansas Wesleyan University: 17; McPherson College: 15; University of St. Mary: 14; Southwestern College: 15; Sterling College: 13; Tabor College: 16.

The only other KCAC College that will also be adding lacrosse to their roster is the University of St Mary.

So why are we adding so many new sports,  and  especially ones that our conference schools do not have? I understand we are trying to raise enrollment and create a more diverse athletic atmosphere, but shouldn’t the school first make sure all of the current sports have everything they need to do well like practice facilities, equipment, proper gear, among others?

If we keep adding new programs, it seems like funding for the current programs will become lower. There is only so much money the school can spend on each sport, so why add a new one if some teams are already having trouble getting enough funding for the bare essentials?

I know that this news is all new and there are a lot of kinks to work out, and I have no doubt that we will have an amazing lacrosse program, but I just want to make sure that first year students, sophomore, and junior athletes do not feel like their sports teams are getting put to a side.

This is not a race of what school can have the most sports teams. It is a race of which school can do the best at each sport.

Shouldn’t we worry about finishing our new student library before we start a big project like this? Just saying…