Is the future of smaller college athletics at risk?
By DIEGO CERNA — sports@theaggie.org
On March 25, 2025, Saint Francis University announced its decision to move from a Division 1 sports program to a Division 3 program beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year. Saint Francis student-athletes would receive a smaller amount of scholarships, as Division 3 programs only offer academic scholarships for student-athletes.
The announcement came as a shock to the Saint Francis community, especially since it involved the demotion of all 22 of Saint Francis University’s athletic programs. It came as even more of a surprise given that the Saint Francis men’s basketball team ended a 34-year drought of not reaching the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness tournament this season, which was seen as a step in the right direction for the entire athletics program.
Smaller college sports programs have seemed to struggle increasingly in the new landscape of collegiate athletics following COVID-19.
In January 2025, Sonoma State University announced its decision to cut all Division 2 programs in order to lessen its $24 million budget deficit. For Sonoma State fans and students, there was discontent as student-athletes were given no prior warning of this decision, prompting protests across the campus.
Other universities have made decisions to cut certain sports such as the swim team, including California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo, San Francisco State University and many more across the country. As financial pressure eliminates program after program, many smaller programs are struggling to keep up.
The emergence of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals has opened up more opportunities for college athletes to earn commercial profit with corporate companies in the media industry. NIL deals became legal in 2021, as rising discussions from the past decade had questioned whether universities excessively profited off of their students’ success and whether college athletes should receive any compensation.
The introduction of the transfer portal and extended eligibility for student-athletes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced athletics. Additionally, athletic programs have continuously recruited based on NIL deals, which has drastically reduced smaller Division 1 and Division 2 sports programs from having any major influential power to recruit college talent.
College athletics have almost always been dominated by the “Power Four” conferences. These conferences include the Big 10, the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Big 12, which have controlled the recruitment of top players for a long period of time. With experience of long-lasting success, they not only maintain a greater amount of resources than smaller universities to attract top talent, but they also gain more NIL funds to persuade student athletes.
Many universities end up selecting certain sports programs to cut instead of cutting the entire sports programs overall. These programs include popular sports such as swimming and diving, tennis, golf and others. Sports such as basketball and football are usually prioritized, as they generate the most money and fans for universities.
This past summer, the NCAA agreed on a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement with five power conferences in order to compensate student-athletes while also providing more funding for programs. This is an intended benefit for student-athletes, however, it also makes it harder for universities who do not choose to opt in to this antitrust settlement to retain talent and recruit players. With a seemingly continued shift toward larger programs with the most funding, the status of NCAA athletics still remains to be seen.
Written by: Diego Cerna — sports@theaggie.org
