Does SFA Bowling Program’s Demise Impact Future of Tulane’s Own Team?

On Thursday, Stephen F. Austin announced that it would stop sponsoring four NCAA sports, including women’s bowling.

The Ladyjacks program had built a national reputation in a short amount of time. SFA won two national champions and became a consistent competitor against Tulane. SFA faced the Green Wave at the Colonial Lanes Classic.

The Ladyjacks finished higher in Conference USA than Tulane, reached the NCAA regionals and competed in the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships. The program finished No. 9 in the final NTCA Coaches Poll.

But is the program’s demise a harbinger for Tulane’s program?

Why SFA Closed its Bowling Program

SFA is discontinuing four sports — bowling, beach volleyball, men’s golf and women’s golf. The school, in a release, cited “… sustained departmental budget deficits and the anticipated financial impact of upcoming revenue-sharing requirements with Division I athletes.”

Based in Nacogdoches, Texas, SFA plays in the Southland Conference, the same league where New Orleans plays its intercollegiate sports. Neither school will have the revenue to share at the level of a power conference program — or Tulane for that matter.

Earlier this year, the American Athletic Conference announced that it was requiring all of its members — except for Army and Navy — to share at least $10 million in additional benefits over the next three years. That is revenue the Green Wave will be required to share.

SFA hasn’t announced whether it will opt into the House vs. NCAA settlement or not. But even before it’s been approved, it’s already had an impact on the collegiate landscape.

According to the Associated Press, recent sports cuts include UTEP’s women’s tennis program, the men’s volleyball program at Grand Canyon and the swimming and diving programs at Cal Poly. Saint Francis, which just went to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, will move from Division I to Division III to escape the realities of revenue-sharing. Other schools are converting NCAA sports into club sports so they can continue to exist without NCAA sponsorship.

It all begs the question — are there any Tulane sports at risk?

Tulane sponsors 18 sports. Sailing is a co-ed sports and a standalone women’s sport. Many are non-revenue producing Olympic sports. While the House settlement has many positives for student-athletes, this can be a clear drawback for universities that want to continue to sponsor these sports.

Nothing may happen immediately at Tulane. But it bears watching once the House settlement is finally approved.