The semifinals have been played, with Florida defeating Auburn, and Michigan beating out LSU. Now the Gators and Big Blue meet in a much anticipated championship.
Am I talking about softball, or the 2018 College Football Playoff?
That’s the question that crossed my mind while perusing the Women’s College World Series Bracket this weekend. Listing out the schools, they are a who’s who of perennial college football powerhouses. Oregon. Alabama. UCLA. They are all there.
If you take a step back to the Women’s Super Regionals, they have the 2014 College Football National Champion Florida State Seminoles, the two time SEC East Division winning Missouri Tigers. Even the lone non-Power 5 team in the Supers, UL Lafayette, has a football program with four consecutive bowl wins.
So, what gives? Why is it that the Women’s College World Series is seemingly dominated by “football schools,” but the men’s tournament regularly features teams like UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, and Stony Brook?
Money
As with everything in college athletics, money seems to get the majority of the initial credit when talking about prolonged success. It’s no secret that college softball is considered a non-revenue sport even at the schools that vigorously support it. Most programs need substantial support from the revenue sports, with football being the most substantial.
It’s no surprise then that a school like Alabama, whose football program averages well over $100 million in annual revenue can better provide for another athletic program, as opposed to a program like Marshall who’s revenue and expenses come much closer to breaking even. Travel, meals, and facilities for up to 25 athletes can cost in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. So, it would stand to reason the schools that perform would be the schools that have those millions.
But money alone doesn’t explain why softball and baseball tournaments feature such different competition.
Scholarships
The scholarship limits in baseball and softball are relatively equal at 11.7 and 12 respectively, but baseball teams do feature a larger roster. While softball rosters usually hover in the low twenties, baseball rosters average around 35. And both programs are what the NCAA calls “equivalency sports,” meaning that they can provide partial scholarships in order to spread out potential financial aid. This means that the average softball player may receive a 50% scholarship, while baseball players only get a third of their financial aid.
With financial aid even slightly minimized as a deciding factor for potential recruits, programs are allowed to push other attributes that set them apart, and in my opinion, that is the biggest factor at play.
Culture
It stands to reason that the more fans a university has for its football program, the larger the subset of people will be who are willing to support the school’s other athletic programs.
In honesty, softball isn’t alone in its connection with successful football programs. Just look at the 2015 NCAA Gymnastics Tournament bracket. Aside from Utah (who is historically a powerhouse in the sport), most of those universities would be considered “football schools” too. It stands to reason that college fans are just that; fans of the college. While football and basketball may be the biggest draws, many of those fans will gladly tune in to watch one of their women’s teams dispatch a conference rival.
It’s college baseball that is weird. With the Major Leagues being among the oldest professional sports establishments in our country, you would imagine that the college version would also be a draw. Except, pro ball’s expansive minor league system has been pillaging the best players from the college ranks for decades. Where college softball is among the highest quality products the sport can produce, college baseball is looked upon by some as being inferior to both MLB and minor league ball. Even during analysis of postseason games, it’s not uncommon to hear someone like Keith Law criticize a coach for throwing a pitcher too long and risking his pro prospects in exchange for winning a lowly college championship.
It’s a trait shared with college basketball. Where women’s programs can put together solid teams with regular influxes of talent, men’s baseball and basketball coaches frequently attempt to cobble together competent rosters around often temporary stars. It creates wild fluctuations in performance, which breeds opportunities for smaller programs to step into the light.
The Athletic Department
Even with football picking up the tab and providing an audience, sustained success is by no means easier in college softball. But it is a more reasonable proposition when all factors are considered.
There is a reason we call each sport a program. It takes more than just putting people on a field to succeed. Frequently, that success starts in the offices of the athletic department. The fact that many of these schools find success in multiple sports means that the term “football school” is a misnomer. They are just good schools with great programs built by talented people, on and off the field.
Feature image via asu.edu
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