By Hayley Nau
Edgewood College spent $27,450 more on men’s sports teams than women’s teams in 2019, the first time since 2016 that the college spent more on men’s team sports than women’s teams.
Al Brisack, Edgewood College athletic director and head baseball coach, said it is common for athletic spending to fluctuate from year to year.
“My biggest challenge here is that we have a lot more women on campus than men, but the reality is that many more men want to play varsity sports,” said Brisack.
According to the 2016 Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) report, Edgewood spent $57,690 more on women’s teams compared to men’s teams.
The current discrepancy between the 2016 EADA report and the 2019 EADA report is primarily explained by coaching changes, including the retirement of 25-year head coach Tim Alexander, said Brisack.
Discrepancies between men’s and women’s teams’ expenditures can also be explained by game day expenses, team travel and fundraising, which are factors that must be provided for the EADA report, said Brisack.
With the addition of the two new men’s teams of lacrosse and volleyball, Brisack said the college can expect to see discrepancies between the men’s and women’s teams’ expenditures.
The addition of women’s lacrosse at Edgewood may recruit more women athletes to campus while growing the offerings for women’s teams, said Brisack.
The challenges of balancing women’s and men’s participation is not only impacting Edgewood College, but many Division III colleges in the state.
Mark McHorney, former Benedictine University athletic director, is facing this challenge as well. “We want to embrace this opportunity,” said McHorney. “We are always looking to provide opportunities for growth in our sport offerings for women on campus.”
Post your comments