It seems like every week you see another NCAA team getting cut. There is one common attribute with every sport that gets cut in the NCAA: the fact that it is a non-revenue sport. At the forefront are Men's Swimming and Diving teams. 

Listed below are are the swimming and diving teams that have been cut in the last year:

• University of Connecticut (Men's)
• Oklahoma Baptist University (Men's)
• East Carolina University (Men's)
• University of Iowa (Men's)
• Michigan State University (Men's and Women's) 
• Dartmouth University (Men's and Women's)
• LaSalle University (Men's)
• University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth (Men's and Women's)
• Tiffin University (Men's and Women's) 

These are programs that were cut just in the past year, but this has been happening for decades. To make it worse, athletic departments don't seem to care about the success of the team when taking into consideration which teams to cut. 

For example, Eastern Michigan University cut their men's swimming and diving team in 2018 when they had 34 Mid-American Conference Championship titles. The Eastern Michigan University athletic department cut one of the most successful teams in school history in order to better fund a football team that went 5-7 that year, and college fans and athletes were not happy.

Former Eastern Michigan University swimmer, Chris Cutter, set up a crowdfunding page to raise money for the lost program. Despite raising $30,000, the athletic administration still decided to cut the program. 

The administration sees non-revenue teams as a financial burden rather than a group of college athletes working to reach their goals. These athletes go through hours of training, rigorous school schedules, and mental hardships to represent their school. How do administrations justify their decisions? 

Who is to be held accountable? The athletic departments that make poor financial choices that lead to this result? The NCAA for turning a blind eye on what these institutions are doing to their athletes?

The NCAA slogan is “make it yours.” How are athletes supposed to make it theirs when they can't even make it 4 years without their team getting cut?

* Originally published on March 21, 2022, by Kyle Haflich