Strome Business Minute With Dr. Jeff Tanner

College Athletics may be amateur sports but it’s also a business, and the pandemic appears to be wreaking havoc. Old Dominion dropped wrestling earlier this year, taking the wrestling community by surprise but all sports are facing cuts across the country. Tennis has been the hardest hit, the only sport nationally with more than four universities dropping the program. With nearly two-thirds coming from other countries, tennis is more international than any sport, even soccer, which means fewer alumni who donate and that may be a reason why it’s dropped so much often. Tim Cass, USTA general manager, argues that programs should engage their communities with youth and adult tournaments and after-school programs, to generate the support they need. But the truth is college sports are expensive and the pandemic an easy excuse to stop the bleeding. This has been Strome Business Minute, presented by the Strome College of Business, Old Dominion University.