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By Tim Fang
/ CBS San Francisco
San Francisco State University announced Thursday that three athletic programs will be disbanded at the end of the school year, as the school’s athletics program faces a major deficit.
In a letter to the campus community, school president Lynn Mahoney said baseball, men’s soccer and women’s indoor track and field would be eliminated.
“I recognize this decision is particularly painful for the student-athletes it impacts, their families and their coaches – not to mention the countless alumni and supporters of these three teams,” the university president said.
Mahoney said the decision was made after the school’s Athletics Task Force recommended reducing the number of teams.
According to a report by the task force, the athletics department is $1.2 million in debt in its scholarships account. Along with the shortfall, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a 7.95% reduction to the California State University budget, amounting to $375.2 million.
“Sadly, though, we must take this important step to give our athletics program an opportunity for long-term sustainability,” Mahoney went on to say.
Mahoney said 44 student-athletes would be impacted. Students who decide to stay at San Francisco State would continue to have their scholarships honored, while students who wish to continue playing would receive assistance to transfer to another institution.
The cuts to athletics at San Francisco State comes after officials at Sonoma State University announced the elimination of its entire intercollegiate athletics program as part of several cost-cutting measures to address a nearly $24 million budget deficit.
Tim Fang is a digital producer at CBS Bay Area. A Bay Area native, Tim has been a part of the CBS Bay Area newsroom for more than two decades and joined the digital staff in 2006.
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