In today’s evolving world of college athletics, conversations often revolve around NIL deals, the transfer portal and lawsuits like House v. NCAA. The media covers coaching salaries, TV rights and conference realignments with relentless energy.

But behind the scenes, another story is unfolding — one that gets far less attention, and yet affects hundreds, if not thousands, of student athletes.

Non-revenue sports are being cut. And non-revenue athletes are being left behind.

They aren’t making headlines. They aren’t trending on social media. But they are hurting — and we need to talk about it.

As athletic departments face financial strain — tightened budgets, rising legal fees, inflation and reallocated resources — non-revenue sports are often the first to go. Entire teams are eliminated. More commonly, rosters are quietly reduced.

These aren’t headline-worthy cuts. These are emails, phone calls or quiet meetings where an athlete is told: “We don’t have a spot for you anymore.”

It’s often framed as a numbers game:........

© Sports Business Journal