Why East tennssee state lost its football team

WHY EAST TENNESSEE STATE LOST ITS FOOTBALL TEAM 2005

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 3

Objectives of this 3

Methodology 4

Scope and Limitations of the Study 4

Background on the ETSU Buccaneers 4

Reasons Behind the Discontinuation 5

Financial Difficulties 5

State Mandate 8

What Happened to the Players 9

Was It Worth It ? 10

Conclusion 11

WORKS CITED 13

Introduction

The decision to pull out a university football team is never an easy decision to make . A school 's football team is

often a symbol of pride and school spirit . Students , teachers , staff , alumnae , and people from the community come together to cheer on their team . To discontinue a football program in universities is not an uncommon practice . East Tennessee State University (ETSU ) is one of those schools which decided in 2003 to discontinue its football program . Although this decision was met with protests from the football team 's supporters , the university President , Paul Stanton , did not actually have much of a choice . A big football fan himself , Stanton was reluctant about cutting the school 's football team . However , financial difficulties and a statewide mandate resulted in the inevitable loss of ETSU 's football team

This will study the reasons why ETSU decided to cut its football team

Objectives of this

This research has the following objectives

To present a brief background on the ETSU football team , Buccaneers

To analyze the key reasons why the university decided to discontinue its football program in 2003

To examine the preventive measures students , alumni , and supporters attempted to take in to save the football program

To study what happened to the players after the university decided to discontinue its football program

To review whether the discontinuation of the football program was successful in meeting the university 's goals in cutting the program to begin with

Methodology

This research will make use of a descriptive-analytical approach References will include relevant ETSU and athletic news websites news articles available online , as well as secondary materials such as encyclopedias and university newsletters . A of the status of the football team before its dissolution will be provided The reasons behind the discontinuation of the football program , as well as its impact , will be analyzed

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This will focus on the reasons why ETSU decided to discontinue its football program in 2003 . It will not expound on any statistical analysis of the ETSU Buccaneers ' performance , nor will it provide coverage of the football team 's games . The scope is limited to the financial decisions behind the discontinuation of football for the year 2003 . The research will also provide an examination on whether the decision to cut the football program was successful

Background on the ETSU Buccaneers

The East Tennessee State University (ETSU ) football team , the Buccaneers , competed in the Division I-AA of the Southern Conference prior to 2003 . The Southern Conference is the United States ' fourth oldest National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I collegiate athletic...