Major Colleges Missing Softball Programs?

To the point made earlier today by Coach Dobbins at Peace.....about Davidson not having a softball program.

Why do schools like Duke, Clemson, Wake Forest, Davidson, etc. NOT have softball programs? Are there plans for any of them to establish softball in the future?

For example, why wouldn't the ACC mandate that all schools have softball so that they could have a true ACC champion every season? Can they truly have a conference champion if only 2/3rds of the conferences schools have a team?

 

My guess would be the usual suspect...MONEY. Softball is an expensive sport to start up. You need to have the land available to build a field, you then have to build the field, put bleachers and lights on it, pay a coaching "staff", pay for the upkeep of the field, give around 11 scholarships...etc. It looks like Clemson went with rowing instead...all you need there is a few canoes, several oars, and some water.

 

They are also looking to add more preppy sports. Horsey riding gets more scholarships than softball if I'm not wrong.

 

Title 9.

 

west coast too

Don't forget you can put the other USC (Southern Cal) on that list too as not having a softball program.

Ty

 

Wake has said for years that as long as that AD is there no softball.
Have heard rumors for yrs. that Duke was starting one but it's just that rumors. Don't forget that Miami w/ a hot bed for softball under it's nose doesn't have it either.

 

You havent seen the rowing facility then...

It's really nice... it is located behind the THREE practice football fields

 

That's the reason FOR softball not the reason against softball.... but for some reason some schools choose to do other women's sports other than softball. Could be the expense, or maybe it is simply not their "self-image" to have softball. Hard to say. Some of the "preppiest" schools have softball such as Amherst and and even the military schools have softball programs. I think it is just a matter of time. Although fastpitch has been around for quite some time, it is still relatively new to college's and women.

The growth of the sport should please eveyone... just because a few colleges dont have programs shouldn't be a dissapointment. In fact, the idea that so many schools HAVE programs should be a reason to celebrate. Have you seen the softball facility at Tennessee??

 

While most, including myself, have a lot to say about facilities, UT now has one of the best stadium's in the nation.
But, let me point out that the facilities are not what built UT's program, up until the opening of there new stadium, the team played and worked out in a city owned park, that would seat about 300, the University of Memphis played at a softball field in Miss. the first year of there program. as there stadium was being built.
With this being said, I have no inkling why some Univ. choose not to field a softball team....