As NCAA track and field programs vie to survive, Black students suffer most

Many universities across the US have cut men’s sports in recent years, including track and field teams. It’s a painful reality for many athletes. But the problem is not just that these athletes lose opportunities to compete. Their supporters say that cutting these sports such as track disproportionately harms Black men and closes doors to educational opportunities. It also has some broader consequences.

In the last couple of years, five universities announced they would cut their men’s track and field (and sometimes men’s cross-country) teams: Brown, Clemson, Central Michigan, the College of William & Mary and the University of Minnesota. They have cited various reasons for doing so, including Covid-19-related budget cuts, Title IX compliance, and redirecting resources to make their athletic programs more competitive overall. Most of these teams have since been reinstated.

A fight is still under way to reinstate Central Michigan University’s men’s track and field team, which the university announced it was cutting in May 2020, due to Covid-related budget cuts. While it demoted track from varsity to club, it elevated golf.

In the NCAA, football and basketball include a substantial number of Black athletes. Beyond those two sports, track and field teams provide the next highest number of Black men – far more than any other sport. The NCAA data from 2021 on Division I shows that football teams included more than 13,000 Black men, and basketball included more than 3,000. Indoor track had 2,669 Black men, outdoor track had 2,978, and cross-country had 425. The next highest numbers: 665 in baseball and 632 in soccer. Golf teams included 55 Black men.

“College sports enable direct pathways to admission via their recruitment