It is great to see the local Knight Ridder outlet editorializing on something without calling for more government spending, but knocking down the idea of a football program at UNCC misses the big picture.
The pool of Division I basketball-only schools is shrinking rapidly. As a result, Charlotte is already playing in a conference, the Atlantic 10, that is utterly alien to UNCC. Trips to northern New York in February to play a school smaller than CMS high schools, founded by Franciscan friars is not a very natural match for the 49ers. Likewise home games with the likes of Rhode Island and Duquesne. Worse, the A-10 is a pretty good hoops league, playing a deliberate style the run-and-gun 49ers may struggle with for some time. Certainly it would not be a surprise to see Charlotte stuck the middle of the A-10 pack this year and in coming years. And there’s the problem.
It is not clear that Charlotte can afford to have its flagship athletic program muddle along as an outrigger in a tough league. Even though the A-10 usually generates good revenue for its members by putting several teams in the NCAA tourney each year that simply may not be enough to sustain UNCC’s athletic department long-term. Only time will tell.
But it is not surprising that today some alums look at Charlotte’s one-time Metro Conference peers Memphis, Cincinnati, and Louisville playing big-time football — bowl games, the whole bit — and wonder what the hell happened. Even Charlotte’s very own bowl game, the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Bank of America Stadium, will tomorrow pit one of UNCC’s old Sun Belt Conference hoops foes, South Florida, against N.C. State. That’s gotta hurt.
So while it is right to want any educational institution to focus on actual educational pursuits, it is folly to ignore the dollar-driven realities of athletic programs. Perhaps Charlotte’s A-10 match will work out and money will not be an issue. But if not, UNCC may face doubling-down to create a Division 1-A football program or sliding back down to the Southern Conference and fielding a 1-AA football team.
