Will MU need to add / change sport offerings?

[Goose85]

A basketball only conference with non football playing schools generally means less sports offered by schools as no football schollie offsets.

If you were to add 3 to the current group of 7 basketball schools, what sports would the conference offer?

With the current 7 there are a few sports that could be in trouble.

Baseball - only 4 of the 7 play (G-Town, SH, ST. John, Vil).
Lacrosse - 3 play men (G-town, Vil, MU) and 5 play women (G-town, Prov, St. John, Vil, MU).
Field Hockey - only 3 of the 7 play (G-town, Vil, Prov).
Volleyball - only on the women side and 6 of 7 play.
Soccer - for both men and women all 7 play.
Softball - all but MU play.
There are other sports as well, but more idividual (Track, Cross Country, Diving,Tennis, Rowing).

If Creighton, Butler and VCU are added they all bring soccer (m/w), baseball (m), softball(w), v-ball (w), tennis, track, cc and golf. VCU has field hockey.

If this were the new conference, would MU be better off going from lacrosse to baseball for men and softball or field hockey for women? Seems that lacrosse would not be a sport in the new conference.

[Djgoldnboy]

What about Quidditch!!!!!!!

[wiscwarrior]

Dropping Lacrosse would be a shame, IMO, it is a fast growing sport popular among young kids across the country. It may turn out to be more popular than soccer. I grew up with no soccer and no lacrosse, but given a choice I would prefer going to a lacrosse match as opposed to a soccer match. There is more scoring and, for me, more excitement in a lacrosse match. I actually watched the NCAA finals this year and I also plan on attending a lacrosse match at Valley Fields when the new team starts playing. To me, lacrosse could be the sport of the future in the U.S, maybe even supplanting football in the distant future.

[MUMac]

Dropping Lacrosse would be a shame, IMO, it is a fast growing sport popular among young kids across the country. It may turn out to be more popular than soccer. I grew up with no soccer and no lacrosse, but given a choice I would prefer going to a lacrosse match as opposed to a soccer match. There is more scoring and, for me, more excitement in a lacrosse match. I actually watched the NCAA finals this year and I also plan on attending a lacrosse match at Valley Fields when the new team starts playing. To me, lacrosse could be the sport of the future in the U.S, maybe even supplanting football in the distant future.

I agree with this. It is in it's infancy, to a degree, in the Midwest. That said, it is growing quickly. In Wisconsin, it is a Club Sport, but many schools have begun to offer it at the Varsity level. I would not be surprised to see the WIAA include it in the near future.

[Goose85]

I agree, but in what conference would MU's lacrosse play?

[ge1974]

Could we possibly become an "adjunct member" to say, the Big Ten in lacrosse? I know some conferences take adjunct members but I'm not sure if the Big Ten would.

http://insidelacrosse.com/news/2012/...g-ten-lacrosse

[TheSultan]

I agree, but in what conference would MU's lacrosse play?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECAC_Lacrosse_League

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

The ACC has lacrosse and only has 4 teams (will go to 6 when ND and Syracuse join). The new Big East will have Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Providence, and Marquette. Allow Rutgers to stay as a lacrosse-only member (B1G doesn't have lacrosse) and it'll be fine.

Also, according to Lacrosse Magazine both SJU and Providence play Men's Lacrosse.

[TheSultan]

I think the Big Ten is going to start its own lacrosse league. Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Maryland and Rutgers. Northwestern might decide to add a mens team to go along with their women's team too.

[Goose85]

I thought we added lacrosse to make sure we had a firm position in the Big East. Depending on the new conference makeup, does it make sense to join the CAA or hope to join a new Big 10 league for one sport when we could add a different sport that is already in the new conference (like baseball / softball)?

I hope we do, and would love to keep lacrosse.