The sixth president of Boise State University’s history, Dr. Robert Kustra, has been responsible for guiding the remarkable transformation of Boise State into an institution that is dedicated to the region and community. In recent news, he announced the decision to further reinvent student higher education experience by exploring the idea of re-introducing varsity baseball back into Boise State. Make the most out of the game, check out the best online sports betting guide here.
Boise State has not fielded a baseball game since 1980, and the project is considered Kustra’s pet project. The Boise State baseball program was dropped as a cost cutting move that was directed by Lyle Smith, the institution’s athletics director at the time. According to Smith, the sport was picked out owing to the fact that the program was not sponsored the institution’s athletic home, the Big Sky Conference. However, the re-introduction of Broncos baseball program is reportedly linked to the new Boise Hawks stadium, intended for use by the minor league team.
Baseball is well renowned as one of NCAA’s most popular sport, with approximately 300 teams playing at the Division I level, and 7 Mountain West schools participating. During his announcement, Kustra noted that the college baseball program project had failed to succeed in past years because of issues regarding gender equity. However, he stated that this was a problem that had since been dealt with, and the institution could now add a men’s sport without violating the famed Title IX.
Introducing Curt Apsey as Boise State’s new athletic director, Kustra stated that in order for the program to be successfully integrated, it would have to overcome the challenge of the new budget pressures the institution faces due to issues such as cost of attendance. According to Kustra, the Broncos have been studying the idea of adding the baseball program since last year, and had targeted the year 2017 as the year which the sport would return. However, the timeline for the reintroduction of the sport may move back a year due to budget issues.
Reportedly, Boise State projects a thirteen and a half percent increase in scholarship costs for this financial year, increasing the total to almost $5.9 million, reflecting an increase of approximately 1.3 million within the last two years. This is a situation that can be alleviated by introducing the baseball program which permits 11.7 scholarships.
According to Apsey, although the program faces numerous budget related challenges, he believes that a baseball loving culture exists in Boise State that has not been tapped into before. Stating that although he is unsure of what the real possibilities are, he asserts that the only way the institution can ascertain his belief is by asking people whether or not they would be interested in supporting the program.
Despite the various financial challenges the institution faces, its resolve to reintroduce the Broncos baseball program is unfaltering. With the liabilities posed by Title IX that once limited the baseball team’s ability to compete, the sport may very well regain its popularity within the institution and recover its renowned position as Boise State’s leading sports program.
