BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) experienced a decrease of 59 men’s teams and an increase of 101 women’s teams in Division I during the 10-year period of 2007-08 to 2016-17.
The numbers show a dramatic decrease in certain men’s sports when considering the number of programs dropped (-9 baseball/ -8 cross country/ -14 golf/ -21 swimming & diving/ -21 tennis/ -25 indoor track & field/ -14 outdoor track & field/ -14 volleyball / -13 wrestling). In some sports, losses were balanced out by gains as men’s indoor track & field and outdoor track & field experienced net gains of +2 during the time frame. Further, lacrosse (+12), football (+4), sailing (+1), equestrian (+1) and water polo (+1) all showed growth, while swimming & diving (-17), tennis (-14), wrestling (-12), baseball (-7), golf (-7), bowling (-5), cross country (-4), soccer (-4), rifle (-3), gymnastics (-2), skiing (-2), fencing (-1), rowing (-1) and volleyball (-1) all retracted in the number of programs for a net loss of 59 Division I teams.
Women’s Division I athletics, however, experienced significant growth as golf (+18), lacrosse (+31), beach volleyball (+48), indoor track & field (+18) and outdoor track & field (+13) combined for 128 new programs for a net gain of 101 women’s teams.
Several sports lost significant numbers of programs as women’s golf (-11), rifle (-10), swimming & diving (-15), tennis (-12) and wrestling (-13) each dropped double-digit program totals over the decade. However, some of the numbers are misleading as women’s golf lost 11 teams and gained 29 for a net increase of 18 programs, while women’s bowling lost six teams and added nine for a net increase of nine programs.
Overall, 11 sports experienced growth as beach volleyball (+48), lacrosse (+31), golf (+18), indoor track & field (+18), outdoor track & field (+13), soccer (+8), rugby (+5), bowling (+3), squash (+3), cross country (+2) and softball (+2) combined for 161 new teams, while wrestling (-12), tennis (-8), swimming & diving (-7), rifle (-5), fencing (-4), field hockey (-3), basketball (-2), gymnastics (-2), skiing (-2), volleyball (-2), archery (-1), synchronized swimming (-1) and water polo (-1) experienced a loss of 60 programs.
Division I sports dropped over last 10 years, 2007-08 through 2016-17 (last year of available data per the NCAA)
| Sport | Programs Dropped | Net Gain/Loss |
| Archery | 1 | -1 |
| Baseball | 9 | -7 |
| Basketball | 1 | -1 |
| Bowling | 5 | -5 |
| Cross Country | 8 | -4 |
| Equestrian | 2 | +1 |
| Fencing | 3 | -1 |
| Football | 7 | +4 |
| Golf | 14 | -7 |
| Gymnastics | 2 | -2 |
| Ice Hockey | 1 | Even |
| Lacrosse | 0 | +12 |
| Rifle | 11 | -3 |
| Rowing | 2 | -1 |
| Sailing | 1 | +1 |
| Skiing | 2 | -2 |
| Soccer | 9 | -4 |
| Swim/Dive | 21 | -17 |
| Tennis | 21 | -14 |
| Indoor T&F | 25 | +2 |
| Outdoor T&F | 14 | +2 |
| Volleyball | 14 | -1 |
| Water Polo | 0 | +1 |
| Wrestling | 13 | -12 |
Women’s Breakdown
| Sport | Programs Dropped | Net Gain/Loss |
| Archery | 1 | -1 |
| Basketball | 2 | -2 |
| Bowling | 6 | +3 |
| Cross Country | 2 | +2 |
| Equestrian | 3 | Even |
| Fencing | 5 | -4 |
| Field Hockey | 6 | -3 |
| Golf | 11 | +18 |
| Gymnastics | 3 | -2 |
| Ice Hockey | 3 | Even |
| Lacrosse | 1 | +31 |
| Rifle | 10 | -5 |
| Rowing | 5 | Even |
| Rugby | 2 | +5 |
| Beach VB | 1 | +48 |
| Skiing | 2 | -2 |
| Soccer | 1 | +8 |
| Softball | 4 | +2 |
| Squash | 0 | +3 |
| Syncro Swim | 2 | -1 |
| Swim/Dive | 15 | -7 |
| Tennis | 12 | -8 |
| Indoor T&F | 5 | +18 |
| Outdoor T&F | 1 | +13 |
| Volleyball | 3 | -2 |
| Water Polo | 3 | -1 |
| Wrestling | 13 | -12 |
