Are TCU Olympic Sports Safe as Programs Disappear Nationwide?

As schools across the country eliminate Olympic sports programs, TCU leadership says the Horned Frogs remain committed to supporting a broad representation of athletics.

TCU Beach Volleyball won the 2025 National Championship | KillerFrogs.com

Across the evolving collegiate sports landscape, football and men’s basketball are generally the only programs that produce net revenue for athletic departments and help sustain money-losing sports programs.

Many of the money-losing sports programs commonly are referred to as Olympic sports programs. Usually, the competition schedules for these sports align with the academic Spring semester.

Olympic sports programs are increasingly vulnerable in this extremely costly era of collegiate sports. Dumping such sports is an easy way to ease an athletic department’s budget, as these sports usually generate little revenue, have high costs, and small fan bases.

InsideHigherEd.com has reported that more than 400 college athletic programs across every level of college sports have been dropped since May 2024. 

In late April of this year, the University of Arkansas discontinued its men's and women's tennis programs due to rising financial costs creating an inability for the university to provide the funding required to consistently compete in the SEC. The programs required an annual budget of roughly $2.5 million, which was projected to rise. However, following a $5-million fundraising drive by alumni and donors, the university reversed its decision and reinstated both programs for the 2026-2027 season.

Earlier this year, Iowa State University of the Big 12 announced that it was discontinuing its women’s gymnastics program, following a canceled 2026 season.

These are other recent cuts by collegiate athletic departments:

• Washington State consolidated and dropped field events for track and field
• Cal Poly eliminated men’s and women’s swimming and diving
• Seattle University dropped men's tennis and men's and women's indoor track and field
• Purdue Fort Wayne eliminated baseball and softball programs
• Grand Canyon University cut men's volleyball
• University of Texas at El Paso dropped women’s tennis
• University of Louisiana Monroe dropped women's tennis

Supposedly, no non-revenue-producing sports program at TCU is in danger of being cut, at least as of today.

What Mike Buddie Said About TCU's Future

TCU Athletic Director at the TCU Beach Volleyball Fan Appreciation event for winning the National Championship, 2025 | KillerFrogs.com

TCU Director of Athletics Mike Buddie recently publicly stated, “We believe in opportunity and student-athlete participation as a mechanism to attract not just student-athletes, but all students. We remain fully committed to supporting our broad representation of sports. And while TCU is committed to maintaining our current offerings, it’s not shocking to me to hear that others are having to make some really tough decisions.”

While the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve, TCU appears committed to maintaining a broad-based athletic department. At a time when schools across the nation are reducing opportunities for student-athletes, the Horned Frogs are signaling that Olympic sports remain an important part of the university's mission and long-term vision.

Perhaps most importantly, supporting and elevating its sports programs is a priority for TCU and is reflected in the university’s strategic plan, LEAD ON: Values in Action.

Buddie’s and TCU’s commitment is good news for TCU’s athletes competing in the non-revenue sports.