yea anyone who think this couldn't have been averted hasn't been paying attention. the writing has been on the wall for awhile. that program has been a mess for awhile now.
Thatâs why itâs important for the media to hold SFU to account for this mess.
There was a university out of Sudbury that gutted their athletic department due to mismanagement.
The media in Canada rarely champions for sports unless itâs the NHL or NFL for some reason.
Bet you that this barely made a ripple back East.
Very true. Unfortunately on the day this was announced our last remaining sports radio station was talking AHL prospects who could be called up by the Canucks for the end of the season, and had a small segment on the Masters.
Doesnât exactly inspire confidence
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Thatâs terrible. There should have been a large segment on the Masters.
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The SFU administration is so hell-bent on affiliating with any American college athletics association willing to take them in, that they didnât even bother considering going back to U-Sports. The thing is, how big of a selling point is being a member of US college associations, really, to prospective student athletes? Aside from maybe an occasional few exceptions over the years, SFU has generally not been a serious contender in any sport that they have participated in against those American colleges.
Good on Doman to keep amateur football going.
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Amar Doman is a treasure!
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So he is trying to get them back in the NCAA football program?
he didnât say specifically but Iâm sure heâll write a cheque to somebody. If youâre U-Sports and SFU and Amar gives you a donation with strings attached, itâll mend a lot of fences.
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Didnât someone say that because all their other sports are NCAA, then the football team couldnât enter USports.
Getting back to the NCAA is out of the question. No conference will take them.
Technically true. U Sport does mandate that you arenât allowed to play in 2 different leagues, but thereâs always exceptions for this rule, and they would gladly accept another football program to Canada West which is a tough grind for a small amount of teams spread out over such a large area.
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IIRC, Domon donated something like $50,000 to the SFU football program in 2021. I canât imagine he feels great about them cancelling the program now.
Hereâs the story about itâit was $25,000 from him personally and $25,000 from the Lions 50/50.
Over at the Burnaby Mountain campus, SFU head coach Mike Rigell also appreciates the chance to help encourage youth wanting to pursue athletics.
âWe are going to direct the donation to our endowments to provide financial aid specifically to support student-athletes in BC,â said Rigell.
âStudent-athletes from BC are the lifeblood of our program and we want to make sure we are taking care of the kids in our own backyard. My vision is to create a program that is a destination for BC kids and a big part of that is being able to provide them with the financial aid that enables them to focus on school and football, in that order.
I think creating a university program that attracts the top BC high school players each year aligns with the vision of Mr. Doman, and the David Braley Foundation, that strengthening football at all levels creates a stronger football community and everyone benefits. Iâm grateful to Mr. Doman, and the David Braley Foundation for providing financial support to SFU and for realizing the value and importance of the football community to the BC Lions, and the role that our program and the UBC program play within the community. Having two strong university football programs is great for the province, itâs great for the BC Lions and itâs great for the game of football.â
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Farhan Lalji chiming in more
Cole's notes he doesn't believe all efforts were exhausted to keep the program alive. Canada West is open amending rules to allow SFU to play in U Sports and the rest in NCAA but it's complex. Doesn't believe U Sports would stand in the way if there was willingness from the other parties.
Team could have still played in NCAA this season and give more time for a solution.
Alumni are hot will not go away quiets and it could go towards the courts...though I have no idea how that would play out.
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this is an interesting story:
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i feel so bad for these players
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The decision seems to have set off quite a firestorm among alumni. Lots of anger and mistrust being thrown toward Hanson. It'll be interesting to see if any compromise can be made.
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So the question remains how much effort was really made in finding a solution and why football was the only sport targeted?
This excuse of no league to play in doesnât jive. They must have known about the possibility going back to 2021.
SFU took the donation and thatâs how they thanked the Lions by folding.
Heads should roll with this boneheaded decision.
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They should be unemployed and I polite about it although I never attended.
Future student- athletes should think long and hard when deciding to commit to SFU as their sport of choice could also disappear on them.
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