Friday, May 14, 2010

What the Big Ten expansion possibilities mean in tennis

May 11, 2010
The sports world has been buzzing for months now with talk of a Big Ten expansion.  Rumored teams have been as far away as Texas and Syracuse  This week, Tribune News Service reported that offers have been issued to Notre Dame, Missouri, Nebraska and Rutgers to join the Big Ten, but SI.com says Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany denies this so the speculation will continue.

The only thing that is certain is that the Big Ten athletic directors are scheduled to meet in Chicago this coming weekend for a discussion on the expansion.  Included in that meeting will be football and basketball coaches, but no one representing non-revenue sports like tennis.  An interesting note which many outside the sport don't realize is that there are currently men's and women's tennis teams for every Big Ten school.  An expansion could change that fact.  Rutgers, for example, does not have a men's tennis team.  It was dropped in 2006 despite a huge campaign by supporters to save it.
 
Would an expansion into the Big Ten bring back a dropped tennis program?  Is the Big Ten considering programs like Rutgers despite the fact that they lack tennis programs?  What ramifications (if any) would it have in tennis if a school in the Big Ten had a women's tennis program or not a men's?

Please use the comments below to voice your opinion.

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