MAILBAG! Men's Soccer Sponsorship, House Effects and more:

Good morning, and thanks for spending part of your day with Extra Points.

I’m in the process of trying to finalize some big updates to Extra Points Library, as well as some new reporting on a few different stories. The troubling thing about reporting is that sometimes, my ability to talk to industry folks, transcribe and edit stories doesn’t perfectly line up with a four-day-a-week newsletter.

So you know what that means? That’s right friends. It’s time for another MAILBAG.

I take mailbag questions on a rolling basis, but the best way to get ‘em to me is via social media, like Twitter or Bluesky.

Reader Scott asks:

Good question!

Over a hundred more D-I colleges sponsor women’s soccer compared to men’s soccer, so it’s fair to assume that Title IX compliance certainly plays at least a role.

I think it’s worth pointing out that these days, schools generally aren’t adding any sports unless a) they got sued, b) they’re changing conferences and need to adjust their sport sponsorship to fit in with their new peers or c) they believe that adding a new sport will help with an enrollment management strategy. There are exceptions, but not many.

Men’s soccer doesn’t typically help much on the enrollment strategy front, and isn’t a major revenue-driver (from ticket sales, TV rights, sponsorships, etc.) virtually anywhere at the moment. While every situation is different, if I was an athletic director and I had to add a men’s sport that I thought had the potential to improve revenue, foster long-term donations and build community connections…soccer is probably not what I’d pick. I imagine I’d go for lacrosse or wrestling first, hockey if I was rich and just happened to have a rink nearby.

Another tricky factor more specific to men’s soccer: you’re not getting the top player pool. The best youth soccer prospects are way more likely to pursue professional career options, either in the United States or elsewhere, rather than entering the college system. The caliber of international prospect that colleges are able to recruit will also (typically) be a substantial cut below professional caliber. With so many other professional development options, I’m skeptical US men’s college soccer can ever really change that dynamic, which makes turning into a wildly popular spectacle pretty difficult.

Not everybody feels that way. The US Soccer Federation, for one, sees more potential in the system than I do. And there are a few schools (Marshall, Utah Valley, Vermont, Akron, etc.) that have made meaningful bets on Men’s Soccer. But I’m not shocked that hundreds of other programs have decided against it…and in the post-House era, the argument for launching a new men’s soccer program looks even harder.

Reader Phillip asks,

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