Michigan State Says Battle to Save Swim and Dive Program Is Over

Supporters of Michigan State University’s swimming and diving program appear to have lost their three-year battle to reinstate the teams cut back in October of 2020 due to a “financial crisis” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

An MSU spokesperson told SwimSwam on Thursday that the 50-meter pool being constructed in the new $200 million recreation center will be built for student recreation — not a varsity program — after the Battle for Swim and Dive advocacy group fell short of its $26.5 million fundraising target on Sunday.

In March, new MSU leadership began working with the Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive to collect donations to help cover operating expenses for both teams. Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive raised more than $5 million of the $6.5 goal within a few months before getting thrown a curveball in June. MSU announced plans for a new 50-meter pool, but the university said an additional $20 million was needed by October 1 in order to upgrade the facility to support a competitive Power Five program. Those extra funds would pay for a separate diving well, coaches’ offices, locker rooms, and 250 more bleacher seats, among other modifications.

“The Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive has not been informed of any formal decision by current President Teresa Woodruff regarding the future return of the MSU Swimming and Diving Men’s and Women’s teams,” Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive told SwimSwam. “Our group continues its efforts to seek collaborative solutions to reach its goals — goals that have been repeatedly altered and added to since our battle began in October 2020.”

The Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive is refusing to accept defeat, vowing to continue their efforts “with even stronger resolve.”

When the fundraising target shifted from $6.5 million to $26.5 million, Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive said it was confident they would meet the initial figure and would help find donors “who can help bridge the infrastructure gap toward construction of a top-tier facility that will serve the Spartan community.” The Battle group had been in discussions with MSU officials about other facility solutions aside from the $20 million top-end option (reportedly as cheap as $3 million), but those talks broke down late last week ahead of Sunday’s deadline.

An outside gender equity review recently concluded that female athletes at MSU receive less financial assistance and other resources in proportion to their male counterparts. The university is not in compliance with Title IX’s mandate that financial aid is distributed equitably as 46.3% of athletic financial assistance went to women despite their 48.9% share of the overall athlete population. Of course, those disparities could be resolved by either cutting men’s athletic scholarships or adding opportunities for women.

Last summer, Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive said it secured $8.5 million from two anonymous donors, but those donations were estate bequests and endowments that MSU did not end up accepting to fund either operating expenses or facility upgrades because it’s not “cash in hand.” There was also speculation that the university could sell naming rights to parts of the facility to help make up the remaining money. Construction on the MSU’s new recreation center began in July and is expected to be finished by early 2026.

MSU is soon set to receive a lot more revenue thanks to the Big Ten’s new media rights deal worth more than $1 billion annually. Member schools are projected to eventually receive $100 million a year, nearly double the $54.3 million paid out during the most recent fiscal year (2019-20) not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just six months ago, an MSU board trustee said the university did not see a viable path to bringing the program back. Then in January, MSU reached a settlement with 11 former members of the women’s swim team, which stopped short of guaranteeing reinstatement but did provide several Title IX protections for the future. Last August, MSU was found to have violated Title IX by cutting the Spartans’ swim and dive program, and the university’s appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected in December.

Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive’s full statement is available below:

“First we were informed that no path forward existed without a new facility. That changed in June when MSU finally approved a new indoor pool as part of the proposed Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

In December 2022, President Woodruff told a group of Spartan swimmers that if their supporters could raise $6.5 million in pledges toward operating expenses for the teams, a return was a reasonable expectation. Prior to that meeting, BSSD had already raised more than $1 million without any involvement from the university. We began that work in earnest, with the assistance of University Advancement, and to this date have identified more than $5 million in commitments toward that target.

Then in June, President Woodruff added an additional $20 million goal to help close the gap between the proposed 50-meter recreation pool and a top-tier, NCAA competition facility. Without any renderings, marketing or naming opportunities, as well as being told not to reach out to certain high-level donors, our team proceeded to try and find funding. Our aim was always the top-tier option, yet we understood that there were less-expensive options that would still provide the accommodations needed for a varsity program, including a baseline facility with expanded seating, varsity locker rooms, and coaches offices.

The unfortunate revelations regarding former MSU football coach Mel Tucker made a significant impact on our efforts to both fundraise as well as work with Athletic Director Alan Haller on pragmatic solutions for the number of issues presented, including the Title IX inequities revealed just last week by an independent reviewer. The upheaval of that situation delayed a scheduled meeting with Haller, and we heard from multiple potential donors that the latest news was dissuading them from pledging money to Michigan State.

Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive has worked professionally, collaboratively, and tirelessly for nearly three years to engage with MSU leadership and correct a decision that everyone we speak to acknowledges was a mistake. Yet once again, rather than continue the productive conversations that were ongoing, and further supporting our fundraising efforts by providing full access to the Spartan Fund and other donors, a leader with a nine-month tenure decided to try and end a 99-year-old Spartan program.

The Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive will once again outlast bad decisions and continue our efforts with even stronger resolve. We are eager to meet with the new MSU president and will continue collaborations with those university leaders who have worked with us in good faith. Our goal is now both the return of the MSU Swimming and Diving program as well as the construction of a new aquatic facility adequate to serve the needs of the entire university community. Go Green.”