Despite soccer being popular, inexpensive and well-developed in Indiana, Ball State University chooses not to have a men's varsity level team.
It's a shame.
With all the talent in the Midwest, Ball State could actually have a men's team that wins more than half their games.
It's a fact soccer is one of the most popular sports to play in the United States.
Soccer has over 18 million players in the United States, according to FIFA, the international governing body for everything soccer-related, and most experts agree soccer is the fastest growing sport in the U.S.
Despite soccer being a popular sport to play, many NCAA Division I athletic programs do not field a men's soccer team. Men's basketball fielded 334 Division I teams in 2006 while soccer fielded 199.
Two of the largest collegiate conferences in the Midwest, unfortunately, do not have a high rate of men's soccer teams.
In the Big Ten conference, seven of the 11 member teams have a men's soccer team.
While seven for 11 isn't great, the Mid-American Conference managed to be worse. Out of the 12 teams that play in the MAC for basketball, only five compete in men's soccer. In order to have men's soccer in the MAC, IPFW had to be added to make a full six-team schedule.
So why do so many colleges or universities decide to not make men's soccer a varsity sport?
The answer is undoubtedly Title IX.
As stated before, five of the 12 teams in the MAC support a men's soccer team, yet all 12 boast a women's soccer team.
Translation: The problem isn't a lack of interest in soccer. The problem is athletic departments have decided men's soccer is one of the male sports that will not exist in order to comply with Title IX.
Title IX states, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."
The math doesn't add up. The second most popular sport to play in the U.S. is being cut, yet other more expensive male sports are not.
Soccer is not an expensive sport to bankroll. In soccer the only equipment needed are cleats, shin guards, uniforms and soccer balls.
I have played collegiate soccer. Manchester College, about 30 miles southwest of Fort Wayne, supports a NCAA Division III men's soccer team. The players supplied their own cleats while the college supplied the rest.
Each player received two pairs of game socks, home and away jerseys and home and away game shorts. The jerseys have no name on the back and therefore can be used for multiple seasons, thus saving money.
If a Division III college with approximately 1,000 students can afford to field a men's soccer team, then you can bet a university of approximately 19,000 students can as well.
This region of the U.S. is overflowing with talent. Indiana University has won seven national championships in men's soccer. The Hoosiers also own the most College Cup appearances with 17, most NCAA Tournament victories with 73 and highest winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament at .760.
This past season, 21 of 28 players on the Hoosiers' roster were from Indiana or a neighboring state.
Soccer's time will come at Ball State, hopefully sooner rather than later.
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