Athletics department cuts 7 sports to balance budget

6/30/2012: That would be the University of Maryland. From the WaPo:

With its multimillion-dollar deficit mounting and no deep-pocketed donor to cover the shortfall, the University of Maryland’s athletic department will proceed with plans to cut at least seven of its 27 varsity teams this weekend. The downsizing is an attempt to correct an unsustainable pattern many households know well: Spending more than you earn.

But the forces behind the bleak reality in College Park aren’t unique to Maryland. Athletic departments at nine out of 10 public universities that compete in big-time sports spent more money than they generated last year — and many are grappling with the question of whether dropping some sports is the solution.

I’m not sure if UO is still claiming that the athletic department balances its budget. We don’t – but if we cut baseball, I think we’d come pretty close.