With soccer being the number one most popular sport in the world and the fourth most popular sport in Texas, its popularity is undeniable, yet its presence within fully funded men’s collegiate athletics, especially at UTSA, remains absent.
Currently, UTSA is among six out of nine academic institutions within the UT system lacking an official men’s soccer program. The lack of such programs could be due to universities prioritizing resources towards programs that align more with trending demographics, financial considerations and adhering to Title IX, which mandates equal athletic opportunities for male and female athletes, taking participation rates into account. For example, if female athletes make up 45% of the athletic participation, they should receive roughly 45% of available athletic financial assistance.
With UTSA enrollment trending toward more females than males attending UTSA with 53% to 47% ratio as of Fall 2023, Lisa Campos, UTSA’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics, highlighted the prioritization of this trending demographic.
“The UTSA student body is more than 50% female and all indications point to that number continuing to grow,” Campos said. “Part of our opening assessment [to evaluate various athletic activities] is to look at these types of trends and identify ways to support programs that ensure both male and female students have the chance to take part in a variety of athletic activities.”
Campos later emphasized that the university works collectively to promote shared interests among students through intercollegiate athletics, campus recreation programs and student organizations with “A good example of this [being] the Men’s Soccer club that is flourishing on campus.”
However, a prior conversation with the men’s soccer club found that the self-run club is grappling with financial constraints, relying heavily on volunteers’ and participants’ contributions to cover club operations as they receive little funding from the school. This is emphasized by Colin Harper, a team leadership member for the club, who said “We get some funding from the school, that keeps getting reduced every year.” Because of these struggles, there is a growing fear among the players that the club will potentially be disbanded.
The absence of an official collegiate men’s soccer team is not unique to UTSA. Currently, there are 24 NCAA Division 1 women’s soccer teams in Texas, including UTSA, and only four NCAA Division 1 teams for men. This has raised concerns from stakeholders who believe that many universities including UH, UT and Baylor have the potential to create successful male soccer programs. In an article by Medium about the absence of an official men’s soccer program at UNT, Medium states “Title IX is the reason,” alongside American college football prominence, stating, “because UNT has a football team with more scholarships, the school has to provide the same number of scholarships in what might be multiple women’s sports.”
While the exact influence of Title IX on UTSA’s athletic funding remains unclear, recent data from a 2024 College Pulse report found that male players make up 59% of athletic participation at UTSA while female players make up 41%. Moreover, it is reported that female sports generate over $6.6 million in total revenue, while male sports generate over $18.5 million, with 69% of that revenue coming from the men’s football program. Adding a men’s soccer program could exacerbate this imbalance in athletic participation, despite the higher enrollment of female students at UTSA.
