Berkeley Plans to Cut 5 Sports to Shave Deficit

The University of California at Berkeley announced Tuesday that it would eliminate five sports teams in an effort to save $4 million a year from its deficit-ridden sports program. The Berkeley sports program has been a bone of contention for faculty members and others at the university, given the heavy administrative subsidies the university has given to athletics at a time of overall financial stress at the university. Berkeley administrators said the university would end its intercollegiate programs in baseball, men's and women's gymnastics, and women's lacrosse, and transition men's rugby to a varsity club sport. Berkeley will still have 24 teams.