Matador Fans Not Dialing for Dollars

NORTHRIDGE — Despite a firestorm of criticism over the elimination of four men’s sports programs, few people are willing to show Cal State Northridge the money.

“Yes, I have had some calls [about fund-raising], but I haven’t had an overwhelming response [from the community],” said Paul Bubb, Northridge’s athletic director. “Those calls have been limited.”

Northridge cut baseball, volleyball, soccer and swimming to help meet state gender-equity requirements and trim an athletic budget deficit of nearly $800,000.

Bubb said he is willing to investigate fund-raising opportunities. But those offers must be concrete and far-ranging.

“Would it make a difference for the future of those [eliminated] programs? Yes. Would it make a difference for this coming [school] year? Not really,” Bubb said.

Bubb said he hopes Northridge can someday reinstate the programs if financially feasible. To help accomplish that, Bubb said the community must be committed to providing economic backing.

“The resources have to be there to be able to run the programs that we want to run,” Bubb said. “People respond in a disaster, but what will happen in three years if we bring back those sports and the support is not there?

“It has to be ongoing. We need ongoing support.”

That has been a major problem for Northridge’s athletic department, particularly since moving to Division I competition in 1990. The program, for a variety of reasons, was sinking fast in financial quicksand.

The department, Bubb said, did not have other alternatives and cut the four sports to climb out of the deficit and comply with gender-equity regulations by September, 1998.

Bubb finds irony in people offering help now even though he said Northridge has continuously looked, often unsuccessfully, for fund-raising opportunities.

Even NBC sportscaster Dick Enberg, a Matador baseball assistant coach from 1962-64, last week offered to help rescue Northridge’s program but Bubb said three calls to Enberg in the past went unreturned.

“The frustrating part is we’ve been trying to raise funds in the community all along,” Bubb said. “My plan is to make sure I call Mr. Enberg to see how we could work with him in the future.”

If Enberg is interested in donating or raising money to restart the baseball team, or if anyone wants to follow suit with the other programs, Bubb said Northridge will honor those wishes.

“That can be done. That’s been the policy since I’ve been here,” said Bubb, who became athletic director in April, 1996. “If someone wants to designate a gift to go to a specific program, we do that.

“The donor would want some assurances, I assume, that there would be a program.

“I would treat that as a pledge. I would not accept a gift that would be that restrictive unless I can make that guarantee to them.”

Bubb said portions of funds earmarked for certain sports don’t have to be shared with other sports, including women’s teams, but programs benefiting from the contributions would receive fewer dollars from the general fund.

To have that opportunity, of course, the programs first have to be in place. And their resurrection could start with a phone call. From whom? A generous donor? But, for now, Northridge staffers are busy answering other types of calls.

“We’ve been getting a lot of pretty irate people,” said Lauree Floback, Bubb’s administrative assistant. “The phones have been ringing off the hook.”

Said Veronica Santa Maria, secretary to Northridge President Blenda J. Wilson: “We’ve gotten a few calls. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. People are angry.”