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UCLA Athletics is once again at a pivotal crossroads

Already burdened with a $219.5 million cumulative deficit over the past six fiscal years, and facing the looming financial obligations from the House v. NCAA settlement — which will require approximately $22 million annually in direct athlete compensation — the UCLA athletics department must now navigate a fragile future for its non-revenue sports, including women’s swimming and diving and water polo.

History Echoes: UCLA Cut Men’s Swimming After a National Title

This moment evokes a painful chapter from UCLA’s past. Despite winning the 1982 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving championship and producing one of the fastest swimmers in the world, Robin Leamy, who set NCAA records in the 50-yard freestyle and won USA relay gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, UCLA famously cut its men’s swimming program in 1994.

Budget pressures and the need to comply with Title IX gender equity standards were cited. Yet the decision shocked the swimming world: how could one of the sport’s top programs — home to 22 Olympians — simply disappear?

Read the original LA Times coverage here.

“It didn’t matter that we had world records, Olympic medals, or NCAA titles,” one former swimmer recalled. “We were still cut because of the numbers.”

Today’s Success — and Today’s Risks

Fast forward to today, and the parallels are unsettling.

UCLA’s women’s water polo team is just a year removed from a perfect season by capturing the 2024 NCAA title. The women’s swimming and diving teams continue to produce NCAA qualifiers and Olympic hopefuls.

But success in the pool does not guarantee security outside of it.

Swimming World has reported on the financial challenges now facing collegiate aquatic sports:

Starting in the 2025–26 season, NCAA swimming teams will be capped at 30 athletes per gender, with some conferences proposing even stricter limits. Cuts and roster reductions have already begun nationwide, particularly for non-revenue sports like swimming and diving.

Big Ten Move Brings Hope — But Also Pressure

UCLA’s move to the Big Ten Conference is expected to provide a financial boost, with an estimated $75 million annually in new media rights revenue.

But this influx must cover soaring travel costs, new athlete compensation models, and the university’s existing debts. Athletic Director Martin Jarmond remains optimistic about sustaining Olympic sports — but history shows success alone doesn’t always save programs when budgets tighten.

The ghosts of 1994 are hovering again over Westwood. The question now is not whether UCLA can win championships — its aquatic programs already are. It’s whether that will be enough to preserve them in an era where spreadsheets, not scoreboards, often have the final say.