Eariler this week, insidecollegehockey.com reported that Penn State is set to announce the addition of a Division I men's hockey program this Friday. This news got me thinking about how many large programs one school can adequately support and maintain.
These days, it seems like every university wants to rave about their reputation of being a ""two-sport school."" That phrase usually refers to a university which can boast both lucrative basketball and football programs. These schools can claim larger revenues and relevance in the collegiate sports world from August until March.
A few of the most notable two-sport programs in the nation include Texas, Florida, Notre Dame, Tennessee, West Virginia and, of course, Wisconsin. The Gators arguably have the rightful claim to the most prolific two-sport program in the nation. In the past five years, Florida has won two national titles each in both football and basketball, including a sweep of both in 2006.
Wisconsin, however, can lay claim to a title that very few schools will ever approach, and most will never have to the chance to achieve. UW-Madison is, without a doubt, a three-sport school.
On top of a football program that regularly sells out the 80,321-seat Camp Randall Stadium and has made a bowl game in 15 of the past 17 seasons, the Badgers can boast two blockbuster teams who call the Kohl Center home. The basketball program, coached by one of the most respected men in the game, Bo Ryan, packs in a crowd of over 17,000 fans every home game and has made 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the Elite Eight and one to the Final Four in that same span.
While there is a select handful of schools that also boast numbers similar to and slightly better than those, none of them come close to carrying a third sport which provides the same popularity, attendance and prestige.
The Badger hockey team has appeared in the Frozen Four 12 times, including the 2010 tournament, and holds bragging rights to six national championships. What really elevates the hockey program to a ""third-sport"" status, though, is its attendance draw. Last season, the Badgers averaged nearly 14,000 fans per game at the Kohl Center, which essentially is a hockey arena designed to also accommodate basketball.
To put things in perspective, if the Wisconsin hockey team were an NHL franchise, it would have better attendance figures than three professional teams.
Sure, there are a few schools who you could argue classify as a three-sport school. Michigan is probably the first university that comes to mind, but the lack of extraordinary performance from their basketball program for the better part of the last decade knocks them down a few notches in this argument.
The same goes for Minnesota, Ohio State and Boston College. While all three schools have had very successful seasons in all three sports, none are consistently powerhouses at the same time. Although the Buckeyes can boast post-season teams in all three sports in 2009, hockey success is somewhat of a recent trend for Ohio State.
The distinction of Wisconsin as a three-sport school means various benefits for the school. First and foremost, it's all about the money. Adding the revenue of over 300,000 men's hockey tickets sold every season allows the athletic department to better fund smaller sports, build better facilities and maintain and expand student athlete services.
But perhaps above all, attending a three-sport school is quite simply, pretty damn awesome. No other school can brag about three student sections with such distinctly thrilling, diverse atmospheres and cultures.
So the next time you hear an LSU or Oklahoma fan ranting about their powerhouse basketball and football programs, let them gloat. Wisconsin takes it a step further as the country's only legitimate three-sport school.
You think any other schools can equal the Badgers' three-sport dominance? E-mail Mark at mdbennett2@dailycardinal.com.
