It's a long and winding road to Division I athletics with all manner of obstacle along the way.
It's expensive. It's complicated. Did I mention it's expensive?
In North Carolina, two public, historically black universities have spent the last five years or so trying to make the big jump.
One, N.C. Central University in Durham, appears poised for a successful transition.
Another, Winston-Salem State University, has run aground in its quest for big-time athletics glory.
Winston-Salem State University has abandoned its dream of becoming a Division I athletic program.
Why? Costs too much.
WSSU leaders decided late last week to stop pushing for an upgrade to D-1 status and remain competing in Division II.
In a written statement, Chancellor Donald Reaves said in part: "If there were any reasonable way to complete this transition without diverting resources from competing academic resources, I would have recommended that we stay the course."
Here are a couple numbers that should illuminate the situation. From 2005-06 through last year, spending for the WSSU athletics program rose from $2.88 million to $5.58 million, according to that statement.
At the same time, revenues increased from $2.07 million to $3.77 million and last year, the athletic program ran a deficit of nearly $2 million.
