Brewers’ World Series Win Could Bring Back Wisconsin Baseball

The state of Wisconsin is bursting with pride after the Milwaukee Brewers secured their first World Series championship in franchise history Oct. 28.

With all odds against them, the small-market team found success during an MLB era dominated by large budgets and lucrative payrolls.

The Brewers finished the regular season with 103 wins, leading the entire league in wins and proving that financial resources aren’t the only measure of a team’s potential.

In fact, Milwaukee ranked 19th out of 30 in MLB payrolls.

In Madison, as Brewers fans flooded State Street, rejoicing in celebration after the win last Wednesday evening, they may be wondering: If baseball can thrive at the highest level in our state, why is it missing from Badger athletics?

Out of all 18 schools in the Big Ten Conference, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the only one without an NCAA Division I baseball program, but it hasn’t always been this way.

Wisconsin first established a baseball team in 1870, which became the university’s first intercollegiate varsity team.

The Badgers captured five Big Ten Conference Championships and even appeared in the College World Series in 1950.

However, the team struggled in its final season, finishing with a 16-36 overall record and a 6-22 record in Big Ten play.

In 1991, Athletic Director Pat Richter made the decision to disband the team, in part due to a $2 million budget deficit.

The decision was also influenced by Title IX, the civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding.

Richter faced pressure to balance opportunities for male and female athletes, leading him to cut men’s sports offerings, including baseball.

It was believed the baseball team would eventually make a comeback when Wisconsin Athletics got its finances in order.

But three decades later, Wisconsin is still without a baseball team, and the financial landscape of college athletics looks significantly different.

Bringing back the baseball program would require significant investments in facilities, coaching, scholarships and other operating expenses.

In 2016, UW club baseball coach Jeff Block proposed to reinstate the baseball team, estimating that Big Ten baseball programs spent an average of $1.4 million annually.

Given UW’s position as one of the nation’s top revenue-producing athletic departments, Block argued that restoring the sport could be financially feasible.

However, then-Athletic Director Barry Alvarez opposed the reinstatement.

The Brewers’ championship run has reignited the conversation in a way no budget proposal ever could.

Fans see a parallel: if a small-market team in Milwaukee can outspend and outplay the league’s giants, why can’t a flagship university in the same state find room for a baseball program?

The question is now being asked louder than it has been in years.

University officials have not made any public statements about reinstating baseball since the Brewers’ victory.

But the emotional energy of the championship — combined with the glaring fact that Wisconsin is the only Big Ten school without a Division I baseball team — is putting pressure on the athletic department to at least revisit the discussion.

The Title IX requirements that helped kill the program in 1991 remain in effect, meaning any reinstatement of a men’s sport would likely need to be paired with a new women’s sport or an expansion of existing women’s programs to maintain balance.

Facilities are another major hurdle.

The old baseball field was converted to other uses decades ago, and building a new stadium would add millions to the upfront cost.

Scholarship commitments would also be substantial.

NCAA Division I baseball programs are allowed 11.7 full scholarships, though they are often split among more players.

Even with partial scholarships, the annual cost would run into the millions.

Coaching salaries, travel, equipment and operations would add further expenses.