The Problems with WNMU Athletics:

First Weak Teams: In the last five years, the five major sports at WNMU have had only 4 winning seasons.

Football: no winning seasons
Men's Basketball: no winning seasons
Women's Basketball: 1 winning season
Softball: no winning seasons
Volleyball: 3 winning seasons.

That's 4 winning seasons out of 25 or 16% winning seasons. I'm not talking about league championships, just seasons where the team won more games than they lost.

WNMU has over 200 athletes; a little over 30 come from New Mexico. WNMU spends about $5.1 million in costs for the entire athletic program. Is the problem of weak teams due to recruitment or coaching? I don't know enough to have an opinion. But the problem is in the Athletic Department.

Second and an even bigger problem is the erosion in attendance:

The average attendance at men's basketball in the 2011-12 season was 1,266 per game; this year it's 158 per game, a decrease of 88%.
Football decreased from 2,679 to 555 per game, a decrease of 80%.
Women's basketball decreased from 375 to 125, a decrease of 67%.
Softball increased from 49 to 65, an increase of 33%.
Volleyball decreased from 425 to 320, a decrease of 25% even though the team had a very good season.

Decreases in attendance of this magnitude should be a major concern of the WNMU administration. Yet in a recent news article, the President says the athletic program is doing very well.

The functions of the athletic program is to put the name of WNMU in front of the public by advertising the university, entertaining the students and the public, building school spirit, and finally, student athletics make up more than 10% of the full time students at WNMU, that is, maintaining enrollment.

I feel that with the lack of success in the athletic program, it's time for the University Administration to make some adjustments in the Athletic Department.

Alfred Milligan
Silver City, NM