With the University of Cincinnati’s deciding to scrap their men’s soccer program this week. The future for various sports at UC could hinge on Cincinnati Football’s upcoming season.

COVID-19 is adding more importance onto the 2020 college football season. With the financial stability of various university athletic departments on the line. Like many groups, athletic departments are in a financial bind because of this pandemic. Schools are already facing the fallout of a cancelled March Madness. The potential disruption of college football’s regular and postseason will only deepen the financial damage.

Football largely helps pay the bills for athletic departments across the country. Helping subsidize other sports through football’s more lucrative broadcasting contracts. It’s why Rice still plays Texas and Alabama plays Mercer. Win or lose both schools still get a check. A disruption to that revenue pipeline will have implications beyond college athletics.

This would particularly hit non-Power Five conference schools like the University of Cincinnati. UC and fellow Group of Five school Old Dominion are already dropping programs. Old Dominion recently dropped their wrestling program. These decisions were already made without any regular season football games being cancelled. Many schools were already facing tough choices before this pandemic. The aftermath of the Great Recession lingered on at public and private schools for years. Covid-19 could prompt athletic departments to scrap programs they were already thinking of scrapping.

This pandemic is already exposing various social inequities and issues. From the issues facing health care systems around the world. To the effects this virus is having on the poor. While raising questions about the impact on students without reliable internet access. The inequities of college athletics are also being exposed.

Inequities between different conferences and divisions are showing. Power Five schools will have more room to muddle through. While others schools will face tough decisions going forward. Whether they’re schools with football programs or not. Xavier University hasn’t had a football program since 1973; Northern Kentucky University has never had one.

Mid-major basketball conferences like NKU’s Horizon League will face deeper challenges. They don’t have the exposure given to UC’s American Athletic Conference. Partly because the Horizon League doesn’t sponsor football. Along with less basketball media exposure compared to the SEC or Big Ten. Meanwhile, inequities between different college sports are also showing.

Football and basketball will have room to muddle through. Given that they are the two major revenue generating college sports. While soccer and other lower profile college sports face difficulties. Sports that don’t have games aired weekly on national broadcast TV networks. UC’s men’s soccer program is already one metaphorical casualty.

There’s no guarantee men’s soccer will be the only program cut at UC. There’s also no guarantee even juggernaut programs wont be spared from damage.