College sports are being pushed to the sidelines because of the budget crisis. It is bad enough that our academic classes are being cut to save money. Does our athletes have to suffer because of budget cuts or bad planning?

I do not think that any athlete should be denied the chance to play a sport he or she loves. That is the case with San Jose City College students. “I got a baseball scholarship to come here,” said Curties Sparks 37, a Photography student.

Our administrators really messed up when the plan to build a new baseball field was cancelled in the middle of construction; throwing away millions of dollars.

Debbie Huntze-Rooney the SJCC athletic director said, “The Athletic Department would have liked to have had the baseball field.”
Because there is no baseball field, SJCC has to pay other colleges, high schools and other places to have its games; spending thousands of dollars each year. “The baseball field would have completed the college,” Rooney said.

If SJCC had its own field we would have so much to gain.
Daniel Wu, a computer programming student, said, if we had a baseball field “it would bring friendship, teamwork and fun to the game and college.”

One important change would be the athletic department having a place to practice and play its games. The love and appreciation for the game could be celebrated by family, friends, SJCC staff and Bay Area residents who would like to cheer on the baseball team.

“I like going to baseball games,” said Chris Borja, 20, an Ethnic studies student.

Having games here, would also give the team another way to better itself and keep it from getting involved in bad situations, Wu said.

Having a baseball field is more than a field of dirt to play on. It is a place where friends, family, and college students can come together to cheer on their home team. Baseball brings teamwork, sportsmanship, fun, and the chance for the team to improve on its game.

In addition, SJCC could get other teams to come to its home field, the flow of revenue would help the sport and the school, and baseball scouts could look for new recruits.