Grand Canyon’s volleyball cut shows who’s losing as college sports change

Not Breaking News – College sports are swimming in a sea of change. Some programs will thrive, and others will drown.

When things go south, it’s not because of athletes’ freedom to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). It’s not because of the transfer portal. It’s not because of conference realignment.

Programs that thrive have leaders who have the guts to be honest with their athletes. They started to plan for a wave of uncertainty long ago when states made their own rules and chipped away at the NCAA’s power. The result is, when those schools hit speed bumps, they emerge stronger. The others — hide?

Well, Grand Canyon University seemed to. GCU isn’t a flashy name in college athletics, but the Antelopes have a damn good men’s volleyball program. It reached the Final Four in 2024. Its coaches and athletes earned in-and postseason awards. But in April 2025, the administration informed the team it was being cut from the school’s intercollegiate program.

Why? According to a report from Front Office Sports, school officials gave no reason. A four-paragraph public statement pointed to a “rapidly evolving college athletics landscape.” Those same administrators didn’t answer athletes and coaches of that vaunted program, either.

There are a lot of adjectives to describe the school’s non-explanation. Yes, times are changing. Priority is put on “major” revenue-generating sports, but at the expense (or implosion) of others.

In Grand Canyon’s case, its leaders didn’t lead. They wussed out. Its lack of leadership wasn’t about a bank ledger. It was because the school’s athletics personnel didn’t tell the truth to people it claimed to care about.

The Grand Canyon way isn’t textbook leadership. It’s a case study in how to bury your head in the sand and let your talent deal with the fallout.

A monstrous message

This is a bigger deal than what’s been broadcast. It’s baffling how administrators at the highest level of business keep dropping a 5-pound ball with boulder-like reverberations because they don’t know how to communicate.

Don’t say that you’re cutting your program and focusing on others. That’s disrespectful. Don’t toss out a word salad that didn’t even come with dressing to mask it and call it a day.

I feel for the talented athletes and coaches who now have big decisions to make about their future. I also suggest that administrators head to campus and enroll in a basic communications course. It might show them that non-answers don’t cut it in Division I athletics. Or anywhere.

College sports is a business—but it’s a people business. Some decision-makers just aren’t versed in how to deal with people.

If you have a message that’s tough to deliver, let me help you communicate it with confidence. Contact me at [email protected] and let’s motivate, not alienate.

@2025 Gail Sideman, gpublicity, NIL Edge

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