D3.ticker

So far this year, DIII institutions have announced the addition of over 30 sports to their portfolio, according to Baldwin Wallace (DIII) Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences Steve Dittmore. D3.ticker surveyed athletic directors across the country about their thoughts on sport sponsorship and the health of their respective institutions. From the responses, the majority of respondents (53%) are considering adding sports.

Of the programs announced this year, Women's Golf, Women's Wrestling and Esports are the most common. Our respondents expressed a significant interest in Women's Flag Football, as it continues to grow in popularity leading up to its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and Women's Wrestling, as it could become a National Collegiate championship as soon as 2026. Men's Volleyball, Women's Golf, and Bowling were also popular responses for DIII leaders.

Geographically, there were specific sport recommendations from 21 states. You can find the full interactive map of sport recommendations here. Specific to Women's Flag Football, here is the map of responses, with the darker green indicating more recommendations.

On the other hand, few institutions (16% of respondents) are considering eliminating sports. Among those considering it, the sports most frequently mentioned were Cross Country, Field Hockey, Men's Golf and Swimming and Diving.

As for the institutional health of DIII schools surveyed, 11% of respondents believe their institution is at risk of closure, with all of those respondents working at private institutions. Similarly, 7.9% of respondents are considering changing affiliations or divisions. Check out the map below for a look at where those institutions are located across the country.

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