There are a couple of things I won't do in this space, and one of them is criticize University of Wisconsin sports fans.

Sure, there are instances where small pockets of folks might need to get cuffed upside the head, but Badgers fans in general have earned a wide berth because no intercollegiate support system is more loyal, generous, enthused or diverse.

That said, I think the members of UW Nation need to be reminded on occasion that what they have here is pretty unique.

The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department is self-sufficient to the point that it projects another budget surplus for 2007-08, has $30 million in reserve and is quietly preparing to embark on another series of on-campus capital projects that will cost in excess of $100 million.

UW Athletics has 23 sports — three of which generate revenue for the nearly $85 million operation — and a majority of them are among the national elite.

For the sake of perspective, Badgers fans should take a moment and ponder the flip side.

Can you imagine a school in a Bowl Championship Series conference — a picturesque, warm-weather location no less — dropping three sports for 2008-09 in part because of budget difficulties?

That's Arizona State of the Pacific-10.

Three men's programs — tennis, swimming and diving and wrestling — were axed at the Tempe campus after the Arizona Board of Regents approved $26 million in budget cuts.

Those cuts were in response to an overall fiscal crisis in the state, which is facing a $1.2 billion deficit.

By discontinuing the sports, the school projects to save
$1.1 million next year.

Another element to the decision had to do with Title IX compliance. While the reduction leaves the Sun Devils with more sports for women than men, the number of student-athletes is nearly 50-50.

"I don't know if I can begin to express the words of how tough this decision was," ASU athletic director Lisa Love told the Arizona Republic. "But the reality of our fiscal profile is that we can't continue to support a 22-sport department."

Can you imagine a school in another BCS conference — an institution where multiple NCAA championships have been won since 2000 — dipping into its athletic department reserve to address a
$1.2 million budget deficit?

That's Syracuse of the Big East.

The root of the deficit is the football program, once a perennial national title contender, which experienced a 21-year low in attendance in 2007.

The Orangemen, who had an unbeaten season as recently as 1987, haven't qualified for a bowl since 2004 and were 2-10 a year ago.

Syracuse men's basketball, which won the NCAA title in 2003, was the primary breadwinner for the athletic department in 2006-07 with a reported $7.1 million in profit.

Since 1990, UW Athletics has experienced a severe downcycle in football, cut multiple sports, been called on the carpet regarding Title IX and stared down the barrel of a serious state budget crisis. Look where it is today.

But it doesn't take a lot for the boulder of money or incompetence to start rolling in the other direction.