Soccer on the Fringes

By Clay Standridge

Stadiums brimming with rabid fans and huge television audiences in the U.S. serve as testimonials to the idea that sports are a great unifier and a great divider. But with its uniquely international draw, nothing in the world of sports divides more or brings more together than soccer.

In Argentina, the “Superclàsico” meeting between Boca Juniors and River Plate divides the capital city of Buenos Aires into two bubbling mobs, frothing at the mouth for a chance to demean supporters on the other side of the stadium.

Soccer at such a large scale may divide more than it unites, but shrink the game down, take away the big teams and the big money and you’re left with people who just love the beautiful game. But what happens when you are somewhere in between the big money of a professional organization and just love of the sport?

That’s where the Men’s Club Soccer team at the University of Texas resides. It’s not a NCAA affiliated organization but participants play at the same intensity level. It’s a team without the financial backing others might have, but with the same passion for playing.

“As a team, we’d love to have the financial backing and the facilities,” says JP Borsos, a senior computational engineering major and starting defensive midfielder for the team. “We, honestly, dream that someday UT will have a NCAA program.”

The UT Men's Club Soccer Team

The University of Texas has the third biggest NCAA program in the country, reporting just over $200 million dollars in total revenue, according to USA Today. This revenue funds the 21 college sports the university offers and supplies over $11 million in athletic scholarships.

The distribution of these scholarships, however, is another question. Federal civil rights law Title IX stipulates those athletic scholarships must be evenly distributed between men’s and women’s sports. As a result of this, the Big 12 sponsors women’s soccer teams, but not men. And at the University of Texas, some sports, such as football, are prioritized over other sports that may not be as profitable.

“That’s just the nature of college sports these days, especially at big state schools,” says Borsos. “With that name and with that brand, it’s really become a priority to make it a financial tool as well, to gain revenue and to make money for the university.”

The club soccer team at UT has proved that it can bring that to the university. In athletics, money comes with success, and it has been consistently one of the top club teams in the country. In the fall of 2021, it had its best season in over 20 years, staying undefeated all the way to the national championship, which it lost 3-1 to Brigham Young University.

The team break a huddle after drawing 1-1 with UTSA

Unfortunately, despite the wishes of the team and the wishes of players in the past, the process of making a men’s NCAA soccer team is complicated., especially in the Big 12. The Big 12 does not sponsor men’s soccer and there is not a single university in the conference that has attempted to form one. West Virginia would be the only one, but their soccer team was formed before they joined the Big 12 in 2011.

“The logistics are tough, and it’s been pushed for decades,” says George Sayegh, player, and president of communications for the team. “It would take not only UT to do that, but also the Big 12, but I think it’s long overdue.”

Now, however, the team seems perfectly content to just play their hearts out as a contingent of people who love the game. At a scrimmage against the University of Texas San Antonio on Saturday, Feb. 12, there is a distinct sense of joy under all the tension of the first scrimmage of spring. It’s palpable how much the team enjoys playing.

“First and foremost, we just really love playing and competing; going on that run this year was some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing soccer in my life,” Borsos says, smiling. “I think, from a purely sporting perspective, it would be great to have every team for every sport able to represent the university at every level, but at least for the foreseeable future, that isn’t necessarily a possibility.”