Some athletics facilities on campus in need of renovation
Toros Athletics is one of the best things about Dominguez Hills. The campus boasts several Division II squads, including men’s and women’s soccer and basketball, men’s baseball, women’s softball, and volleyball – there’s even a storied golf team. These teams give students-athletes opportunities to compete at a high level, while also allowing them to pursue academic goals.
Strangely, Toros Athletics is missing a number of high-profile intercollegiate sports, including football, tennis, and swimming – despite having the spaces and facilities to support them. What’s more, some of the facilities are in serious need of repair.
Just take the absence of Toros football, for example. CSUDH is more than capable of supporting a team at nearby Dignity Health Sports Park. The 27,000-seat stadium has been used as a training facility for Team USA Olympics sports like soccer and track and field. However, the university is missing out on a great opportunity to draw fans and build the Toros Athletics brand, which would ultimately lead to more revenue.
Tackling the Aztec in the room
College football is big business, with some games drawing crowds that far surpass the NFL. The sport fosters feelings of culture, pride, and community for both current students and alumni.
Oddly enough, Dignity Health Sports Park is serving as the temporary home of San Diego State University football. As a “sister institution of SDSU,” Dominguez Hills has said it’s proud to host the Aztecs and their opponents from the Mountain West Conference, noting the games would bring the “tradition, pageantry, and excitement of NCAA Division I college football to Carson and the South Bay.”
The question is, if CSUDH can bring that sort of energy for Aztecs fans, why can’t the university make the same investment for the sake of the Toros faithful?
“Although I wasn’t the best, I would’ve loved the chance to play again in college or even go to a college game,” said junior computer science student Isaac Ramirez, who played football in high school. “Those always felt so unique and the energy was always there.”
Hitting the courts and the mats
Past the fieldhouse and the weight rooms are rows of tennis courts. For residents living around the Dominguez Hills campus community, these courts are great – the same can’t be said for the actual students on campus, unfortunately. The university does not sponsor a tennis or badminton team, despite the latter winning a NAIA National Championship in 1975.
Some Toros have expressed interest in a wrestling program, which could make use of the Torodome.
“In high school, wrestling was my passion,” said sophomore design student Arely Ayala.“I stopped focusing as much on that, but if I could play again while also being a student I wouldn’t miss that chance.”
A world of potential
The pool is in disrepair and not at all ready for competition. The pool deck is crumbling and cracking. If Toros Athletics ever decides to get its feet wet, the pool would need to be renovated to meet NCAA regulations.
This is just a sampling of what the university could do to stir up interest in other sports and the Toros Athletics brand.
Other sports that could add value to Toros Athletics include men’s track and field and women’s golf. There is already a successful women’s track team and a storied men’s golf team, so it only makes sense to start another team if there is interest.
CSUDH officials have gone on record as saying it wants to raise the profile of Toros Athletics. There’s a lot of potential to recruit more talent and raise revenue by developing the Toros brand, but that would require the university to invest in renovating some of its facilities. As the saying goes, “you have to spend money to make money” but right now, it seems Dominguez Hills is leaving a lot of it on the table.
