BOONE, N.C. -- The coronavirus pandemic has caused some schools to make tough decisions about sports.

Appalachian State University has announced it will be canceling three sports teams this year; men's soccer, men's indoor and field, and men's tennis. The news has come as a shock to many who find it disappointing.

 

What You Need To Know

  • Appalachian State University had to make difficult budget cut decisions

  • Men's soccer, men's tennis, and men's indoor track and field have all been canceled

  • They are working to cut the budget by $5 million


Junior Zion Heaven from Hawaii says he was told the news through text and cannot understand why it has happened. Heaven says living so far from home was not easy and starting over somewhere won't be either.

Heaven feels people do not understand how much these teams mean to student athletes and how hard they have worked to keep them going.

"It's tough to feel like you’re getting kicked out of a home just because, as well as myself, my parents were falling in love with the place​," Heaven says.

Many alumni are also concerned with the cuts.

Virginia resident Randy Smith graduated in the 1970s and played on the school's first soccer team to win a state championship. Smith says the news is disappointing and leaves him feeling empty, like a piece of his life has disappeared.

He hopes the school brings back the sports in the next few years.