Times are Changing & We Will Adapt
Many of us are wondering, “What has changed so much in college rowing and college sports?” Why does the program we love, the program that taught all of us incredible life lessons, and gave us our closest friends, need such an increased level of support?
The bottom line: the Wisconsin tradition of relying primarily on walk-ons and turning them into national champions isn’t going to work anymore. Walk-ons will always be part of our program, but we have to adapt to the current reality if we want to stay competitive.
It’s hard to imagine that the collegiate rowing world has changed that much, but it has. Keep reading for an overview of the three facts of life that have fundamentally changed our sport.
1. The Global Arms Race: Starting in the early 1990s, with recruits like Xeno Mueller at Brown, the shift to international athletes started. At that point, however, these athletes were “ringers”–hardly the norm. By the mid 2000s, 25-30% of the top IRA program rosters were international. At the 2025 IRA Championship, 85% of the rowers in the A Final at the IRA were international athletes and at programs like Yale, Cal, and Washington 60% of the ENTIRE rosters are international athletes. Making these programs incredibly deep with very experienced athletes. These athletes come in as nearly “finished products”–they know how to row, have international racing experience, and are sure bets, unlike novices.
2. The House Ruling and Professionalization of College Athletics: Following the “House” settlement (June 2025), Wisconsin—like all Big Ten schools—decided to participate in a new revenue sharing agreement and make direct payments to athletes (this is separate from NIL). That’s correct, the Wisconsin Athletic Department now pays athletes directly. An additional important fact is that The Wisconsin Athletic Department is one of the few programs in the Power Four to be self-funded, meaning, the athletic department took no money from the University to fund all the varsity teams at the school. This was made possible by the profit generated by the football and basketball programs. Now, the Athletic Department will be spending $20.5 million to pay athletes. This amounts to a $20M budget cut to the Athletic Department which is forcing them to reduce funding for non-revenue sports.
Great video that explains the House settlement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFbf2hd-BsM
3. The New NCAA Roster Caps: As part of the House settlement, NCAA teams can offer unlimited scholarships to athletes but must cap roster sizes. With this change the Wisconsin Athletic Department put a cap on a few sports not formally governed by the NCAA, including Men’s Rowing. That roster cap is 40, which severely limits our ability to turn walk ons into National Champions. Now we need a much higher percentage of athletes to be impactful from Day 1, while still finding a way to cultivate our developmental (walk-on) talent.
4. What this means for the program: Badger crews are no longer operating on a level playing field and we must act now to preserve the legacy of the program for future generations. And that’s where you can help.
We are BADGERS.
We don’t give up, we don’t let a tough situation dictate our success. We adapt. We scrap. We find a way to win.
The Stewards was formed to help coach Beau fund and execute his plan to get Badgers back on the podium at the IRA – Project 2030.
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Wisco Rowing
Wisconsin Rowing’s strength has always come from its people—oars in the water, pulling as one. As we look to the future, your involvement is more important than ever. Whether through financial support or lending your time and talent, there are meaningful ways for every alum to contribute to the continued success of the program.
