Buffalo Area Colleges Boost Spending on Sports Teams to Lure Students

Looking for high school athletes to build Daemen College’s new women’s tennis team took Stephen Beatty far beyond the college’s usual Western New York recruiting grounds.  The tennis coach dangled a partial scholarship offer to Hayle Scanlan – a high school sectional champion in Indianapolis.  More than ever, colleges are leaning on intercollegiate athletics to attract students like Scanlan. Colleges are spending more money than ever on sports, adding new teams, enhancing competition levels and trying to keep pace with rival athletics programs.