Here's a thought for a select few college and university athletics departments out there: bring back single platoon, or limited substitution, football.
University athletic departments facing the difficult choice of having to either cut football, reduce the number of men's sports being offered, or continually add new women's sports in order to comply with Title IX may wish to consider banding together to form a 'single-platoon football conference.' Participating schools would be able to half, or nearly half, the size of their football teams, coaching, training and equipment staffs, travel expenses and so on. Those savings would reduce the disparity between dollars spent on male versus female sports and free up dollars for either retaining men's sports or adding women's sports without breaking the bank.
Single platoon football would likely also result in fewer injuries as the size difference between players would be reduced with players conditioned to play full games and to be equally effective on both offense and defense. Overall single platoon players would be smaller than their two platoon cousins, providing a spot for those 6'0", 205 lb 'tweeners that used to figure prominately in college football. As a result, social distance between football players and the student bodies'of participating colleges and universities might be reduced. (Also interesting to consider, single platoon players, compelled to learn at least one offensive and one defensive position, may end up with higher 'football IQ's' than two platoon players, who sometimes learn everything there is to know about their single, highly specialized, position, but precious little about any other.)
Anyway that's the thought. It may offer an option for colleges and universities who wish to field a football team while complying with Title IX and offering other men's and women's sports, all without breaking the bank. Next time on this blog - 'In defense of letting the players (not the coaches) call the plays.'