Since 1980, when Title IX led to the elimination of the sport, Colorado Buffaloes fans have wondered what Division I baseball could look like in Boulder.
While CU has a club baseball team that competes in the National Club Baseball Association, bringing Division I NCAA baseball to Boulder would be an entirely different investment and opportunity for Colorado.
And with college baseball’s continued financial growth, Fernando Lovo’s first year as athletic director, and Deion Sanders’ ties to the sport, the timing suddenly feels more realistic than ever.
Here are three reasons why Colorado should seriously consider bringing baseball back to Boulder.
1. Deion Sanders Gives Colorado Buffaloes a Unique Baseball Advantage
Early in his Colorado tenure, baseball in Boulder was something “Coach Prime” confidently predicted would happen.
“We’re going to command so much money for this university that we’re going to add a baseball team,” Sanders said during a 2023 interview.
While “Coach Prime” has his hands full leading Colorado football, it’s impossible to ignore the type of baseball credibility he would instantly bring to a baseball program in Boulder.
After all, Sanders played nine seasons in the MLB and remains the only athlete in sports history to play in both the Super Bowl and the World Series, playing with the Atlanta Braves in 1992. Despite the Braves losing the series to the Toronto Blue Jays, Sanders was a star in the series, batting an impressive 8-for-15 with five stolen bases.
Still, even if Sanders never received an official role within the program, his presence alone would immediately make Colorado one of the most talked-about brands in college baseball.
His star power could also act as a powerful recruiting magnet for players interested in capitalizing on NIL investments, which in today’s world of college athletics has become increasingly important for young athletes.
Sanders has already proven that Boulder can become a destination for athletes looking to elevate their brand. Most recently, “Coach Prime” and the Colorado athletic department helped former offensive tackle Jordan Seaton build one of the top NIL valuations in the country before he entered the transfer portal, but redshirt sophomore quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis, whose valuation is at a reported $1.1 million, is another example of the type of national attention and NIL visibility “Coach Prime” can help create.
With “Prime Time” in Boulder, it’s hard to imagine that top baseball recruits wouldn’t be intrigued by the same opportunity.
2. Fernando Lovo Could Be the Athletic Director to Make It Happen
If CU is ever going to seriously pursue bringing baseball to Boulder, they may finally have the perfect athletic director in place to make it happen.
Lovo is a young 37-year-old first-year athletic director who arrived in Boulder with a solid reputation for fundraising, generating revenue, and large-scale facility planning. While at the University of New Mexico, Lovo helped oversee the “Stadium of the Future” initiative, a major renovation project for the Lobos’ football stadium that cost more than $50 million.
That type of youth and experience is exactly what Colorado needs if they’re going to build a baseball program from near scratch.
College baseball is also growing rapidly. Attendance numbers continue to climb nationally, postseason television ratings are increasing, and NIL investment in baseball has become more and more aggressive over the past several years.
For an athletic director who’s looking for new revenue streams and additional ways to strengthen the university’s national brand, baseball could become a far more valuable investment than it may have seemed just a few years ago.
3. Boulder Feels Built for College Baseball
When it comes to atmosphere, Boulder already feels like a place where college baseball could thrive. Folsom Field has long provided one of college football’s most iconic settings, with the picturesque Flatirons towering in the background.
A baseball stadium tucked somewhere nearby could easily become one of the most visually appealing settings in college baseball, too. Just picture a cool spring evening in Boulder with the mountains peaking out over the outfield and the sky turning shades of orange and pink as the game stretches into the late innings.
For decades, Colorado fans have imagined what baseball in Boulder might look like again.
But with “Coach Prime” elevating Colorado’s national visibility, Fernando Lovo coming in with a reputation for big-program growth, and a college town that seems built for baseball, the conversation suddenly feels far more realistic than ever before.
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