If you’ve ever taken a train out of Philadelphia, you may have seen Boathouse Row, a strip of 15 Victorian boathouses on the banks of the Schuylkill that look made of gingerbread. Those buildings and that river have been the center of rowing in the United States for generations.

Philly is a rowing town, as much today as it was back in the 1800s, when a dam calmed the Schuylkill’s waters, making it perfect for the sport and its delicate, tippy boats. Evidence of the sport’s long connection with the city includes the paintings of the American artist Thomas Eakins, who featured rowers on the Schuylkill in some of his most widely known work from the late 19th century.

Temple University is severing ties with that rich tradition. In a decision announced this month, less than 72 hours before final exams, university officials decided to cut the men’s and women’s crews and five other varsity sports, a move that affects more than 200 student-athletes. The savings for the university will be $3 million to $3.5 million a year, a small slice of the university’s $44 million athletics budget.

Gone, starting July 1, will be the men’s gymnastics team, which has the highest grade point average of all teams on campus and the 2013 senior male athlete of the year. The program started in 1926. Gone also will be baseball and men’s track and field (indoor and outdoor), along with women’s softball.