People are pre-supposing that the athletic program simply couldn’t support itself with zero actual figures to back this.

If your contention is that it was simply cost prohibitive, show me something please.

It’s a fair point that the church is trying to provide affordable education to its members. I think that’s important and respect it. I also think there’s a tremendous cost to withdrawing in ways that hardly anyone from the society at large, to whom we are trying to reach out and attract, does. Sure we save money. But we cheapen and make weirder the whole college experience in the process.

I may yet have a kid or two elect to go to BYUI, although I will personally be pushing a couple state schools and actual BYU (for one of them, who has the grades) instead. There are benefits to BYUI, not the least of which are the very reasonable price tag and the high likelihood of a positive social experience for an LDS kid. Many of my immediate and extended family have gone there, enjoyed it and succeeded in school and afterwards.

For me, an education at an LDS school that killed its own athletic program is just too insular, and it’s a hard pass.