[chrisk]

The conference football/basketball TV rights bring in millions of dollars to each member institution each year, and that money subsidizes all other sports.  While individual sports might be fully endowed, the athletic department general operations is probably not, and they have not been shy about adding headcount and raising salaries over the last several years...we would need regular income to replace those D1 Power Five football dollars.

I don't think Stanford can survive as 35 strong or without D1 football revenue.  

Tradition matters as long as the core mission of the university matters.  These days, the university is a convenient tax shield attached to a football program.

Entertainment/consumption and the associated money are all that matter now :(

Regarding 35 varsity sports and D1 football revenue, Harvard fields 42 varsity teams. They are technically a D1 school with a football team, but I think you mean a top 60 football revenue producer.

If Stanford deemphasized football, it could still field all or most of the current teams but coaching and administrative salaries and staffing levles would take a big hit, particularly in football and basketball.
You would like see Tara retire, and Shaw and Haase leave when their current contracts are up, if not sooner.

Stanford in the newly downsized Pac-10 would still bring in much more revenue than Harvard, but it would have to shrink its budget

[chrisk]

The conference football/basketball TV rights bring in millions of dollars to each member institution each year, and that money subsidizes all other sports.  While individual sports might be fully endowed, the athletic department general operations is probably not, and they have not been shy about adding headcount and raising salaries over the last several years...we would need regular income to replace those D1 Power Five football dollars.

I don't think Stanford can survive as 35 strong or without D1 football revenue.  

Tradition matters as long as the core mission of the university matters.  These days, the university is a convenient tax shield attached to a football program.

Entertainment/consumption and the associated money are all that matter now :(

Regarding 35 varsity sports and D1 football revenue, Harvard fields 42 varsity teams. They are technically a D1 school with a football team, but I think you mean a top 60 football revenue producer.

If Stanford deemphasized football, it could still field all or most of the current teams but coaching and administrative salaries and staffing levles would take a big hit, particularly in football and basketball.
You would like see Tara retire, and Shaw and Haase leave when their current contracts are up, if not sooner.

Stanford in the newly downsized Pac-10 would still bring in much more revenue than Harvard, but it would have to shrink its budget