Note that those aren't independent; John Calipari may be returning $20 million / year to his school, but if the other schools are running losses, that money is in a very real sense taken from them rather than being value creation. If the other schools cut their money-losing sports programs, John Calipari's successful, profitable program would suddenly be an unsuccessful money-loser for lack of audience interest.

Do you have any evidence this is true? It doesn’t sound obviously true to me.

That what is true? The claim I made was "if there is only one school participating in the college football system, nobody will care about that system". But that is so obviously true that I imagine you must have thought I said something else?

You claimed that other schools are running losses while one reaps all the profits. I don't think it is true that there are only a couple winners and a bunch of losers broadly speaking many programs bring in a surplus of money.

Take another look at the author of the comments you're talking about.

That would be incorrect. The “major” programs (men’s division 1 football and basketball) are almost always to be found carrying the rest of the athletic program for men and women. At very small schools it is possible that the programs are a loss, but the major sports will be closer to break-even than any others.

Indeed: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/sports/dropping-football-...