The minor league farm system in baseball was pioneered by Branch Rickey when he was with the Cardinals, and further expanded when he moved to the Dodgers. Everyone else hated it, and MLB tried to stop him multiple times. But eventually the Yankees adopted it too and then there was no stopping it.

Could a single team in other sports go against all the rest in modern times? I highly doubt it.

PS - Rickey was passionate about collegiate sports and the role they played on campuses.