Which isn’t to say that athletes do not have an impact. Some schools have eliminated some sports as inconsistent with its mission. Take UChicago, for example, which once upon a time was a member of the Big10. It eliminated football. More recently, Haverford and Swarthmore eliminated their football programs as well. The admission of athletes does have an impact on the institution and the student body. It’s up to the school to decide whether that impact is desirable.