@mom2collegekids: “Many are fielding athletic teams that are big money losers to the tune of millions of dollars every year (im not talking about big Div 1 schools that have successful football teams that are funding the schools’ entire athletic programs)”
The schools that do that (this would include the Ivies and NESCAC schools, BTW) are those who can afford to do that. Also, you have to be aware of what is an accounting loss/gain and what is a business loss/gain. For instance, a sport may be considered a money loser by accounting measures (costs greater than profits for the sport) but actually be a business moneymaker (by bringing in students who otherwise would not be at that school and are paying above marginal costs, so paying for the fixed costs and balancing the books at a DivIII school).