I get that a dozen or so kids will lose a scholly, but does it really matter for non-revenue sports at VT to compete against UCLA, Texas, UNC, or FSU instead of local colleges and universities?

The fans, or lack there of, have spoken about how important many VT sports are. If there's no fan support, then it's unjustifiable to sink millions of dollars into these programs. I get that students benefit by the discipline and competition of being athletes, but I fail to see why it makes a ton of difference for them to compete nationally or locally.

And as is the case with high school athletics, a handful of kids can advance to national level competitions near the end of their respective seasons.