We don't have a passion issue at the University of Alaska.
We have a revenue issue. The supporters of UA Intercollegiate athletics  have offered no monetary solutions to raise the 14 million dollars to save their pet program. 
If your want to see UA intercollegiate athletics continue get the 140,000 fans to donate 27 cents a day ($100 a year per fan equates to 14 million dollars.)
or 
Start a pay to play program. If the college experince of playing intercollegiate athletics is so valuable it should be worth the $20,000 per athletic yearly cost to parpicipate. Fans could sponsor athletes also.
or
move to club teams like UA women's hockey and the APU ski team-which produces more Olympians than the whole UA system.

Student debt note-UA athletics is mostly paid for through State appropiations, mandated student fees, and scalping student tuition. Should we put students in college debt for a college experince they don't attend in mass?