Agree...Most athletic programs (mens and womens), outside of a select few, do not make money.
So how does Bemidji or St Clown afford women's programs and UND does not? Playing/practicing in the REA is probably a big cost driver. Just turning on the lights in there on a game day is big bucks. Hiring people to run concessions and take tickets costs money. Hell, the Gofer women don't play at Mariucci, they play at a much smaller Ridder Arena. Bringing in Euro's to play versus local kids has to have more cost. There had to be some more economical options for this program but they were not deemed viable for one reason or another. Losing roughly $2 million per year on this one program was just too much for UND to swallow.