half the school from an academic perspective? Sports matter.... A LOT!
Seniors in Southern California High Schools aren't looking at UCSD as option one two or three - they aren't. Half of them don't know the difference between USD and UCSD. Stanford, Berkeley, USC, UCLA, even UC Davis and SLO get more run from kids than UCSD.
Would BYU exist and prosper without sports - absolutely. Would it be the same - not a chance.