cause a downward spiral of lost games and ever declining game crowds. The school and fans will not sustain (i.e. support) a program that loses lots of games in a half empty stadium. It means that BYU’s football days are numbered.
It is like sustaining a church leader (or not). If you don’t go to church, you are not sustaining your Bishop. A family ward in Utah with less than 100 active members is going to get swallowed up by another ward.