Students who wish to pursue higher education shouldn't even have to think about finances for that education, aside from maybe the travel and food expenses (although now with remote work/learning that also is going down)
However, university can be very cheap. Here in Sweden university education, which is here funded in the way proposed above (i.e. the government pays for it all, for those students who get in) costs the state less than high school education costs the state (72 000 SEK/a for university, 124 300 SEK/a for high school).
I imagine that it could be the same way in the US.
Quite few people play it anyway.
In the US? No we absolutely can't. College football is practically a religion. Its cultural importance cannot be overstated.
I don't care about it at all and never have but oh biy do other people ever. People's lives revolve around it.
Furthermore, surely there is no need for additional facilities; and surely they don't need to be fancy.