Eh. I paid for my tickets every year. As for OOS students, they are like 70% of the student body now. Football is a huge recruiting tool for regular students too, and they become fans and dedicated Alumni. In general.
According to the University's data, about 58% of the student body is from someplace other than Alabama, including out of state and foreign countries.
Quick Facts | The University of Alabama
And we don't have the stuff we do, in no way limited to athletics, without them.
It costs the same to educate students regardless of where they're from. But Alabama residents pay about $11K a year in tuition, whereas non-Alabama residents pay about $33K.
Obviously, the full cost of attendance is a lot more than that. But room, board, other fees and books are the same whether you reside in Alabama or on the moon. The difference is that about 58% of the student body pays an additional $22K a year.
Education is a high fixed cost / low marginal cost proposition. IOW, it costs several boatloads of money to have the buildings, faculty, staff, libraries, labs, etc., etc., etc. That's the high fixed cost. But it doesn't cost much at all to send one more student through the system. That's the low marginal cost.
The key to economic success in such a business model is top line revenue -- and OOS and foreign students pay 3x as much tuition. We need those guys to sustain what we have, in no way limited to the athletic programs.