I have never ever been for paying players, but these kinds of "upgrades" are making me rethink my position.
Why isn't this money being put towards the school's non revenue sports? I'm sure the softball team has nothing close to "sleeping pods"
wait, do you think the money for all these crazy locker room renovations comes from the athletic department budgets? That it is a matter of the AD choosing whether to upgrade football or softball locker rooms?
The money for allllllll this kind of thing is fundraised and provided by boosters. Like it or not, football amenities is an arms race in the ever competitive elite recruiting game. Like it or not, wealthy alumnae at these football factory schools care a lot about football and are willing to cut checks. They aren't going to cut checks (or, more accurately, not as many of them and for not as much) for softball renovations.
I think seeing locker rooms with these bells and whistles is ridiculous and not how I would use my money. But every time one of these locker rooms is unveiled there is gnashing of teeth over why this money isn't used for __________. People don't seem to understand that it isn't so much a matter of department resource allocation, but a matter of rich people using their money in a way most of us wouldn't. It's their money and they can use it as they wish. It is perfectly logical in a hyper competitive recruiting environment you'd do anything you could to attract the best recruits, and if rich people are willing to throw money at it, souped up locker rooms are an entirely predictable and rational result, even if it is absurd in the greater scheme of things.
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