LSU's new locker room

[Cusesky8214]

 

[dollarbill44]

Do people say that? I've seen arguments against paying players, but that's not one I've seen, at least for P5 schools. It's probably legit for a lot of those outside the P5.

One of the comments below the article was, "It's amazing what you can do when you don't have to pay your players."
I thought it was pretty laughable that an LSU fan was insinuating that their competitors resort to paying their athletes while LSU doesn't, thus allowing for extravagances like this.

 

[CuseCactus]

Wow. What's next in the arms race? Perhaps each player gets his own personalized throne? Maybe the all-in-one recliner/sh**ter like in Idiocracy?

 

[cuse10]

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"

Let the softball team raise the money. None of this is used with athletic department money. Like Clemson, Oregon, Alabama, Ok State, etc, LSU has boosters who like spending their money on this stuff.

 

[Orijinal]

Well, I will retract my thoughts somewhat in light of the fact that these "renovations" were not paid by the athletic department, but by a private booster. But honestly ...this is what you spend $28 million dollars of your personal bank account on? What?

God, please make me a billionaire ...

 

[corpjet]

This is getting crazy but lets be honest are locker room is sub par

Is this the determining factor when recruiting a player?? No Does it help?? Heck Yea

Regardless of what people say we are building this program from the depth of death GROB placed us in.

Will we ever have a locker room this nice? Probably not but as long as we keep the trajectory and Dino at the helm we will have much improved everything!

 

[Orangejet]

If only LSU can ever beat Alabama.

 

[Scooch]

Complete waste of money. The boosters that foot the bill for that should funnel their money into buying recruits. That'll work for a few years before the NCAA catches on, and they might win a title or two in the meantime. Then the NCAA will dole out some half-assed "punishment" and LSU will be better off on the whole.

It pays to cheat, there has literally been studies on it. If you're going to spend money extravagantly, do it optimally.

 

[OrangeTarheel]

I’m confused by the sleep pods. When will players use them?

The place looks like an upscale arcade or Chuckie Cheese, it’ll be outdated in five years. They still won’t have played in a national championship game.

 

[kcsu]

Wow. What's next in the arms race? Perhaps each player gets his own personalized throne? Maybe the all-in-one recliner/sh**ter like in Idiocracy?

I dont see the poles. Are they gold or purple?

 

[Cheriehoop]

Let the softball team raise the money. None of this is used with athletic department money. Like Clemson, Oregon, Alabama, Ok State, etc, LSU has boosters who like spending their money on this stuff.

Well when allocating athletic department money I sure would take into account the booster money spent on a specific program when dispersing funds for the other programs. I’d consider it money that the athletic department didn’t have to spend for that sport. If some rich person gave me money for a phenomenal kitchen, that would leave me more of my own money to upgrade other parts of my house.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Looks like UNC renovated their locker room too. Another casino game room. But why the players picture over the locker? Is it if they can't read?

 

[ForCuseSake]

Looks like UNC renovated their locker room too. Another casino game room. But why the players picture over the locker? Is it if they can't read?

I thought that was a limo bus for a bachelor/bachelorette party rather than a locker room.

Maybe the player pics are to show who's next up on the runway?

 

[Townie72]

Well when allocating athletic department money I sure would take into account the booster money spent on a specific program when dispersing funds for the other programs. I’d consider it money that the athletic department didn’t have to spend for that sport. If some rich person gave me money for a phenomenal kitchen, that would leave me more of my own money to upgrade other parts of my house.

That approach would certainly be a huge disincentive for the donor, I think.

It's the University saying, "If you give us a donation for the football program, we will divert money we would have spent on the football program to other sports or other programs."

So what the person's donation ends up being is not for the purpose they intended, but rather it benefits programs they don't care about as much as they care about football.

I'm not sure this approach would work.

 

[orange79]

Looks like UNC renovated their locker room too. Another casino game room. But why the players picture over the locker? Is it if they can't read?

"It turned out beautiful."

Obviously written by someone who took the same UNC courses as the athletes.

 

[CUTater]

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"

I only know Clemson, but here, the donors who pay for these mega projects only give it on condition that it's earmarked for this particular project. It's usually an independent fundraising venture that's separate from our annual pledges which fund all sports throughout the year.

 

[sufandu]

That approach would certainly be a huge disincentive for the donor, I think.

It's the University saying, "If you give us a donation for the football program, we will divert money we would have spent on the football program to other sports or other programs."

So what the person's donation ends up being is not for the purpose they intended, but rather it benefits programs they don't care about as much as they care about football.

I'm not sure this approach would work.

Do they know how funds outside of their donations are being spent?

 

[Townie72]

Do they know how funds outside of their donations are being spent?

If a university were to engage in this little funding/donation "shell game", it would probably get back to the donors some how.

It's probably a good practice to be honest with your major contributors. If you found out that your major donation to Football had ended up primarily benefiting softball or vice-versa, how would you feel about that?

These people aren't stupid and university athletic departments are leaky as sieves when it comes to keeping secrets. Revenue and spending are reported to the NCAA, I believe.

 

[javadoc]

In this round of the facilities arms race, we have dedicated sleeping pods

LOOK: LSU's new locker room includes dedicated sleeping pods for players

I'm all for stadium improvements, and capital improvements that the players and fans can both enjoy. And now I'll get out my 3x5 index card I keep handy for moments like this: what a stupid waste of money. I don't want Syracuse to do something ludicrous like this. Arms race be damned.

 

[Townie72]

I'm all for stadium improvements, and capital improvements that the players and fans can both enjoy. And now I'll get out my 3x5 index card I keep handy for moments like this: what a stupid waste of money. I don't want Syracuse to do something ludicrous like this. Arms race be damned.

When it comes to over-the-top expenditures made by universities to stay "competitive" this is definitely small beer.

For the last decade, if not longer, Universities have been on a spending spree adding amenities like student unions, fitness centers, upgraded dorms needed to compete for students (but which have little to do with Education). These opulent new facilities drive up tuition costs.

But if students make their attendance decision based on these things, the University pretty much has to join the arms race.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Maybe some of these over the top amenities for students aren’t only to attract students but to start a competitive amenity race started by those whose larger revenues have to be spent over time to even stay a non profit, otherwise that profit will be taxed.

 

[GoSU96]

People shouldn't get what the Dome locker room looks like compared to what LSU has done. Those pictures are from their football facility, not the stadium.

SU's locker room at the IPF is much better than the dome one.

 

[Townie72]

Maybe some of these over the top amenities for students aren’t only to attract students but to start a competitive amenity race started by those whose larger revenues have to be spent over time to even stay a non profit, otherwise that profit will be taxed.

No offense, but Universities are Federal Tax Exempt. They will not pay Federal taxes whether or not their revenues exceed expenditures in any year. It just doesn't work the way you appear to think it does.

There are separate organizational entities under the control of university that are taxed. But not the Education part of the University and this includes Athletics. An example of revenue not associated with the Educational mission might be Public Parking lots or rental income from property.

 

[cuse10]

Well when allocating athletic department money I sure would take into account the booster money spent on a specific program when dispersing funds for the other programs. I’d consider it money that the athletic department didn’t have to spend for that sport. If some rich person gave me money for a phenomenal kitchen, that would leave me more of my own money to upgrade other parts of my house.

That's not how it works and that's how you lose donors. That's like me giving $1M to the History department only to find out that someone at Maxwell gave 500K of it to Sociology. I'd be livid and they would never get another check from me.

 

[orangecuse]

That's not how it works and that's how you lose donors. That's like me giving $1M to the History department only to find out that someone at Maxwell gave 500K of it to Sociology. I'd be livid and they would never get another check from me.

I don't think that's what Townie is implying. But that in your example, the History department, because of your $1M donation, now doesn't spend any more of the general funds it otherwise would've without your donation, and places it elsewhere...Sociology as you allude.