In The NIL Era, Colleges and Universities Are Stepping Up Their Sports Facilities Game

NIL policies have raised expectations among student-athletes about the quality of sports training and performing facilities, in ways that present new design, renovation, and construction opportunities for AEC firms with sports practices. Sean Plunket and Melvin Robinson discuss a variety of ways of recruiting, enticing, and retaining athletes.

Over the past decade, Robinson has watched college sports programs engage in a recruiting arms race, with their athletic facilities as weapons. “It started in the locker room: who has the best pool, the best barber shop? It has all been about flash and pop.” During this period, and especially over the past few years, he’s seen student-athletes evolve into “entrepreneurs,” which can add another layer of stress. College sports programming now includes health, wellness, and financial services to help their athletes handle the pressure.

Read the article in BD+C Network.