Since July 1, 2021, student-athletes in most states have had the right to control the use of their names, images, and likenesses (NIL) for marketing and publicity purposes, and be compensated for that usage while maintaining their amateur status to continue playing for their college teams.
This change has led colleges and universities to strike NIL deals with businesses and advertisers, through which individual athletes can negotiate. Booster groups, like alumni associations, have also formed NIL Collectives that raise money from NIL agreements that is made available to students in exchange for using their persona. Sweeter deals can motivate student-athletes to transfer, which complicates teams’ recruiting and roster-building objectives.
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.
“Schools’ facilities need to be more competitive, and find revenue-generating solutions,” says Sean Plunkett, Managing Principal with PBK Sports, a division of PRK Architects, which has pursued this avenue for higher ed business. He’s seeing more modifications to campus sports venues that create different experiences, such as pay tiers for seating, tailgating, and food and beverage.
On August 22, BD+C interviewed Plunkett and Melvin Robinson, who had recently joined PBK Sports as National Director of Sports Client Engagement. Robinson’s resume includes nearly 15 years with the University of Georgia Athletic Association, with stints as Director of Facilities and Assistant Athletic Director. They had just met with the coaches and staff of a major Big Ten state university, “where football matters,” says Plunkett.
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.
Student-athletes, he says, have come to expect training facilities to resemble mini versions of ESPN. “You need digital spaces, technology, studios. Hollywood meets higher ed,” Robinson quips. And because college sports, especially football and basketball, are ubiquitous on TV and online platforms, their facilities often define the school’s image for student-athletes and their parents.
“The facilities are a big part of recruiting, enticing, and retaining athletes,” says Robinson.
The cost of new construction or renovation usually isn’t an impediment, says Plunkett, who notes that financing typically comes from ticket sales, donors, and vendors. To help its clients fill gaps in financing, PBK suggests things like seating values, and offering diverse fan experiences both inside and outside the stadium or arena.
Robinson observes that professional sports teams are generally more attentive to the comfort and convenience of their fans, whereas colleges are all about the players. However, pros’ training facilities are catching up. “NIL is leveling the playing field,“ says Robinson.
Related Stories
| Dec 13, 2013
Safe and sound: 10 solutions for fire and life safety
From a dual fire-CO detector to an aspiration-sensing fire alarm, BD+C editors present a roundup of new fire and life safety products and technologies.Â
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 9, 2013
Tips for designing higher education's newest building type: the learning commons
In this era of scaled-down budgets, maximized efficiencies, new learning methods and social media’s domination of face time, college and university campuses are gravitating toward a new space type: the learning commons.
| Dec 4, 2013
First look: Dubai's winning bid for World Expo 2020 [slideshow]
Dubai has been chosen as the site of the 2020 World Expo. HOK led the design team that developed the master plan for the Expo, which is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors from October 2020 through April 2021.
| Dec 3, 2013
Historic Daytona International Speedway undergoing $400 million facelift
The Daytona International Speedway is zooming ahead on the largest renovation in the Florida venue’s 54-year history. Improvements include five redesigned guest entrances, an extended grandstand with 101,000 new seats, and more than 60 new trackside suites for corporate entertaining.
| Nov 27, 2013
Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope
BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina.Â
| Nov 26, 2013
Video: Zaha Hadid's stadium for Qatar 2022 World Cup
Zaha Hadid Architects, in conjunction with AECOM, has released renderings for a major stadium being designed for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup--an event that will involve up to nine stadiums.
| Nov 26, 2013
Construction costs rise for 22nd straight month in November
Construction costs in North America rose for the 22nd consecutive month in November as labor costs continued to increase, amid growing industry concern over the tight availability of skilled workers.
| Nov 25, 2013
Building Teams need to help owners avoid 'operational stray'
"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s MEP systems don’t work the way they should. Even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the way.
| Nov 19, 2013
Top 10 green building products for 2014
Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and SchĂĽco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list.Â