The LSU Locker Room Looks Like An Airplane

That's the exclusive DJ T 'Locker-Room Talk'-lounge.

Alexa, play Neck.

“Now maybe someone who understands professional sports better than me (aka everyone) can explain the logic for all of this, though?”

You unintentionally make a great point. This is college sports, not professional sports. So LSU can’t officially pay players despite the millions in revenue they generate. So instead of giving the players the money they deserve, they invest the money into vanity projects like this.

It's marketing. College football recruiting is very competitive and this will look sharp to high school kids coming in for recruiting visits. And yes the LSU football program generates $60 to $70 million a year in revenue.

Recruiting. Plain and simple.

They do get paid...via the preferential entry scheme ( although many, but not all, have the IQ of a small rock) and the fact that their academic performance is not subject the the usual rigour. It’s a quid pro quo.

As Anthony says, the college sports cartel prohibits players from receiving a fair portion of the revenue they generate, so top programs like LSU plow the millions of dollars in excess funds into all sorts of other things (not academics, of course).

As others have stated, the reason for super-fancy locker rooms is recruiting. Every big college football program (I've visited several) invests a disproportionate amount in making their locker rooms (both men's and women's) inviting.

Consider from a high-school junior's perspective: S/he may come from rather humble circumstances, but during a visit to Bigstate U. they are shown a beautiful locker with indirect lighting, a fresh smell and their name (temporarily, but looks permanently) attached. A video monitor overhead also shows their name and picture, and perhaps video of some big plays they've done and the sound of the crowd cheering. It's a very strong incentive.

So two questions:

1) When will this join the priority pass network?

2) When are you going to review it?

(Just kidding... well, mostly)

I’d kind of like to spend a night in the LSU locker room, and not in a weird way

Sorry, there's no way to un-weird that statement.

@ Ben L.: LSU and other programs do give some of the profits back to the academic side of the university. In 2015, the athetic department had transferred to the university an average of $8.7 million per year over the past five years. As of 2015, LSU was one of only seven athletic departments in the country that relied solely on self-generated revenue.

Welcome to the "Should NCAA D1 Athletes be paid?" argument Ben! I'm sure you won't regret opening this can of worms!

Also, this makes me chuckle, thinking back to my D3 lacrosse locker room in college, with wooden benches and metal lockers, probably more what you would have thought of. It was a big deal when they sprung for magnetic name tags my senior year. What a different world that was.

This is a prime example of the SEC arms race in recruiting wars. It’s all about wowing 17 year old athletes....

Yes, the athletes do get “paid” via receiving a $100k education (scholarships), that can increase their earning power over their entire lifetime.

As many before have said, this is about recruiting kids to play football, and since college athletes aren't paid, they use this as enticement.

LSU would never spend that kind of money on locker rooms for, say, the track and field team or the tennis team. Those sports do not produce revenue. SEC football, on the other hand, is a huge money-maker.

Geaux Tigers

As others have noted, it is for recruiting. Since you can't write checks you have to make a loud and shiny impression on the kids.

@Lucky:
Curling -- certainly something I never expected to see mentioned in your blog. So for the few of us here who do know what the sweeping game of curling is, please elaborate on your interest.

"The architects mention that the folding chairs resemble pods that are on luxury airplanes"...from CBSsports article writing on the new LSU locker room

Here is what the LSU library looks like for comparison: https://twitter.com/catcmckinney/status/1153131175470358528

Disgusting...

Students of college football indeed get PAID a lot through SCHOLARSHIPS.
There's no rule for limitation of scholarship so rich football programs pay students probably not less than minor leagues.

The assclown from another Points site would definitely take you up on the whole "spend the night in the LSU locker room" comment.

The LSU library has nothing to do with this. The new locker room was paid for entirely with private donations from football fans who specifically donated to that project. Are you mad that people want to support the football team? That's their individual choice, not the university's.

At least my college has fancy football locker rooms AND a gorgeous newly renovated library. Probably cause I went to an ACC school...

“My last time in a locker room was probably in middle school, ”
But you go to gym quite often.
?