Menu
Opinion

Player sanctuaries become newest recruiting tool for colleges

When the Florida State Seminoles returned to Tallahassee following this year’s Peach Bowl, the team was welcomed home to a place they probably won’t want to leave any time soon.

During the end of the regular season and the first kickoff of the bowl game, Florida State completed the finishing touches on its dynamic new players lounge. This vibrant space features a host of modern amenities including leather seating, a garnet-and-gold pool table, arcade games and a place to grab healthy snacks such as fruit and protein bars.

For all the bells and whistles — in the Seminoles’ case PlayStations and pingpong tables — we should remember that we all create these special spaces in our own lives, too. How many of us have converted a bonus room into a home theater or finished a basement as a workspace for hobbies? Those of us with frequent-flyer miles may have escaped the commotion of the terminal behind the doors of a travelers lounge. Many of us have carved out a special place at our local coffee shop or hometown diner.

These are central places in our lives, our home away from home where we go to relax and recharge, connect with others, and feel a sense of belonging and community.

USC’s Women of Troy Players Lounge is one of few spaces that serves female athletes.
Photo by: ADVENT
If you’ve looked at the schedules of student athletes, you know that they need a place where they can set aside the concerns of school and practice, a sanctuary where they can gather to hang out and enjoy the camaraderie of teammates.

When collegiate athletic departments plan their building projects, they clearly describe each space and how it fits into the overall function of the facility. Practice fields, locker rooms, weight rooms and coaches offices all serve a well-defined function. But the players’ lounge serves a more intangible, but equally important, purpose. Student athletes are receiving a first-class educational experience, and they are competing at the highest level of athletic achievement. Shouldn’t athletic departments provide a top-notch venue for their overall happiness and well-being?
 
Alabama has arcade-style racing games, pinball machines and foosball tables. Auburn has a row of televisions attached to different gaming consoles. Clemson will soon unveil an entire players village that will feature miniature golf, sand volleyball courts, laser tag, and bowling lanes.

The players lounge concept isn’t limited to football programs or even the most high-profile athletic powerhouses.
USC’s Women of Troy Players Lounge — one of the few if not the only lounge that caters exclusively to female athletes — has bright colors and reclining seats. Creighton’s men’s basketball recently opened its Doug McDermott Player Lounge that includes a small kitchen, seven televisions and a pool table.

Florida State’s lounge gives players a place to unwind with video games and pingpong tables.
Photo by: ADVENT
“We feel this makes a statement that we feel our student-athletes and their welfare are important,” said Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen in an article in the Omaha World-Herald when the facility opened. “We want to recruit them, we want to retain them, we want to have a place where we can develop them, and we want to graduate them.”

There is no doubt that players lounges can have an important impact on recruiting. To the athlete, these lounges are one of the factors they consider when deciding which program they will join.

Moreover, the recruit’s family is asking, “How are you going to watch out for the welfare of my child?” This helps answer that question. These are spectacular places where the student athlete can study, grab a quick snack or nap, and build relationships with teammates.

Critics will point to the lavishness of some of these players lounges, and it’s true: Some of them are over the top. But ramping up a players lounge with amenities can also be sleight of hand. In general, all you really need is a big, comfortable space with durable furniture. The differentiator is what conveniences finish out the space, from team branding to video games to bowling lanes to technology.

Compared to the significant expense of a stadium expansion, state-of-the-art weight room or hydrotherapy facility, a players lounge is a bargain with a big return on investment, especially when considering the competitive world of athletic recruiting.

When student athletes or recruits see a players lounge, they see that the program has made them a priority by setting aside a place just for them — a place they can call their home away from home.

John Roberson (jroberson@adventresults.com) is CEO and Todd Austin (taustin@adventresults.com) is president of Advent, which completed work on the Florida State and USC projects.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2016/06/20/Opinion/From-the-Field-of-Sports-Facilities.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2016/06/20/Opinion/From-the-Field-of-Sports-Facilities.aspx

CLOSE