How NCAA settlement could impact new sports facilities for Georgia and the SEC

Nearly $179 million in major facility upgrades to athletic venues are slated to be completed at the University of Georgia over the next eight months.

UGA athletic director Josh Brooks is glad that the majority of that construction is done as athletic departments assess how nearly $2.8 billon in NCAA proposed settlements in three antitrust cases with past and current athletes and additional future payments to athletes will affect their bottom lines going forward.

“That’s been a very common statement from a lot of athletic departments that the days of building, building, building are going to slow down,” Brooks said. “I do anticipate that as revenues get shifted, that’s a good possibility. That’s why I’m glad we were able to get so much done these last few years to get us caught up to where we’re in a great position facility-wise. I do anticipate that the era of building will slow down.”

By the end of the summer, $68.5 million in upgrades will be complete at Sanford Stadium. By next season, $45 million will be spent on baseball’s Foley Field and $38.5 million on Jack Turner Stadium for softball. New $26.7 million indoor tennis courts opened this spring.

Already approved, with a completion date by spring 2026, is a new track and field complex that will cost another $59.8 million.

SEC presidents and athletic directors discussed last month in Destin how to adjust for an expense category of some $20 million annually starting in fall 2025. That money will be a revenue distribution to athletes as part of the settlement.

“Business as usual is over,” Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts said. “This is a new model. … ‘Hoping that we can somehow find creative ways around it and just maintain the status quo,’ is not going to be the answer. It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be challenging and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa-settlement-could-impact-sports-080204511.html

Author : Athens Banner-Herald

Publish date : 2024-06-13 08:02:04

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