Shooter: Buzz about a remodel of Williams Arena could diminish now that the Gophers athletics department could end up having to budget some $22MM

[BleedGopher]

Per Shooter:

** Buzz about a remodel of Williams Arena could diminish now that the Gophers athletics department could end up having to budget some $22 million annually beginning next year to pay athletes via name, image and likeness deals.

Charley Walters: Signs point to this being make-or-break season for Vikings’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O’Connell

It would seem the Vikings would be more inclined to give O’Connell an extension than Adofo-Mensah.

www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Coyle had no room for blunders.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

Per Shooter:

** Buzz about a remodel of Williams Arena could diminish now that the Gophers athletics department could end up having to budget some $22 million annually beginning next year to pay athletes via name, image and likeness deals.

Charley Walters: Signs point to this being make-or-break season for Vikings’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Kevin O’Connell

It would seem the Vikings would be more inclined to give O’Connell an extension than Adofo-Mensah.

www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!

Go for NIL over extensive remodeling. The facilities are very good even if the arena is old style.

 

[bga1]

Go for NIL over extensive remodeling. The facilities are very good even if the arena is old style.

So..I guess that the reality is that the budget is pressed because they are directing donors to buy players instead of donating to the athletic department?

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

So..I guess that the reality is that the budget is pressed because they are directing donors to buy players instead of donating to the athletic department?

Sigh. I miss college basketball pre NIL

 

[disco]

I was just talking about the Barn with some friends today. We agreed that it's an iconic building that should be saved, but they're going to have to do something with it.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

I was just talking about the Barn with some friends today. We agreed that it's an iconic building that should be saved, but they're going to have to do something with it.

100p!

 

[SomeGopherFan]

This doesn't change the point of his comment with regards to Williams Arena, but the 22 million in payments starting next year are revenue sharing payments and not "NIL deals"...correct?

 

[Ron Johnson Super Fan]

Once they can directly pay players it’s probably cheaper and more effective to buy the talent than put hundreds of million into a facility and use it to recruit.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

I think this is what Shooter is getting at.

the $22-million in direct payments comes out of the Athletic Department budget. It is not NIL. so, if the U of MN wanted to fix up Williams, taking the $22-million off the top of the budget would make it more difficult to finance improvements to Williams.

unless they get state money for Williams (unlikely) or some donor decides to foot the bill (also unlikely), any improvements to Williams would - I assume - be financed like Athletes Village. the Athletic Department would take out a loan to pay for the project and repay the loan through fundraising and debt service.

reminder - the direct payments are a result of the anti-trust settlement. it is revenue sharing - as in the U will share some of its revenue with athletes as direct payments. so this is not NIL and it is not from fundraising. those are separate. but with fundraising, they're already hitting up donors to support NIL and to support scholarships & the Golden Gopher fund. If they also have to hit up donors to help fix up Williams, the donors are going to say "enough is enough!"

("where have you gone, T. Denny Sanford? A fanbase turns its lonely eyes to your checkbook......")

 

[bga1]

I think this is what Shooter is getting at.

the $22-million in direct payments comes out of the Athletic Department budget. It is not NIL. so, if the U of MN wanted to fix up Williams, taking the $22-million off the top of the budget would make it more difficult to finance improvements to Williams.

unless they get state money for Williams (unlikely) or some donor decides to foot the bill (also unlikely), any improvements to Williams would - I assume - be financed like Athletes Village. the Athletic Department would take out a loan to pay for the project and repay the loan through fundraising and debt service.

reminder - the direct payments are a result of the anti-trust settlement. it is revenue sharing - as in the U will share some of its revenue with athletes as direct payments. so this is not NIL and it is not from fundraising. those are separate. but with fundraising, they're already hitting up donors to support NIL and to support scholarships & the Golden Gopher fund. If they also have to hit up donors to help fix up Williams, the donors are going to say "enough is enough!"

("where have you gone, T. Denny Sanford? A fanbase turns its lonely eyes to your checkbook......")

He appears to have given 350 million to National University in California, but he might be done here.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

So..I guess that the reality is that the budget is pressed because they are directing donors to buy players instead of donating to the athletic department?

That's the current environment. Doesn't matter whether we like it. We have to play by what's needed currently.

So, I'll ask you: would you get more enjoyment from having a nicer arena or having better players?

 

[bga1]

That's the current environment. Doesn't matter whether we like it. We have to play by what's needed currently.

So, I'll ask you: would you get more enjoyment from having a nicer arena or having better players?

Better players! It has been my position from the start of NIL that the AD should tell donors to help buy players above all else. They were slow to do it. My post was a question- not a comment.

 

[BleedGopher]

This isn't an either or. We need better players and we need a renovation of The Barn. The $1-3MM we scrounge up a year to put a competitive team on the court isn't going to make a dent into the money Coyle needs to find to make The Barn a modern fan experience.

I hope we have the right leader in the AD office and the head of the basketball program to make both happen.

Go Gophers!!

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Coyle has as much wiggle room as BeNW.

 

[Bobek]

I love Williams Arena and have gone to games there since 1960. But I doubt they could do the engineering that would be required to enhance the fan experience. Narrows hallways and outdated locker rooms, too few restrooms, etc. Put the money into paying players now that it is legal to pay “amateurs”.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

Too bad our governor couldn’t have put up the cash when the state had that 18 BILLION DOLLAR surplus. So lame.

 

[disco]

I love Williams Arena and have gone to games there since 1960. But I doubt they could do the engineering that would be required to enhance the fan experience. Narrows hallways and outdated locker rooms, too few restrooms, etc. Put the money into paying players now that it is legal to pay “amateurs”.

I always say when this comes up - look at what Butler did with Hinkle Fieldhouse. It's so similar to the Barn, and they saved it and made it great. I'm not an architect or engineer, but it seems like a fairly similar situation.

I could see the state putting up some money for the Barn. Unlike the squabbles that always go on about sports facilities, the Barn is a historic building and that could matter.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Too bad our governor couldn’t have put up the cash when the state had that 18 BILLION DOLLAR surplus. So lame.

Governor can't act on his own. spending bills have to be passed by the legislature. and a DFL-controlled legislature was not going to take money away from its priority issues and give it to build a basketball arena. like it or not, this was not a sports-friendly legislature. they voted down sports gambling.

 

[gopherguy15]

Put the Barn renovation talk on the backburner until everything is completely figured out with the athlete budget. Most players now are taking money over winning a championship, so a renovated arena will be a drop in the bucket in their overall decision.

What a mess college basketball has become.

 

[GoodasGold]

I was just talking about the Barn with some friends today. We agreed that it's an iconic building that should be saved, but they're going to have to do something with it.

That’s right! Maybe put some Good players on the floor.

 

[howeda7]

I know it's not popular, but the Wolves will need a new arena within 10 years and they should share. Building two 10k + basketball arenas a few miles apart doesn't make much sense. They could perhaps still play some non-conference games in the Barn.

 

[Hates Monikers]

I know it's not popular, but the Wolves will need a new arena within 10 years and they should share. Building two 10k + basketball arenas a few miles apart doesn't make much sense. They could perhaps still play some non-conference games in the Barn.

They might both want 10k + stadiums, but the Wolves would want 18,000 and the Gophers would want 10,001, if not less. The Gophers are already playing in a half-full arena; at least the Barn is theirs.

 

[howeda7]

They might both want 10k + stadiums, but the Wolves would want 18,000 and the Gophers would want 10,001, if not less. The Gophers are already playing in a half-full arena; at least the Barn is theirs.

I get that. But they're never going to have the $$ to privately fund it 100% and getting the state/city to do two of them at basically the same time is a lift. At best I could see an on-campus gym of 8K or so that both the men/women use and then play select games at the Wolves arena.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

Governor can't act on his own. spending bills have to be passed by the legislature. and a DFL-controlled legislature was not going to take money away from its priority issues and give it to build a basketball arena. like it or not, this was not a sports-friendly legislature. they voted down sports gambling.

Yes I agree. Just too bad it could not happen. Perfect one time expenditure

 

[Holy Man]

Governor can't act on his own. spending bills have to be passed by the legislature. and a DFL-controlled legislature was not going to take money away from its priority issues and give it to build a basketball arena. like it or not, this was not a sports-friendly legislature. they voted down sports gambling.

There are reasons other than sports to oppose gambling on sports. Lots of people who like sports, including legislators I would think, support sports and not gambling.

 

[Ope3]

They might both want 10k + stadiums, but the Wolves would want 18,000 and the Gophers would want 10,001, if not less. The Gophers are already playing in a half-full arena; at least the Barn is theirs.

That's exactly what they did in Austin. Same building, able to be downsized for Longhorns games (not just putting a curtain up).

 

[60's Guy]

That's exactly what they did in Austin. Same building, able to be downsized for Longhorns games (not just putting a curtain up).

Not quite apples to apples. They can seat 15,000 for concerts but not more than 10,000 for basketball.

 

[Ope3]

View attachment 32888
Not quite apples to apples. They can seat 15,000 for concerts but not more than 10,000 for basketball.

It actually is apples to apples.

When the San Antonio Spurs play at Moody, capacity is 16,000+. Not quite the 18,000 that "Hates Monikers" surmised, but in the ballpark and is probably right sized for pro sports (presuming it has the necessary suites/club seating).

Box Score link to when they hosted the Nuggets in Austin this past season. Attendance = 16,223.

Nuggets vs Spurs, March 15, 2024 | Basketball-Reference.com

DEN (117) vs SAS (106). Get the box score, shot charts and play by play summary of the Nuggets vs Spurs, March 15, 2024.

www.basketball-reference.com

 

[60's Guy]

It actually is apples to apples.

When the San Antonio Spurs play at Moody, capacity is 16,000+. Not quite the 18,000 that "Hates Monikers" surmised, but in the ballpark and is probably right sized for pro sports (presuming it has the necessary suites/club seating).

Box Score link to when they hosted the Nuggets in Austin this past season. Attendance = 16,223.

Nuggets vs Spurs, March 15, 2024 | Basketball-Reference.com

DEN (117) vs SAS (106). Get the box score, shot charts and play by play summary of the Nuggets vs Spurs, March 15, 2024.

www.basketball-reference.com

Ya, my bad, you are 100% correct. I'm in Minnesota and have not been to the Moody Center.
I just have read a lot about it (thinking it would be a nice model for the Gophers) and posted the Texas basketball capicity (10,000) which I remembered as a much smaller number than 16 or 18 thousand. The concert capacity...take out the court and sell floor seats to achieve those higher numbers.

So, I'm very curious how they increase the capacity that dramatically for the Spurs? They must close off seating for the Longhorns? Or what explains where these Spurs seats come from?