There was a time, not that long ago, when the University of Minnesota was deciding between building a brand new on-campus basketball arena or a massive renovation project for the nearly 96-year-old Williams Arena or “The Barn”.
In the end, U of M officials unofficially decided on a renovation, which made sense. Half the fanbase preferred the authenticity and history built into The Barn, anyway. So, from a financial standpoint, why spend all that extra money building a new state of the art arena?
Williams Arena renovation project dead?
But according to Charley Walters (Pioneer Press), those renovation dreams may very well be going on hold too. On Sunday, the longtime local insider wrote in his bi-weekly column that “buzz about a remodel could diminish” now that the Minnesota Gophers athletic department has to “budget some $22 million annually” to pay football players, starting in 2025.
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 – Pioneer Press
University of Minnesota shifts blame to new “NIL payments” for football players
Of course, the U of M paying their football players isn’t really “name, image and likeness”. It’s pay for play and everybody knows it. But that’s an “employee” vs “student athlete” verbiage conversation for another article.
Walters’ reporting isn’t incorrect. These payments that the University has to budget for will technically fall under the “NIL” umbrella of college athletics, but that’s an umbrella that apparently fits everything, these days.
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“U of M Fieldhouse”, was the name of The Barn from 1927 to 1948. In 1948, the building got its first major renovation, which included a new roof and the official name of Williams Arena, which it still holds today. Since, The Barn has gone through a few other reno projects. Most recently, it got a new floor in 2022 and new seats in 2018.
