Out of the way dusty gravel, TV trucks and pancaked beer cans: Williams-Brice Stadium ain’t going to be that kind of girl anymore. $14.5 million of beauty-scaping around the stadium has been approved by USC’s board of trustees, along with several other projects that will be completed in the years to come. We’re still holding out for a themed restaurant, perhaps a chicken wings joint, but these renovations to the ground’s flora and concrete expanse sure sound like a good start.
An entire plaza will be constructed surrounding the stadium in hopes of reducing crowds, which is architecture jargon for making the place look nicer. For the record, it actually should reduce crowding, unless the beautiful greenery that will soon surround the stadium distracts ticket holders. The plans also hope to improve visitor safety by replacing all asphalt surfaces with landscaped lawns, a thoughtful touch for those who over prepared for the day’s festivities. Other additions include access driveways, a pedestrian walkway and a perimeter sidewalk complete with fencing and site lighting for night games.
It gets better: a corner of the plaza will be dedicated to statues to immortalize Gamecock legends. We’re positive Spurrier will find himself there one day, but still on the fence about Stephen Garcia. Don’t think USC forgot about merchandising opportunities, either. The ETV building at 1101 George Rogers Blvd. will be demolished in place of a 12,000 sq. ft. building for ticketing, event staff check-in, police command operations, and of course, game day merchandise.
Sounds nice, but is it $14.5 million nice? It is when you realize a sprawling 1,200 sq. ft. restroom building will be built along the east side of the stadium. There’s nothing worse than getting up and into the fray of the restroom rat race in the middle of a tight game only to return to your seat after missing a pivotal play. Those dog days will be over soon enough.
All these additions sound mighty nice, but of course they come with the aforementioned price tag. $14.5 million is more than enough money to make non-football fans nervous, but rest assured it’s coming from $11.8 million in athletic revenue bonds, which include ticket sales and broadcast fees. The $2.7 million to round it out comes from donations and gifts. Rest assured disciplines of pedagogy, sports is paying for their citadel’s renovations.
It’s a lot of money, and a lot of renovations; none of which seem to generate revenue. However, the stadium as it stands is rather crummy and in need of a good do-over. From the inside, Williams-Brice is incredible. We can’t say the same about the outside. The renovations will change this. It’s a large investment, and naturally many are hesitant about it.
We like the initiative and absolutely agree that the stadium could use some aesthetic improvements. It’s awhile away, but once the projects are completed and we get a beautiful aerial shot of Williams-Brice from an inevitable fall night game, there won’t be too many people left unconvinced.