Sturgis 1 Brieanna Sturgis Instructor Lara Smith-Sitton English 1101 4 November 2012 Georgia State Athletics and its

Master Plan The Georgia State Athletics Master Facilities Plan is a blueprint for success and growth for GSU athletics that will allow the Panthers to compete at the highest level, is listed as the purpose of this multimillion dollar, expansion plan for Georgia State Athletics. As Georgia State Universitys enrollment rise due to the affordable tuition of the public college, the number of Panther fans is also on the rise. The renovation of Georgia State current Sports Arena and the construction of other Panther sporting facilities would be great way to accommodate the growing number. The big question is who has millions of dollars to spare towards the plan? Even if the money was already available, as I grow more familiar with Atlantas downtown area I wonder where exactly will more land come from. Although, I find it interesting that the athletic department wants to build and expand but with the recession our country is currently facing and the scarcity of land in the downtown area it is going to be hard to fully put this plan into action. The eighty million dollar plan was released by Georgia State Sports Communications on May 31, 2012. Georgia State Athletics Master Plan includes the construction of baseball, softball and soccer complexes along with providing a new home for Panther volleyball which includes a new volleyball arena and sand volleyball courts. In addition to the new facilities, the plan involves the restoration of Georgia States current Sports Arena. The expansion includes: new

Sturgis 2 ticket booth, walk of fame, hall of fame, team store, premium suites, media area, PAC (Panther Athletic Club) lounge, additional fixed seating, and a host of other expensive enhancements. The athletic department is currently taking private donations in order to sponsor the plan. The Georgia State Sports Arena was first built in 1972 to serve as a place for physical education classes and recreation center for students. On March 10 of the following year, mens basketball was the first Panther sporting team to play in the arena. Two years later, it also became the home for the womens basketball and volleyball teams. Since its first construction, the arena has had a few minor improvements during the span of 2002 to 2005. These improvements consist of a new playing floor, score board, video board, refurbished locker rooms and repainting the walls. There did not seem to be any other reports of enhancements besides the apparent daily up keeping of the arena. However with technology advancing at an alarming rate, I noticed when I attended the first mens basketball game that the arena was a bit out-of-date. Just at a glimpse of the video feed on the video you are able to spot each pixel the board has to offer. There also did not appear to be that much seating for it to be a college sports arena. The best student seating was practically gone when first arrived just a few minutes before the game was scheduled to take place. Both problems will be taken care of as a part of the Master Plan. Regardless of faults the sports arena has, I am sure that the athletic department and I are not the only ones who would love to see athletics grow and prosper in the diversity university. In the end the plans cannot be executed without the proper funding. The whole private donations to accumulate the funding idea are just unrealistic with the deteriorating state the economy is currently in. The PAC does help fundraise for the athletics department, but it was not mentioned in the effort to raise money for the Master Plan. Although Georgia State Sports Communication has not formally reported that there is still a debate to use public money for sports facilities

Sturgis 3 construction (Barghchi 464), I am pretty sure the notion has been brought up. As enrollment numbers increase, an increase in the athletic fee that students already have to pay could be the last resort of the athletic department. It could be activated quicker method of fund raising but the backlash could be pretty horrific. Some students would probably cause uproar if their tuition rose due the investment into the plan. Even with the money another huge factor in implementing the Master Plan would be land. The athletic department is trying to build the new facilities as close to campus as possible but from my observations, being that live on campus, there does not seem to be much vacant land. It is pretty obvious that sports facility construction uses up land its going to be difficult to about it. Even though the building of the sand volleyball courts has already begun, they are located behind the Sports Arena which is land that Georgia State had already own. The other new facilities require hundreds, maybe thousands, acres of land. Where from is the major question. Overall, it can be said the athletic department has a lot on its plate especially when it comes to implementing this Master Plan. My fellow Panthers and I would love to see these plans put into action but the way things are with the economy and the location its going to be a long process. The Sports Arena could be seen as the pride and joy of the Panthers. It really could use an upgrade. Georgia State University is the second largest university in the state of Georgia and home to NCAA Division I (the highest level division) athletics. Many students, including myself, do not even realize it. Many of the other schools in the same division are known for having the best athletics which generally generates higher expectations. I feel bad that our athletics is not up to par when compared to these other colleges that they supposedly at the same level with. The Georgia State Athletics Master Plan is the way to get the Sports Arena and the other prospective

Sturgis 4 facilities where they expected to be. In end this elaborate plan that could help make (and not break) Georgia State athleticsthe irrepressible factors may ultimately keep the progress of the plan from moving steadily.

Sturgis 5 Works Cited Barghchi, Maassoumeh, Dasimah Bt Omar, and Mohd Salleh Aman. Sports Facilities Development and Urban Generation. Spec. issue of Journal of Social Sciences (15493652) 5.4 (2009): 460-465. Web. Georgia State Athletics Master Plan. Georgia State Athletics. n.p., 31 May 2012. Web. 4 November 2012. Georgia State Sports Arena. Georgia State Athletics. n.p., 29 September 2006. Web. 4 November 2012. GSU Sports Arena. Georgia State Athletics. n.p., n.d. Web. 4 November 2012. Quick Facts. Georgia State Athletics. n.p., n.d. Web. 6 November 2012. Ryan. Georgia State Athletics Eyes Future with Upgraded Facilities: Part 1 Panther Talk. 11 October 2011. Web. 4 November 2012. Sports Arena Master Plan. Georgia State Athletics. n.p., 31 May 2012. Web. 4 November 2012.