"Some argue that facilities construction should be considered a recruiting expense as different athletics programs woo 17- or 18-year-old high school seniors with the . . . snazziest arena."
Spending on athletic facilities reached $15.2 billion between 1995 and 2005.
An NCAA report in 2005 said nearly 20 percent of athletics spending on average is tied to facility expansion and related debt.
Practice facilities and athletes’ academic centers have joined stadiums and arenas as drivers of the sports facilities arms race.
