Suns: Spending $275 Million On Upgrades

Friends,

Given professional athletes are typically paid handsomely for their participation, most fans seem to believe that the necessity to build & maintain world-class facilities doesn’t transfer from the college level to professional sports.

In the simplest of terms, that’s not true.

Here are a couple of examples:

• Multiple NBA players, including DeAndre Jordan, have mentioned the NY Knicks practice facility being located 45-60 minutes outside NYC as a deterrent to playing for the Knicks.

• Urban Meyer, who has now been named Head Coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, reportedly demanded a commitment from ownership to upgrade the team’s practice facility, which is “well short” of what Meyer had at Ohio State.

While it’s true that teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers have older, out-dated facilities and seem to be doing just fine, the level of importance rises for teams that have struggled to attract premier free agents.

An example?

The Phoenix Suns.

The good news?

They’re doing something about it.

In the last year alone, the Phoenix Suns have spent $275 million on facility upgrades, including a new $45 million practice facility and $230 million in arena-related upgrades.

For context on the ~$300 million, the brand new Chase Center, which houses the Golden State Warriors in Downtown San Francisco, had a $500 million construction cost.

First, let’s take a look at the Suns’ new practice facility.

Phoenix Suns New $45M Practice Facility

In November, the Phoenix Suns unveiled their new $45 million practice facility — the Verizon 5G Performance Center.

Here are the details:

• 53,000 square feet

• Privately-funded $45M facility

• Two regulation-size basketball courts

• Sensory deprivation chamber

• Full-service kitchen with chef

• Hot/Cold tubs & underwater treadmill

• State-of-the-art training and weight room

Furthermore, through a partnership with Verizon, the Suns built one of the most technologically advanced training facilities in the NBA.

For instance, the new facility has 150 cameras — compared to 4 at the old facility — to track player movement, mechanics, and progress.

The best part?

The facility is located in Arcadia, perhaps the best neighborhood in Scottsdale and where most Suns players live (Source).

Rather than talk through all the details myself, I’ll let the incredible pictures take it from here (Source):

Pretty sweet, right?

Next up, arena renovations.

Phoenix Spends $230M On Arena Upgrades

While the news of their new & impressive $45 million practice facility technically broke first, the decision was actually driven by the organization’s desire to renovate their existing arena.

By moving 40,000 square feet of practice space, including the locker room, team lounge, weight room, and recovery area, to a new $45 million facility in Acadia, the Suns were able to build one of the best arena VIP experiences in the NBA.

Owner Robert Sarver says that rather than building a new arena, given they love the downtown location of their current one, they “could get up to 90% of what they wanted in a brand-new building for less than half the cost by remodeling what was already there. (Source)”

Here are the details:

• $230 million renovation

• Additional 70,000 square-feet of VIP space

• Three new VIP clubs, with additional seating for 1,200+ guests

• New cushioned arena seating, sound, video boards, and a 50,000-pound scoreboard that is six times larger than previously.

Even cooler?

Post-renovation, the Suns’ arena will now have the largest sports bar in the state of Arizona.

Again, rather than talk through the details myself, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves (Source).

In the end, the construction of a $45 million state-of-the-art practice facility and $230 million of arena upgrades —primarily catering to VIP guests — certainly have a lot to do with increasing the financial reach of the organization.

My take?

It helps all parts of the organization, from sponsorship sales and ticketing to free agency and, ultimately, winning.

The Suns have a long way to go from a competitive standpoint, but with new facilities setting them up for the next few decades, they appear to be on their way to sustained improvement.

In this case, only time will tell.

Have a great weekend, and we’ll talk Monday.

Extra Credit

For those that follow me on Twitter, this might already be old news.

Regardless, given his retirement, I felt this short story about Philip Rivers was worth sharing again.

This Newsletter Is Brought To You By…

Looking for an incredible, healthy beer to kickstart your year?

Try Athletic Brewing.

They are revolutionizing healthy, better-for-you beer. Their beers are all non-alcoholic, but you don't have to compromise on taste - they've won awards versus full strength competition and start at only 50 calories.

Drink more and be healthier in 2021!

Check them out at Athleticbrewing.com and use JOE25 for 25% off your first order!