In the SEC, it just means more. More winning and more money, but apparently that only applies to football programs.
That's because at LSU, it's acceptable for football players to lounge around in a $28 million locker room while students are subjected to a library that's falling apart. The school is getting blasted on social media after Twitter user Tom Hearden posted side-by-side pictures of the library and locker room and, well, people have opinions.
It's unclear exactly when the picture of the library — which has dealt with flooding problems in the past — was taken, but the fact remains that LSU's library still desperately needs an update, while the football program remains a priority in Baton Rouge.
LSU Library LSU FB locker room pic.twitter.com/Z017L5bjA3
— Tom Hearden (@followtheh) May 2, 2023
the tiger lives better than the students https://t.co/SugQuJiuj5 pic.twitter.com/z2sCBOqm4q
— ????? (@momoflake) May 4, 2023
How many national championships does the library have? https://t.co/ubN6cR4LRJ
— Austin Robert (@Rowbear32) May 3, 2023
The library has 0 touchdowns scored in 163 years on campus https://t.co/9Y8wgLJjjZ
— Tross? (@TrosclairAustin) May 4, 2023
On the right is LSU's locker room, which was renovated in 2019 for $28 million. It features sleep pods for players that first-class passengers on airplanes would be jealous of. There are charging ports, a team lounge with a theater and games, a nutritional facility and a wall of fame for past players. The locker room was paid for by the Tiger Athletic Foundation, which means no student money or tuition money was used in the renovations. It was all private donations, including a cool $1 million from alum Tyrann Mathieu.
Meanwhile, the library shown is LSU's Middleton Library, which has been dealing with flooding and moisture issues since at least 2016, according to the LSU Reveille. It's unclear when the picture was taken, or the current state of the library, but it still hasn't been renovated in 2023. Lousianna Governor John Bel Edwards said library renovations were a pressing need while speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Press Club of Baton Rouge on Monday. He was responding to a plea from LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey to upgrade the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, where her girls play their home games.
"I don't blame a basketball coach for wanting the best basketball arena," Edwards said, via Nola.com. "I will tell you for me the biggest priority would be a new library."
Kim Mulkey Weighs In On Facilities
Photo by Peter Forest/Getty Images
If you were to ask Kim Mulkey, she thinks LSU's No. 1 priority should be the stadium her team plays in, not the underwater library. "That thing is 48 years old," she said in late April 2023. "You can't grab a rail without holding onto somebody." Mulkey added, "I can say this now. I just won a national championship."
While it's true that Mulkey won a national title and the PMAC needs renovations, something that has been a topic of conversation for years now, it probably isn't a good look for Mulkey. That being said, I can't completely blame her for wanting the best facilities for her girls, especially after defeating Iowa for LSU's first basketball national championship, men or women.
Considering LSU reportedly collected more than $560 million in net tuition and fees in 2022, something tells me the library and the PMAC will look like the football locker room soon enough.
