University of Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione was quoted in the Tulsa World describing the project this way, “Sometimes (the media) frame it as keeping up with the Joneses. I don’t think it’s that as much as it is that the quest to recruit the best and the brightest is as competitive as it’s ever been. And it’s an entirely new landscape. So we have to provide a comprehensive approach that makes Oklahoma the most attractive definition for the best and the brightest and do what we do best.” Oklahoma joins a rapidly lengthening list of big-time universities deciding that spending $100 million or more for lavish, high-tech football centers is a wise investment.
