I actually was not that impressed and it didn’t leave me shaking in my boots.
It is a beautiful building, well designed, well integrated with its surroundings. I think what was the most worrisome was the number of fan seats. If other schools can consistently put more fans in seats to watch athletes compete, that’s often a competitive disadvantage for Stanford. But Stanford has always done surprisingly well because many athletes understand Stanford is a smaller, private school, and some of their classmates won’t be in the stands because they’re busy starting the next Google or focusing their research, and a lot of high school seniors want those kinds of classmates for their friends and for their network for life.
As for the inside of the building, the details and expenditure were impressive, but I also kept thinking how at Oregon they have to have those indoor training spaces because it rains so much there. And I have to say, some of those training nooks and crannies will not be pleasant places in the cold of an Oregon winter.
It’ll be dark and drafty, with a lack of natural air, and it will start to smell. There is a reason why so many sports are played outdoors, and there is a reason why so many top athletic programs are in clear, sunny places like California, Texas and Florida.
Honestly if you compared that video against the video of soccer Coach Gunn carting around campus, I think Stanford comes out favorably for athletes who want to train outdoors, walk on a beautiful campus, and get an exceptional education.
https://youtu.be/wnjKrg0Efxo