Sports Illustrated is launching new resorts in college sports

Sports Illustrated is raising the level of the college sports experience.

Travel + Leisure Co. and Sports Hospitality Ventures LLC, which is Sports Illustrated's hotel and resorts licensee, is launching a new concept of a chain of sports-themed resorts and lifestyle complexes, the company announced through a press release on Sept. 20.

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Its target is to launch Sports Illustrated Resorts in major college towns and universities. The first will be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to appeal to the fanbase of the Crimson Tide. The target date for the Tuscaloosa launch is late 2025.

Each resort is expected to have full-service hotel, vacation club, and residential condominiums that will feature moments throughout the history of Sports Illustrated. The press release also said that resorts will include "one-of-a-kind attractions" like live action sports and other forms of entertainment.

“Sports Illustrated Resorts are about hospitality, lifestyle, leisure and entertainment where we celebrate not only the legacy of Sports Illustrated, but the path it is on now, by immersing our guests in sports culture and providing the best entertainment, cuisine, fitness, health and wellness to our guests,” Christopher Schroeder, CEO of Sports Hospitality Ventures, LLC, said in the press release.

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Sports Illustrated Resorts started in 2022 with the goal to "create new premium, lifestyle resort and entertainment destinations."

New cities for the next destinations are expected to be announced in the lead up towards Alabama resort's launch.

TheStreet's parent company, The Arena Group, has a long-term deal with Authentic Brands Group (ABG) to operate and license Sports Illustrated's media business. ABG also licenses the Sports Illustrated brand to other companies for uses outside its traditional magazine and website business.

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