Sports Illustrated Resort in Tuscaloosa Breaks Ground

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Community leaders, contractors and champions gathered on Rice Mine Road in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday morning to break ground at The Sports Illustrated Resort.

Travel and Leisure announced the project in 2023 and intends to see it open in 2028, setting Tuscaloosa up for the third Sports Illustrated Resort, following the Chicago and Nashville locations. The project features a six-story tower with 75 whole-ownership condominiums, and a second six-story tower with 86 vacation units. The development will feature retail spaces as well as indoor and outdoor bars, a game lounge, a coffee bar, and a rooftop terrace event space.

"When you think about Alabama, you think about the University of Alabama, you think about the city, you think about all the champions, all the athletes that have gone on to do great things in their sport and after their sport an as mentioned before in the football locker room and in the building you walk down that hall all you see is Sports Illustrated left and right, left and right," former Alabama football player CJ Mosley said.

"So when I heard Sports Illustrated Resorts are being built here, I was like, one, that's going to be interesting because as a former person that lived here, besides the stadium and a couple other things, there's nothing really tall around Tuscaloosa. Just hearing that gets you excited, and for the average fan that wants to visit Tuscaloosa, I think that'll give them something to look forward to, if they don't want the commotion of being on the Quad or if they're scared or something like that. I think just being in this area, having that same experience, having that same feeling, and when you're with your family and now you can go tour the campus and do those things. So, I think overall it's going to be a really fun experience for anybody that comes to Tuscaloosa."

"We call it the most trusted brand in sports. It's been around 70-some-odd years," Authentic Brands Executive Vice Chairman, Tactical Opportunities Dan Dienst said. "If you want snackable, drive-by, sort of really simple content, we're probably not for you. We'll go deep into the stories. We're super respected by the athletes. Widely adopted by fans of every generation. Since Authentic owns Sports Illustrated, eight years now, the average age has come down by almost 15 years. So this next generation that's coming up in and around Sports Illustrated. It's the most trusted brand in sports. To sit here in this Mecca of sport, a place where things are done right around the Alabama brand, because we're brand focused, Tuscaloosa and Alabama is a brand. We're blessed to be with Travel and Leisure, an unbelievable brand. Sports Illustrated is rocking. We're very lucky, very blessed."

The $150 m project will reportedly create 1,100 construction jobs and 120 permanent jobs to benefit the city of Tuscaloosa. The resort intends to host concerts and watch parties to create an immersive experience that is unique to the city and Sports Illustrated.

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