NIL, UW venues, and the Alliant Energy Center redevelopment

All the recent concert announcements at UW got me thinking. With NIL and the advent of essentially pro athletes in college sports, UW seems far more aggressive in courting concerts and events in the Kohl Center and Camp Randall. This likely is out of necessity, needing additional revenue to cover greater athletic department costs associated with the new financial model of college athletics. They are currently asking the state for $16 million in funding for athletics.

IIRC, the county felt it needed to update/redevelop the Coliseum because it was outdated for modern shows equipment and the city didn't really have a comparably sized venue that was regularly available. I recall the feeling was the kohl center was the approximate size but never really available for non-uw athletic events. This appears to be changing.

I guess I'm wondering how wise it is for the county to be pursuing a new venue with frank productions? if UW is going to be far more active in seeking the same concerts.

Will NIL be a major factor in the alliant redevelopment?

Posted Feb 20, 2026, 4:34 PM UTC

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