A Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association survey of about two dozen top programs found that average spending to feed athletes had increased 145% -- to $1.3M from about $534,000 -- since Aug. 1, 2014, when the NCAA "lifted its limitations on meals and snacks for Division I athletes, allowing colleges to provide as much food and beverages to their players as they want," according to Zach Schonbrun of the N.Y. TIMES. A result has been a "veritable arms race in college kitchens: money pouring into projects like new athletic cafeterias; the hiring of chefs and full-time dietitians; and the introduction of separate kitchens stocked with fresh food in practice facilities and stadiums." The report said that one university "went from a food budget of $50,000" in the '13-14 academic year to $1.2M a year later. Another college "doubled its budget" to $2.8M. The new spending "has raised concerns about increasing the rich-poor divide in college sports." The survey "represented a small sample size;" the respondents made up only 7% of D-I universities, and all "were members of the so-called Big 5." But the increase in spending "has outpaced what some analysts and administrators expected, and it has happened at a dizzying rate." Eleven of the 23 programs surveyed "have budgeted at least" $1.5M this year on food costs alone. Auburn just in the last year added three "full-time registered dietitians," opened a $6.6M wellness kitchen and added amenities such as a Greek yogurt bar with 12 topping choices and "fueling stations." Auburn Sports Dietitian Scott Sehnert: "We’ve probably ended up spending more than we first anticipated" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/11).
WITH A LITTLE BIT OF LUCK: In Indianapolis, Zak Keefer noted NCAA VP/Regulatory Affairs Oliver Luck's job is to "give the athletic departments whatever they require." Implementing redefined scholarships "is not a simple task." Luck said, "Things can get a little messy on campus." Shortly after taking the job in December, Luck "reached out to iconic shoe marketer Sonny [Vaccaro], a longtime critic of the NCAA ... to pick his brain." Luck is "working the way he always does -- quietly, efficiently, below the surface -- to put his stamp on the NCAA." He said, "What annoys me? People that aren’t willing to look at change or look at improvement. This happens in groups fairly often. People say, ‘Well, this is the way we’ve always done it.’ It’s not to say that was bad at all. But a responsible adult should be able to say, ‘Let’s just think about what it could be like if we do X, Y or Z'" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 10/11).
ON A SCHOOL NIGHT: UCLA football coach Jim Mora Jr. said of his team playing back-to-back Thursday night games, "I'm not unhappy about a Thursday night game. I don't think it's fair to the student athletes -- and remember we call them student-athletes -- to have to play back-to-back Thursday games, especially before midterms." In L.A., Chris Foster wrote this is the deal "since the Pac-12 Conference sold its product" for $3B in TV pacts. Mora said, "I don't like it when we talk out of both sides of our mouth. 'You have to be great student here at UCLA, one of the most difficult and competitive institutions in the world, but we're not going to let you go to school six out of 10 days.'" He added that he is "fine with a trade-off, except for one thing." Mora: "I also know that I and my staff are held accountable for academic progress and graduation rates. These young men are being held accountable for being in class, and not every professor is going to be as lenient as the next." He added, "One Thursday game, I can understand. Two? You talk about stress on these kids; they are going to be stressed. I think we're asking an awful lot of them" (L.A. TIMES, 10/11).
