During a discussion with Fox Sports on the National Labor Relations Board ruling that athletes from Northwestern University can unionize, [UConn guard Shabazz Napier] said there are “hungry nights that we don’t have enough money to get food.”
It’s hard to say exactly what is going on here, so there’s no need to speculate. But according to the UConn Student-Athlete Handbook, unlimited access to dining halls is available for all students with a meal plan, even for those who live off-campus.
Of course, if you’re a student athlete on scholarship at UConn, you aren’t permitted to work (even part-time) or you lose your scholarship. A brutal training regimen can mean being hungry at all times of the day and night. 3 a.m. hunger for an athlete can euphemistically feel like “starving,” but perhaps comedian Louis C.K. has a point that this kind of language is overdone from our ‘first world problems’ point of view.
Dennis Pierce, director of Food Services at UConn, told CNSNews.com that any student athlete has the option of choosing from a series of dining services (unlimited, value and custom), but all offer unlimited access during operating hours. …
Napier did tell Fox Sports that students “don’t need hundreds of thousands of dollars” but “some people don’t know how to handle money.” Still, I’m confused.
Are you skipping dinner, Shabazz? You know, that all-you-can-eat thing. Or are you just always hungry?
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