NCAA approves unlimited meals and snacks.

[IrishLax]

fu the traditionalists its time to build a Chick-Fil-A on campus

Psshh... small timey... I want one of every Lettuce Entertain You's restaurants on campus NOW.

 

[IrishLion]

ND football gonna get a group discount at the new Ruth's Chris on campus.

 

[wizards8507]

...I don't get it. When I was at Notre Dame the food was already unlimited, for everyone.

 

[IrishLax]

...I don't get it. When I was at Notre Dame the food was already unlimited, for everyone.

No it wasn't. You could only swipe into the dining hall once per session, you had limits on what you could bring out, you had limits on grab & go, etc.

You also had a limited number of flex points. What the NCAA is effectively talking about here is empowering student athletes to be able to receive any food, any time from anywhere without it being an NCAA violation. So if a coach wants to buy 10,000 quarter dogs from LaFun for the team he can do it without it being a violation. Instead of training table being a once daily thing as rules currently stipulate, it seems that the new rules will allow for as many training tables as the school wants to provide.

I'm interested to see the exact wording of the rule, but this is a BIG departure from what's currently on the books.

 

[wizards8507]

No it wasn't. You could only swipe into the dining hall once per session, you had limits on what you could bring out, you had limits on grab & go, etc.

What's the difference? Eating 1,000 calories and $10 worth of food six times a day doesn't seem much different than eating 2,000 calories and $20 worth of food three times a day.

They always had unlimited food per meal, now they're just shifting to unlimited number of meals meals. It's the same difference. They can still consume as much food as they want, just in a wider time frame.

Was the UConn meal plan noncompliant before this new rule? It says pretty clearly that they had "unlimited access" to dining halls.

Full Athletics Grant-in-Aid

A full athletics grant-in-aid by NCAA definition is financial aid that consists of tuition and fees, room and board, and required text books. It does not cover course-related supplies (e.g. art supplies for an art course, etc.).

You can eat in any residence hall. Dining Hall hours vary with service hours of 7:00 – 10:40 am (B), 10:40 – 2:15 pm (L), 4:15 – 7:15 pm (D). Your coach will acquaint you with eating arrangements should he or she schedule an early practice which occurs during breakfast hours.

If you live off campus and your grant-in-aid includes meals, you may use your stipend to purchase an on-campus meal plan, if you wish. This will entitle you to eat in any of the facilities. If, however, your coach requires that you eat on campus, you just go to Dining Services to sign up for a meal plan.

DINING SERVICES

All on-campus undergraduates are required to pay for a meal plan. The cost for the meal plans are as follows:

2013-14

Ultimate- $5,284.00
Unlimited access during operating hours to resident dining units, 35 flex passes, 500 points

Value- $5,044.00
Unlimited access during operating hours to resident dining units, 40 flex passes, 200 points

Custom- $4,784.00
Unlimited access during operating hours to resident dining units, 75 flex passes

Community Plan- $243 (25 meals)

 

[Irish Houstonian]

No joke, the administration is trying to put a Chick-Fil-A on campus at the university where I work. Students, faculty and staff all voted via questionnaire, and Chick-Fil-A was the winner in a landslide.

But it's currently being blocked by a small group due to their religious affiliation.

It should be blocked because they're not open on Sunday -- students need as many hangover-food options as possible.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

NCAA unlimited meals proposal could add fascinating layer to recruiting - College Football - Andy Staples - SI.com

 

[IrishLion]

I just want to know why Bo Pelini is holding a cat in the picture in that article.

 

[woolybug25]

I just want to know why Bo Pelini is holding a cat in the picture in that article.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

I just want to know why Bo Pelini is holding a cat in the picture in that article.

On going internet joke that he has joined in. He carried a cat out of the tunnel at the spring game and held it up all Rafiki and Simba style

https://twitter.com/FauxPelini

Bo Pelini enters Nebraska game with cat, Internet implodes | FOX Sports on MSN

 

[IrishLax]

What's the difference? Eating 1,000 calories and $10 worth of food six times a day doesn't seem much different than eating 2,000 calories and $20 worth of food three times a day.

Huh?

They always had unlimited food per meal,

Not the point.

now they're just shifting to unlimited number of meals meals. It's the same difference. They can still consume as much food as they want, just in a wider time frame.

Nope.

Was the UConn meal plan noncompliant before this new rule? It says pretty clearly that they had "unlimited access" to dining halls.

This is about more than dining halls. This equates to expansion of the Training Table (which by rules now can only replace one meal per day I believe) to a 24/7 all-the-awesome-food-you-want. Before, athletes had to function under what equated to student meal plans (or equivalent $$ if living off campus) with the exception of the 1 meal a day that was allowed to be replaced by Training Table.* On the surface, this rule is removing all restrictions on when and how athletes are fed.

*Fun fact, Alabama gets around this by making a second "training table" meal available to the "public"... you have to special some uber platinum meal plan (for like a bajillion dollars) or use like 10 meal credits to get admitted or something absurd like that, but all football players are by default on a "meal plan" as part of their R&B that permits access to this special "public" dining hall.

 

[irishfan]

This is a massive deal. Wont players now essentially be able to have a fully stocked fridge at all times? I remember Arian Foster in an interview saying he and teammates shared an apartment and they had no food so he called his position coach and said he was going to do something stupid if they didn't get food soon, and the coach brought over some cheap fast food (NCAA violation). I'm guessing now that these guys will just be able to bring leftovers from training tables back home in addition to whatever other food that the school pays for? Seems pretty sweet.

 

[IrishLax]

This is a massive deal. Wont players now essentially be able to have a fully stocked fridge at all times? I remember Arian Foster in an interview saying he and teammates shared an apartment and they had no food so he called his position coach and said he was going to do something stupid if they didn't get food soon, and the coach brought over some cheap fast food (NCAA violation). I'm guessing now that these guys will just be able to bring leftovers from training tables back home in addition to whatever other food that the school pays for? Seems pretty sweet.

Yup. This one move just completely torpedoes the previous bullshit "we're starving..." argument. And it also potentially starts a food arms race.

 

[Emcee77]

So is the consensus that this is good or bad? I'm curious what people think.

This seems to me to be a 100% positive development that was long overdue. An athlete's diet should be considered part of the strength and conditioning program. If we expect athletes to be in top physical condition, we should expect there to be no limits on the food they can eat so that they can maximize the effect of their workouts.

Stated differently, universities already pay top dollar for practice and workout facilities for their athletes ... why would the schools want to compromise the athletes' training by limiting their ability to follow a strict diet? I'm kind of surprised schools couldn't already provide their students with unlimited food. It seems like a strange and arbitrary place to draw the line.

 

[zelezo vlk]

I love this. I'm not sure that the athletes' nutritional nourishment was previously insufficient (see: Shabazz Napier), but this leaves zero room for doubt that the athletes will be provided adequate food. Now I hope they tackle other issues (education, dummy majors, false classes etc.)

 

[PANDFAN]

So is the consensus that this is good or bad? I'm curious what people think.

This seems to me to be a 100% positive development that was long overdue. An athlete's diet should be considered part of the strength and conditioning program. If we expect athletes to be in top physical condition, we should expect there to be no limits on the food they can eat so that they can maximize the effect of their workouts.

Stated differently, universities already pay top dollar for practice and workout facilities for their athletes ... why would the schools want to compromise the athletes' training by limiting their ability to follow a strict diet? I'm kind of surprised schools couldn't already provide their students with unlimited food. It seems like a strange and arbitrary place to draw the line.

idk kind of like 1 person ordering a buffet when there are 2 at a table...and just eating off of the other's plate...IF they lived off campus w/ others that were non football players?

 

[wizards8507]

Yup. This one move just completely torpedoes the previous bullshit "we're starving..." argument. And it also potentially starts a food arms race.

I love this. I'm not sure that the athletes' nutritional nourishment was previously insufficient (see: Shabazz Napier), but this leaves zero room for doubt that the athletes will be provided adequate food. Now I hope they tackle other issues (education, dummy majors, false classes etc.)

But the fact that the "we're starving" argument was bullshit in the first place is the very reason they shouldn't have given in. They're conceding the argument and the next time some idiot player says "we're freezing," or "we can't get around town," the NCAA is going to cave yet again and provide unlimited clothing and transportation.

This sends the message that "bullshit arguments will be remedied even if they're bullshit because we can't stand bad press from an agenda-based sports media." I'd much rather see them say "bullshit arguments will not be acknowledged."

 

[wizards8507]

This seems to me to be a 100% positive development that was long overdue. An athlete's diet should be considered part of the strength and conditioning program. If we expect athletes to be in top physical condition, we should expect there to be no limits on the food they can eat so that they can maximize the effect of their workouts.

The thing I don't like about this "fix" is that there wasn't any problem in the first place. A Notre Dame student-athlete (or regular student) has a dining plan that is either three meals per day or two meals per day with bonus "flex points" to be spent at facilities other than the dining hall. Let's assume that the athlete chooses the three-meal-per-day option. EACH of these three meals per day is all-you-can-eat. Yes, the athlete is "limited" in the sense that he can only physically enter the dining hall three times per day, but, once there, he has literally unlimited access to food. He can sit there for two hours and eat 9,000 calories of nothing but chicken breasts if that's what Longo prescribes.

This new rule A) fixes a system that wasn't broken, B) creates a new arms race that has nothing to do with being a "student athlete", and C) further separates athletes from "regular" students.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

The thing I don't like about this "fix" is that there wasn't any problem in the first place. A Notre Dame student-athlete (or regular student) has a dining plan that is either three meals per day or two meals per day with bonus "flex points" to be spent at facilities other than the dining hall. Let's assume that the athlete chooses the three-meal-per-day option. EACH of these three meals per day is all-you-can-eat. Yes, the athlete is "limited" in the sense that he can only physically enter the dining hall three times per day, but, once there, he has literally unlimited access to food. He can sit there for two hours and eat 9,000 calories of nothing but chicken breasts if that's what Longo prescribes.

This new rule A) fixes a system that wasn't broken, B) creates a new arms race that has nothing to do with being a "student athlete", and C) further separates athletes from "regular" students.

I'm going to venture that you've never been a college weight and nutrition program. This isn't how it works. Being able to eat more often, and later than the dining hall is open, if a good thing. This makes it much easier, and cheaper, for the football players to meet there nutritional needs.

It also lets walk-ons get training table if I read correctly.

 

[wizards8507]

I'm going to venture that you've never been a college weight and nutrition program. This isn't how it works. Being able to eat more often, and later than the dining hall is open, if a good thing. This makes it much easier, and cheaper, for the football players to meet there nutritional needs.

South Dining hall is open until 9:00 PM most nights.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

South Dining hall is open until 9:00 PM most nights.

There were many nights I wasn't out of practice until 11 or later and still needed about 500-600 calories

 

[Wild Bill]

But the fact that the "we're starving" argument was bullshit in the first place is the very reason they shouldn't have given in. They're conceding the argument and the next time some idiot player says "we're freezing," or "we can't get around town," the NCAA is going to cave yet again and provide unlimited clothing and transportation.

This sends the message that "bullshit arguments will be remedied even if they're bullshit because we can't stand bad press from an agenda-based sports media." I'd much rather see them say "bullshit arguments will not be acknowledged."

Most organizations with the NCAA's cash flow deal with similar bullshit. They'll have to be more proactive to protect themselves.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

For those looking to pack on (and maintain) serious bulk, an ideal nutritional regimen includes at least 6 smaller meals per day, rather than 3 coma-inducing feasts.

So frequency was already a legitimate issue. Then factor in that ND football players have a vigorous academic schedule on top of their weight-lifting and practice obligations, and I could easily see how maintaining optimal nutrition would be very challenging.

Remember when our players were losing ~20 lbs over the course of a season under Weis? That wasn't just due to the lack of a Training Table.

 

[wizards8507]

There were many nights I wasn't out of practice until 11 or later and still needed about 500-600 calories

Let's follow that train of thought.

Man, ever since they made that rule allowing unlimited meals, coach has been having us eat late at night. I need at least 500-600 calories after practice, and we don't even get out until 11:00. By the time I get back to my dorm, it's 12:30 and I haven't even started my homework.

Press release: The NCAA today announced that varsity athletes would no longer be required to attend class. Concerns were raised earlier this month about the potential devastating impact of sleep deprivation. Athletes often pass out in the wee hours of the morning from sheer exhaustion due to the time constraints of practicing and eating nonstop. The new rule serves to eliminate both the homework that keeps student-athletes up late into the night and the classes themselves that require student-athletes to wake up in the morning.

 

[wizards8507]

For those looking to pack on (and maintain) serious bulk, an ideal nutritional regimen includes at least 6 smaller meals per day, rather than 3 coma-inducing feasts.

Notre Dame was the example I used because it's the school I attended and the school I know. I've posted the UConn standards several times in this and other threads, and all three tiers of their meal plans allow "unlimited access" to the dining facilities.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

Let's follow that train of thought.

You think I'm lying? I don't understand what your comment was. If I'm on a 3,500-4,000 calorie diet and I have practice until 11 I have to save daily calories to be eaten after practice in order to recover and be ready to lift in the morning. What's the problem here?

And on nights when we had late practice I would do my homework beforehand. This isn't difficult and I feel like you're being obstinate and I can't figure out why.

 

[wizards8507]

You think I'm lying? I don't understand what your comment was. If I'm on a 3,500-4,000 calorie diet and I have practice until 11 I have to save daily calories to be eaten after practice in order to recover and be ready to lift in the morning. What's the problem here?

No, I don't think you're lying.

The problem is that this decision wasn't made for the reasons you're specifying. It was made because a high-profile jackass basketball player made comments about "going to bed starving," which is some of the most ignorant bullshit I've ever read. You're buying into the NCAA narrative that this was all done with good intentions, but it was done to avoid bad press from the Shabazz incident.

Again, Notre Dame's meal structure aside, there are already schools that have been that allow their athletes unlimited access to the dining halls, which is no problem as long as that's the structure of the dining plan for all students. This change is NOT about maintaining a 3,500-4,000 calorie diet as part of a strength and conditioning program because those options are ALREADY available to the universities. It's about giving in to spoiled children who want free pizza and steaks.

I am NOT saying: These kids are hungry and we shouldn't fix the problem.
I AM saying: These kids are NOT hungry and there's no problem to fix.

Based on this precedent, the next time a high profile athlete throws a tantrum about ANYTHING (cars, condoms, class), as long as he can get the media behind him the NCAA is going to cave.

 

[koonja]

Christmas came early for Matt Elam.

I'd imagine the restaurants will have to be approved. Can't have them handing out $30 meals 3 times a day.

 

[FearTheBeard]

Aw those poor athletes! Does anyone really think theyre "going hungry?" These athletes are jacked, and theyre performing better than ever on the field. If they were going hungry it would noticably impact them. Theres a different between a want and a need, and they just want some extra snacks

 

[NDRock]

No, I don't think you're lying.

The problem is that this decision wasn't made for the reasons you're specifying. It was made because a high-profile jackass basketball player made comments about "going to bed starving," which is some of the most ignorant bullshit I've ever read. You're buying into the NCAA narrative that this was all done with good intentions, but it was done to avoid bad press from the Shabazz incident.

Again, Notre Dame's meal structure aside, there are already schools that have been that allow their athletes unlimited access to the dining halls, which is no problem as long as that's the structure of the dining plan for all students. This change is NOT about maintaining a 3,500-4,000 calorie diet as part of a strength and conditioning program because those options are ALREADY available to the universities. It's about giving in to spoiled children who want free pizza and steaks.

I am NOT saying: These kids are hungry and we shouldn't fix the problem.
I AM saying: These kids are NOT hungry and there's no problem to fix.

Based on this precedent, the next time a high profile athlete throws a tantrum about ANYTHING (cars, condoms, class), as long as he can get the media behind him the NCAA is going to cave.

Do you think that limiting the food intake per NCAA rules is a good thing? Do you really think the NCAA should be regulating the food intake of the athletes or are you just upset how the change occurred? Personally, it seemed like a silly rule (like many the NCAA has on the books) and am glad it is off the books. You seem to care more that they gave in to "spoiled children" rather than if it is the right choice to make.