Iowa athletes get more food, officials get fewer headaches

IOWA CITY — The choice between a plain bagel and one with cream cheese, so innocuous to millions of Americans every morning, gave athletics compliance officials fits when straddling the line between NCAA compliance and providing for scholarship athletes.

Schools were allowed to supply athletes with one meal per day and unlimited snacks, which carried an ambiguous definition. Bagels were considered snacks but bagels with cream cheese were labeled meals. It confused school officials, created eye-rolling NCAA violations and left athletes wanting more.

That policy since has been streamlined. Last spring, the NCAA approved legislation which allows colleges to provide unlimited food and snacks to athletes in addition to their scholarship meal plan. The rule went into effect Aug. 1, and athletics departments at Iowa and Iowa State — and their high-revenue conferences — already have implemented the changes.

'Now we can make common-sense decisions and make sure our student-athletes are well-fed,' Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta said.

As a first step, Iowa created 'refueling stations' in its strength rooms and the Gerdin Learning Center. Food also is delivered to training areas or team facilities. Practice centers at Iowa State, like Heartland Hall for football, also serve as dining areas.

'Before, everybody said it, that we weren't getting as much food as we wanted,' Iowa wide receiver Tevaun Smith said. 'Then to have full-course meals all day is spectacular for us.'

Athletes like Smith engage in a full slate of classes, practice, extra film work and studying. After a long day, they often lack the time or cooking prowess to make nutritional meals. Instead, most would eat fast food.

'Not too many of us know how to make food or want to make food when they come home from practice,' said Smith, who hails from Toronto, Canada.

Before the rule change, non-scholarship athletes were not permitted to eat team meals except during training camp and team meals around competitions.

'They had to leave afterward while the rest of us scholarship guys go into the dining center,' Iowa State linebacker Jevohn Miller said. 'Now we can have all of them in there, so it's a bonding thing.'

COACHING PLUSES

When it comes to nutrition, the benefits are immense. Coaches have to ability to monitor athletes' intake and design meal plans to maximize performances. For an offensive linemen trying to put on weight, a school-designed meal plan could include more protein. That's expensive, even on an athlete's scholarship meal plan.

'It's just about athletic wellness and getting these players what they need to train and perform at a high level,' Iowa football strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle said. 'It allows us to play a more significant role in their calorie choices.'

Unlimited food provides more nuance for other athletic programs. Iowa State volleyball coach Christy Johnson-Lynch said gaining weight is not her players' motivation. Food is used as a supplement rather than a main meal.

'Our players don't typically want to eat four meals a day, so I think what we had always provided was good,' said Johnson-Lynch, who has led ISU to eight consecutive NCAA tournaments. 'Our players are not looking to add another 1,000 calories to their diet.'

Wrestlers are the most weight-conscious athletes on any campus. The key, Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands says, is for his athletes to eat in moderation. That's no different from before.

'I think if you look at from a perk point of view, it's positive,' Brands said. 'Whether you're in a weight-controlled sport or not, you've got to eat. There's a lot of positives with that. Discipline will always win the day. Even though it's right in front of you, you have to eat the right amounts and the right types of food.'

COSTS ASSOCIATED

The price tag is massive for both athletics departments. Barta estimates his department will spend between $500,000 and $750,000 more on food. ISU officials put their extra cost around $400,000. Those figures have the potential to soar, especially if the schools build stand-alone food centers.

'One of the things long term that we're looking at — we haven't committed to it yet — I'm confident at some point we'll have a nutrition food center for student-athletes where they eat their meals,' Barta said.

The costs also could impact or possibly eliminate nonrevenue sports at other schools. Every sport at Iowa except golf, tennis and men's gymnastics has expenditures exceeding $1 million annually. With the financial emphasis placed upon revenue-generating programs like football and men's basketball, schools might look to cut sports to keep up with the food policy. That's a major concern for Brands, whose sport has lost 281 programs since 1972, according to ncmat.com.

'What's this going to look like 10 years from now?' Brands asked. 'How expensive is this going to be 10 years from now? What's the landscape of some of these Olympic sports going to look like because of the costs involved?

'The University of Iowa will always find a way. That's the kind of dirt we live in, the Midwest. The mentality. I'm talking about the landscape of college wrestling specifically, maybe Olympic sports in general.'

Still, the positives are high for athletes. They receive more food and still keep their scholarship meal plans. At a time when athletics department are generating eye-popping revenues numbers because of television contracts, many people believe athletes deserve more of a perk, and food is one area.

'You're putting something in their hands that they've never had in their hands before. I think they're excited about it, especially with the cost of food,' Brands said. 'Food is not cheap. Good food is not cheap. Some of them, it won't change their habits, but what it does is enable them to use a different resource other than their own. That's a positive thing for these guys.'

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