Michigan #3 nationally on food spending for student athletes
Top 20 Biggest Spenders on Student-Athlete Meals
- University of Arkansas: $3.5 million
- Ohio State University: $3.1 million
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor: $2.8 million
- University of Iowa: $2.8 million
- Texas A&M University, College Station: $2.7 million
- University of Texas, Austin: $2.6 million
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: $2.5 million
- University of Kansas: $2.2 million
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville: $1.9 million
- University of Washington, Seattle: $1.9 million
- University of Georgia: $1.7 million
- University of Oklahoma, Norman: $1.7 million
- University of Maryland, College Park: $1.7 million
- Auburn University: $1.5 million
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign: $1.5 million
- Pennsylvania State University: $1.4 million
- Virginia Tech: $1.4 million
- University of Louisville: $1.4 million
- University of Oregon: $1.3 million
- Indiana University, Bloomington: $1.3 million
Unlike some of their classmates, who stick to three main food groups - instant noodles, cold cereal and dining hall French fries - Division I athletes generally adhere to a strategic meal plan to ensure top-end performance on the field and for training. Prominent athletic programs are now investing in what their student-athletes put in their bodies in the form of millions of dollars.
Totaling more than $7 million dollars in 2016-17—the two most recent years that reports are available from most programs—the University of Arkansas spent the most of any public school on student-athlete meals. Housed in the new $23 million, 55,000-square-foot Jerry & Gene Jones Family Student-Athlete Success Center, Arkansas’ sports nutrition department spares no expense in feeding its athletes. Members of any sports team, even those not on scholarship, are provided two meals a day, in an effort to “fuel and refuel” the athletes.
Arkansas is not the only school focused on food. More than two dozen other programs spent more than $2 million in the two-year period, with Ohio State University, University of Michigan, University of Iowa and Texas A&M University rounding out the top five of the highest spending programs (full list below). While dishing out the big bucks on dining may have no immediate financial benefit to a school, in fact it costs more, well-fueled athletes have a certain advantage when competing, bolstering the program’s reputation as a result. And that translates to best-in-class recruitment and even higher ticket sales.
Onwenu's grape budget must be massive
How is Mike supposed to get in shape when he's getting the most expensive cream cheese on his bagels?
MSU didn't make the list because steroids didn't technically count as a meal.
That and they save a ton on the pizzas due to the employee discounts...
Yes, they do have the hook-up
Also helps as pizza is used as currency in East Landfill.
Hey now, I used to work for a pizza place, Jets actually, and I turned out mostly alright...
Mostly.
No, it’s because so many players have family members employed by the local pizza places. Hard to spend a lot of money when you’re getting so many free / discounted pizzas.
Beat ya!!
Man, that's a lot of soylent green.
Last i heard athletes were starving and needed to be paid.
Edit: 8 B1G Schools listed!
According to Peppers, he barley survived his time on campus.
I thought Kareem Walker and Amir Mitchell we're on the barley diet?
Were they just sowing oats?
No doubt their wild oats!!!
Oh NOW I get it.
Trey Burke made some sort of comments about not being able to eat much either
I bet the vast majority would be willing to go on a regular ass meal plan to go along with actual dollars in their pockets. Let’s not act like this replaces a wage.
I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid. I'm simply stating that some athletes have complained about not having food. You don't get the physique they have by being short on food.
So 8 B1G schools are in the top 20 here. That's pretty friggen nice!! Or maybe it just costs more to feed athletes through the long, cold, dark winters that the south so hates? Probably bolstered by take out costs for the first couple of months of softball and baseball seasons, too...
Every time I’m in the kitchen, you in the kitchen! In the got damn refrigerator...eating up allll the food!
I think each student athlete is provided a Zingerman's #2 each month. That's probably what is driving up the cost so high.
Arkansas #1... I thought pork was pretty inexpensive?
the other white meat
Bert left his legacy at Arkansas. They may win, they may lose, but they will always eat.
I would have thought they'd drop when he left, since he was probably driving up the numbers by eating at the team trough
Interesting that Clemson and Alabama are not on this list. Maybe they don't feed the non-football athletes.
The steroid budget is off book. More seriously, I bet it has something to due with procurement cost rather than quality or quantity.
They already get paid enough to buy their own meals
But...what do the supervisors eat?
Lots of B1G schools on that top 30.
Woo Pig Sooie!
self control.... don't make any heavy girls at Arkansas jokes.... don't do it.
It’s fine, all the proper southern ladies have bulimia.
Did you hear about the girl at Arkansas in the fitness protection program?
The presence of Bret Bielema probably accounts for a significant portion of that Arkansas food bill.
I guess you have to do your own homework if you want to know how much is spent per athlete or per scholarship sport? That seems like important info if you're going to compare schools, which can have vastly different situations.
I really would have expected these numbers to be higher and here's why:
UM student athletes: 1011
Average cost per athlete per year: $2,769.54
Basic meal plan for non-athletes per year: $4,712
This is a perfect example of how students are being overcharged by institutions because there is no way that I can be convinced that a normal student is eating more/higher quality food than an athlete.
Edit: Given some of the lower numbers it would make more sense that this cost is over and above room and board costs and that athletes are closer to $7500+ per year in total cost. My point still stands though.
Thanks for providing this info. Sad.
I'm going to guess the athletic department may have a different cost basis than the general student population for several reasons...there may be different budgets involved, burden sharing between the school and athletic department, competitive bids for outsourcing of food may be different, etc. The raw numbers you present probably don't tell the whole story.
Yeah, I must have been editing my post at the same time. Agree with all your points. I still think that $22 per day in food costs is high for an individual, however it is lower than the cost of eating out for each meal every day...
It's been a long while since I was on the meal plan but in recent visits, it looks like the food options have greatly expanded. Back in my day, it was the cafeteria with very typical cafeteria options. Could this account for at least some of the cost?
List was generated from data of only public schools. I suspect Stanford, with all of the athletic programs they have (which allows them to dominate the Director's Cup) would probably be near the top of the list. Probably a few other private schools like USC and maybe Miami would make the top 20 as well.
I too am wondering what the meal budget at Stanford is. I'll bet it's right up there with the best.
Really. OSU again.
I was all happy until I read the list.
$300K difference is for school branded/issued poop coolers for OSU athletes
Anybody have a spare $400k laying around that they want to use to bump us up to #2?
Whatever they're feeding 'em at Arkansas ain't working.
One of the reasons UM spends so much money on food is because they end up wasting so much of it. Because they don't have an on site kitchen in Schembechler Hall or the new Ross South Complex building that can make made to order meals they have to cater everything and end up throwing away anything they don't eat, which is usually a lot because it's hard to proportion when you're cooking for so many athletes.
I'm pretty sure the new building (the remodel and expansion of Schembechler Hall and the adjoining field house) includes an on-site kitchen for meal prep. That was one of the thing Harbaugh was quite pleased with when they talked about it on his podcast last month. I also think its available for all athletes...