Nice perk & recruiting tool for U of I

[tornado]

If anyone has ever gone to a University of Illinois FB game with a wealthy friend - then you know about their Colonnades Club...
it's the luxury dining and socializing area for the well-to-do, high end donors, and luxury box owners.



It's a really high end perk that almost all BCS-type schools have...

Anyway - Illinois just announced that all SCHOLARSHIP ATHLETES at Illinois now get to use the Colonnades Club and have ALL THEIR MEALS there...
thanks to a new rule (the Danny-Granger-rule, or Shabazz-Napier-rule allowing unlimited food be supplied to scholarship players)
I guess it gives Illinois a little recruiting advantage over a school that maybe takes their kids to McDonalds

http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/baseball/2014-07-16/fine-dining-all-ui-athletes-benefit-ncaa-rule.html

[tornado]

LOL -
here's the very first report of potential FALLOUT from the NCAA's new policy allowing schools to give whatever free meals to athletes...

Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino complaining because his stars are getting FAT!!
( - well maybe not fat but gaining a lot of weight!)

" (new Minnesota freshman) Carlos Morris gained 17 pounds since joining the team this summer, he credited the NCAA’s new policy.

...Pitino said. “Now that he gets in this environment, and he’s eating several times a day,
thanks to Shabazz Napier (and the new NCAA rule allowing unlimited food), he’ll eat like 20 times a day.
So we just keep feeding him. That’s the way it’s going to be.."

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/28/minnesota-coach-richard-pitino-credits-new-ncaa-policy-shabazz-napier-for-freshmans-weight-gain/related/

[BUBrave28]

I knew a few athletes at U of I back when I was at Bradley in the mid-00's, and always heard about their separate cafeteria(s) for athletes. From what I heard, it was like a high-end casino buffet with at least 2 choices for meat at carving stations at each meal. They were allowed to take certain items (fruit, cereal box, bar of some sort) home with them, but could not eat there and then take a meal to go. They would usually have a really nice meal 1-2 times a week.

I heard some funny stories about them trying to scheme a way to sneak out steaks and other good stuff (bags inside backpacks, shoving a hamburger in their pocket, etc.)..

[tornado]

Now Oklahoma State comes up with yet another novel idea to push the limits and gain recruiting advantage..

they have purchased a FULL TIME catering truck to come serve the athletes wherever they are!

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/11320722/oklahoma-sooners-add-food-truck-athletes

Their stars never again have to call out for pizza - they just have to open their front door and the steaks & lobster are already there!!
They admit all this is gonna cost >> $1 million

[tornado]

I was struck a little with the costs involved with this..

Michigan State just spent $24.5 million - largely to renovate their football lockerrooms...

http://www.freep.com/article/20140825/SPORTS07/308250221/michigan-state-spartans-northern-endzone-tour

Elsewhere...Missouri State required every student whether they wanted to or not and whether they cared about sports or not..
to pay up $100 per year to renovate their athletic facilities.

http://news.missouristate.edu/2014/08/12/msu-finalizes-plans-for-facility-dedications/

http://www.news-leader.com/story/sports/college/msu/2014/08/23/bears-football-home-sweet-home/14514007/