On any given road trip to a competition, a student-athlete is allotted a certain amount of money per day to spend on food, whether or not they are a scholarship athlete. This money is already a part of each athletic department’s budget for the purpose of keeping the athletes well fed during times when they are expected to perform at an optimum level. It’s called “meal money” and the amount is roughly between $15 and $20, per day, depending on the location.

For an example, if the tennis team takes a trip down to Fresno for a three-day tournament, they ought to be seeing about $45 each. But, if the team played the same tournament in San Diego, they might be looking at something more like $60 due to the city’s higher cost of living.

Generally, the way this procedure works, is that a coach withdraws money from the department funds, and then uses a standard sign-out sheet for the athletes to print and sign their names. Then he confirms the amount that will be given to them. At this point, the coach hands over the money along with all the responsibility for each athlete to take care of his or her own diets. In other words, don’t eat at McDonalds.

However, as simple as this process may be, it can become quite a puzzle. Sometimes, the coaching staff will forgo the money disbursement and just take care of the athletes at “dine-ins”, with the coaches paying one large bill. Then when the trip is over, each athlete will sign the clipboard saying they received x amount. To an athlete, this is no big deal.

Living the same lives as other college students, they are just as happy to receive a free weekend of food whether or not they saw the green stuff.

But this is where the problem lies. Hosting a large feast will cost less because it is bought in bulk. Under the coaches’ concern, it’s much easier this way. As for the athletes, they don’t care. But what happens when the weekend is over and the receipts don’t match up?

Where does the extra meal money go?

When a weekend costs $35 per athlete and the athletes signed out for $40 each; who decides what to do with the extra $5 per X amount of athletes?

For a baseball team that’s roughly 20 players ($100); a basketball team, 11 ($55); a cross-country team, 14 ($70); or a football team, 60 ($300).

Then add up an entire season. What then?

This is not to suggest that any team listed does practice this process; they have only been used as an example.

The money can’t go back into the program because it was technically already signed out to the athletes.

The coaching staffs can’t buy new equipment or uniforms with the money. And for the most part, they really can’t do much else for the program with it.

If this hasn’t been highly suggestive, let’s make it clearer.If you are a student-athlete, you may want to think twice about how much money you put into your coaches’ gifts at the end of the year banquet.

The chance could be, you’ve already made them happy.