Shabazz Napier left the college sports stage as a champion, but the Connecticut basketball player’s legacy stretches far beyond “One Shining Moment.”
Throughout the 2014 NCAA Tournament, Napier told reporters about the issues facing student-athletes. The cause he championed that resonated dealt with food. Before a Sweet Sixteen matchup, he told reporters at Madison Square Garden, “We do have hungry nights where we don’t have enough money to get food.” Barely 10 days later, Napier, then named Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player after UConn’s national triumph, reiterated his struggle.
“There are hungry nights when I go to bed and I’m starving,” he said.
Juxtaposed against the glitz and confetti at the NFL palace in Arlington, Texas, Napier carried the athlete’s issue to the people. The NCAA earned $952 million that year, according to tax filings, and nearly $777 million from television rights. Napier received a full scholarship that included money for food and one meal per day provided by his athletics program. UConn men’s basketball, with all of its success and revenue, was not allowed to give Napier more than a snack except when traveling. In that world five years ago, a cracker with cream cheese was considered a meal.
