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Today’s Case

UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers opens free grocery store inside Minnesota junior high school

Paige Bueckers is taking on the growing problem of food insecurity head-on by helping open a free grocery store inside Hopkins West Junior High School in Minnetonka, a Twin Cities junior high she attended.

In partnership with hunger relief company Goodr and learning platform Chegg, the latter of which Bueckers is a student-athlete brand ambassador for, this project helps families bridge the gap between paychecks and allow them to shop for free, high-quality grocery items.

This is not the first time Bueckers has addressed food insecurity. Last year, she also teamed with Chegg and Goodr to host a free pop-up grocery market at the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis while the city hosted the NCAA Women's Final Four. The pop-up provided 150 families with free groceries, totaling 6,000 meals.

The Verdict:

• Love seeing college-athletes using their NIL platform for good.

  • It’s always nice to see them giving back in big ways to the less fortunate, be it food pantries, community service, cleaning up parks, etc.

• We are starting to see more NIL deals that have a community service component to it. It’s a win for the athlete (partnership, potential payday, etc.) and the organizations involved (increased help, recognition, potential boost in donations, etc.)

• Seeing deals like this might motivate other student-athletes to emulate and give back to communities, whether in the city they attend school or their hometown.

• Even thought Bueckers missed this past basketball season due to ACL surgery, this didn’t stop her from doing something good for her hometown school - further proof that on-court/on-field performance is independent of NIL efforts.

Texas A&M wide receiver Evan Stewart signs NIL deal with luxury brand Coach

Stewart has been posting more content on social media featuring Coach products. Head over to TikTok for a quick 30 second video!

Question of the Day

What is your take on NIL deals that have a community aspect tied to it?

• Love it

• Indifferent

• Feels forced

Vote on the Sports Court Instagram Story and comment below.

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Court is adjourned. Go be great!!