Bucks head coach Doc Rivers makes bold statement over SNAP benefits

Basketball is just a game. A game fans love to watch to get them away from the everyday struggles of life. That’s why the NBA is one of the most popular sports leagues.

On most occasions, the NBA and its personnel stick to basketball. At other times, social problems become so significant that they call for a discussion.

This is what Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers recently did. He weighed in on the US government shutdown and how the stoppage of food assistance is a terrible situation.

“This one is not political. The SNAP programs across the country, especially Wisconsin, ‘cause that’s where I’m at right now, are gonna get delayed,” Rivers said. “And this is for Republicans and Democrats: We’re talking about kids not getting food. And that should never happen.

“I don’t want to hear about ‘people are cheating the program’ and all that crap. A six-year-old, seven-year-old kid is cheating nothing. And we are going to cheat the kids if we don’t take care of this. Our Republican and Democratic Senators and the government have not done their jobs. And so, the problem is the kids have to pay? And that’s ridiculous, right?”

“And finally on that, truancy and hunger are the two biggest issues for kids learning in school. Literally. They have proven that a kid can be in the worst area in the world, literally the worst area, but if he can just get to school and eat, he can learn,” Rivers continued.

“And so, we have to make sure that we feed our kids. We can drop all the other stuff, figure it out all later. But we gotta feed our kids.”