Wheaties Box Isn’t For Amateurs

The gold-medalwinning U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team - or at least most of it - is being featured on commemorative Wheaties cereal boxes.

General Mills Inc. unveiled its box Sunday, featuring a photograph of 15 of the 20 team members holding their gold medals. Five players were left off to ensure they retain their college eligibility.

National Collegiate Athletic Association rules prohibit athletes from participating in any marketing that would imply they endorse a product.

The Minnesota-based cereal maker said the eligibility issue came up when the U.S. women’s gymnastics team was on the Wheaties box after the 1996 Summer Olympics. Gymnast Kerri Strug, who still had college eligibility, ended up on the box after deciding to turn professional.

“I’m kind of jealous,” said Jenny Schmidgall, a hockey medalist who will be a freshman at Minnesota this fall and was left off the Wheaties box photo. “I’m a little sad. But I still know it’s my team, and I wouldn’t want to take this away from anyone else. The picture is really great. In spirit, we’re all on that box.”