Gifts for College Football Players in Bowl Games

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has strict policies to prevent student athletes from receiving improper benefits. However, players on teams that reach post season Bowl games have received gifts as far back as the 1950s. As of 2011, NCAA rules stipulate that players are entitled to receive $500 from event management and up to $350 from their school for taking part in a Bowl game.

  1. Clothing

    • Clothing and apparel is commonly given to Bowl game participants. Oakley sunglasses were distributed to players at the New Mexico, Beef O'Brady's, Hawaii and Gator Bowl games in 2010. Players in the Humanitarian, Independence, Sugar, Orange and New Mexico Bowl games received New Era hats, while players in the Poinsettia and Holiday Bowl games got hooded sweatshirts. Hawaii Bowl officials also issued custom shorts, T-shirts, golf shirts and visors.

    Electronics

    • In 2010, the New Orleans, Texas, Alamo, Music City and Liberty Bowl game organizers handed out iPods to participating players. Players in the Hawaii, Alamo, Music City, Sugar and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl got headphones, and Military Bowl participants got Altec Lansing inMotion portable speakers. An Xbox with Kinect was the main gift for Alamo Bowl players, while GoDaddy.com participants got a Nikon S70 touchscreen camera.

    Gift Suites

    • In 2008, Orange Bowl officials rented a suite at the team hotels and stocked it with electronic products. Athletes scoured the room and made a list--up to $300 in value--of the items they wanted. Several other bowls adopted the gift suite concept in the two bowl seasons that followed. Some of them set up rooms equipped with numerous products on the campuses of the competing schools. In 2010, four of the five BCS Bowl games had a gift suite.

    Watches

    • Watches are one of the most commonly featured gifts given to Bowl game participants. Jon Cooperstein, a salesman from Performance Award Center, the leading player in the gift suite market, said more than 10,000 watches and electronic goods were Bowl gifts in the 2009 Bowl season. Fossil, Timely Watch Co. and Tourneau combined to provide watches for more than 20 Bowl games in 2010.

    Other Gifts

    • Backpacks, duffel bags and commemorative items are staples of many of the gift packages. These commemorative mementos include footballs, mini replica helmets and souvenir coins. Participants in the 2010 Texas Bowl also received a commemorative belt buckle.