Football Bowl Game Gifts

Playing in a bowl game is always a great reward for a college football player. In addition to celebrating a season of hard work and success on the field, it is an opportunity to take home myriad gifts from the various sponsors of each bowl game. From electronics to apparel to backpacks, student athletes often find a treasure trove of products waiting for them upon their arrival in town for the game.

  1. Electronics

    • One of the more popular gift types for bowl game participants is electronics. Based on 2009 bowl gifts, these options can include an iPod Touch (Meineke Car Care Bowl), Garmin GPS (Humanitarian Bowl), an RCA HD mini-camcorder (GMAC Bowl), or simply a Best Buy gift certificate (Outback Bowl). Overall, electronics are a popular gift type, with 32 out of 34 bowl games in 2009 offering at least one type of electronic gift to its participants.

    Jewelry

    • Jewelry is another gift type that many bowl participants received in 2009. Specifically, watches are the predominant gift, with 27 different bowl games offering watches to its players. The most popular brand in 2009 was Fossil, which provided watches as gifts to 13 different bowl games; Timely Watch Co. was also a frequent provider, contributing gifts to 9 different games.

    Apparel

    • Apparel is one of the more visible gift types, with athletes often donning the gifts in public in the days leading up to the actual bowl game. Whether providing Oakley sunglasses (Gator Bowl), Nike training shoes (Liberty Bowl) or a New Era cap (Sugar Bowl), apparel is a broad gift category that is often well-received with the student athletes.

    Luggage

    • Another gift option would be luggage. Historically a popular gift option at bowl games, a trend has recently emerged toward more laptop-specific luggage. In 2009, laptop packs were offered as gifts at 11 separate bowl games, all of which were provided by Ogio. Additionally, 7 other bowl games provided backpacks manufactured by either Oakley, Under Armour or Armor Gear.

    Footballs

    • Appropriately, many bowls choose to memorialize the game by offering participants a commemorative football. This gift often includes details like game date, venue and participating teams. Recent bowl games to offer a football as a gift include the Independence Bowl, International Bowl and GMAC Bowl.

    Title Sponsor Gifts

    • Occasionally, the title or presenting sponsor of the bowl game is in a position to offer a gift to participants as well. Most times, this applies to sponsors in the retail or food service divisions, and often comes in the form of a gift card. In 2009, players at both the Outback Bowl and Chick-Fil-A Bowl received gift cards from Outback and Chick-Fil-A, respectively, for their participation.

    Miscellaneous Gifts

    • Sometimes, gifts offered have little, if any, correlation to football or the title sponsor. Occasionally there is a relationship with the game venue or location - as was the case in 2009 when Texas Bowl participants received a Texas-themed belt buckle. In some cases though, like the Sugar Bowl offering a Lane Recliner to participants, the tie-in can be a bit more difficult to deduce, but the gesture resonates just the same.