Bowl game bonanza extends to asmuch as $1,200 worth of goodies for the athletes.
The iPod Nano: To the bowl participants go the spoils.Bless his heart. Little Randy Runningback will remember his team's appearance in the 2010 Portapotty Bowl forever and ever.
There will be the scrapbook, with its pictures and press clippings. The "Good Luck, Kiddo!"card from Great-uncle Heathcliff. Maybe even a youtube video.
And if all those things don't do the trick, there's always the swag.
An account from thesportsjournal.com notes:
The NCAA allows each bowl to award up to $500 worth of gifts to 125 participants per school. Schools can, and almost always do, purchase additional packages that they can distribute to participants beyond that 125 limit. In addition, participants can receive awards worth up to $350 from the school and up to $350 from the conference for postseason play, covering both conference title games and any bowl game.
By our count, that's $1,200 in goodies. Which makes it easy to understand this excerpt from David Broughton's story on bowl game gift suites:
Virginia Tech punter Brian Saunders has a stat line that reads far deeper than his one season of on-field action provides.
Seven rings, seven watches, Oakley Thump MP3 sunglasses, an iPod nano, a GPS system, a Sony PlayStation Portable and noise-canceling headphones — not to mention a bounty of apparel.
Such is the haul for a fifth-year player who after this past weekend’s ACC championship game has been with the Hokies for seven postseason games: three conference title games and four bowl games.
The goodies have come courtesy of various bowl committees, the ACC and Virginia Tech as a reward for participating in the postseason games. It’s a seasonal gift-giving practice that gets its greatest visibility this month, with the start of bowl season.
By the way, here's what Ohio State and Arkansas, who play in the Sugar Bowl, will get: Sleek Audio custom earphones, an electronics gift suite, Reactor Meltdown watch; and a New Era cap.
For a complete list of bowl booty, click here.