A trip to a bowl game is something a player will remember forever — whether he is the star of the team or someone who rarely plays. Going to a bowl game not only is a chance to explore the attractions of an unfamiliar city — sorry, Maryland — but it also involves expensive goodie bags that make the trip even sweeter.
All of the bowls will be giving players a suite of gifts, and in some cases they’ll be sent directly to the players before they leave town for the bowls.
Each bowl, according to NCAA rules, is allowed to award up to $500 worth of gifts to 125 participants per school. The most popular items are watches — last year more than 10,000 were given away — and electronics, which can from range an XBox to digital camcorders. IPods and portable DVD players also are popular gifts.
| Bowl bounty | |
| Maryland, Navy and Virginia Tech are three of 70 teams receiving a little extra this holiday season — courtesy of their bowl hosts. | |
| Team | Notable gift |
| Maryland (Military) | Sony Dash |
| Navy (Poinsettia) | Fossil watch |
| Va. Tech (Orange) | Tourneau watch |
According to the Sports Business Journal, an example of what one player from a consistently solid program can receive over the course of his career is Virginia Tech punter Brian Saunders — a fifth-year senior who was part of three ACC championship teams and has made four bowl appearances.
Saunders has received seven watches, seven rings, Oakley Thump MP3 sunglasses, an iPod nano, a GPS system, a Sony PlayStation Portable and noise-canceling headphones.
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
