It's the season of giving, both for most Judeo-Christian households and for college football bowl committees. Sports Business Journal has compiled its annual list of bowl gifts and the gift suite is still en vogue, including at the Sugar Bowl.
Gifts are given out annually by the bowl to participating teams and are not allowed to exceed $550. Virginia Tech and Michigan players will have their pick of items from a gift suite in addition to a Reactor watch, New Era hat and Majestic fleece pullover.
Here are more details on the gift suite courtesy of SBJ:
Gift suites are rooms hosted by the bowl committee, operated by Carrollton, Texas-based Performance Award Center, and set up at the team hotel or a school campus. Players, coaches and VIPs are given checklists to choose their game memorabilia from a variety of items, including Sony electronics, Trek mountain bikes, Lane recliners, Ogio backpacks and Apple iPods.
The Sugar Bowl is one of at least 14 bowls utilizing the gift suite this year. In the past, the gift suites have been brought to campus, allowing players to not only pick their own gifts, but not worry about having to wait to receive it.
The bowl gifts are certainly one of the more interesting facets of the bowl system and one of the reasons it has such a firm foothold in college football. I don't know if the majority of players are in favor of a playoff or not, but you better believe they're in favor of getting their bowl gift.