The NCAA is very strict when it comes to showering players with money and gifts; however, come bowl season do they ever make it rain. This year, the NCAA is allowing each player under “special benefits” to receive up to $500 worth of gifts from their bowl host and up to an additional $350 from the player’s school if the school so elects (this does not include the player’s cash per diem).
The 2009 bowl gift list is nothing to scoff about. The ball caps and t-shirts of yesterday are being replaced with the likes of Oakley sunglasses, HDTVs, camcorders, IPods, gift cards, Trek mountain bikes, and Sony electronics.
For instance, the players in the NCG will receive a Trek mountain bike, a Garmin GPS, a watch, and other valuable SWAG. With the billions of dollars surrounding the bowl games, it’s only fitting the players receive a piece of the pie. After all, they are the ones the fans come to see.
