Play College Football, Get a Wii

Sometimes the perks that go along with playing college football are too good to be true. Not only are you playing before cheering crowds of fans, you also have the possibility of appearing on national television and if you are interested – you may just get to grope a drunken cheerleader at a frat party without getting sued for sexual harassment. Add to these perks the Nintendo Wii which players from LSU and Ohio State will be playing in their dorm rooms after playing in the Bowl Championship Series.The Buckeyes and Tigers will also receive several other gifts for participating in the game on Jan. 7 in New Orleans, and I am just wondering if this is allowed by the NCAA? I mean, if a coach cannot give a football player a car for playing on a team, why can they get a Wii when everyone else around the globe is beating each other up in the stores over the last remaining console?

Apparently, the college bowls which are presenting the Wii had to work extra hard to reserve the popular Nintendo invention. According to Mark Neville, a spokesman for the Holiday Bowl in San Diego (which is also giving out Wii consoles) “It was not easy”. The Alamo Bowl in San Antonio is another bowl giving out the Wii in its gift package. Along with four Wii titles, the not so cool gifts being handed out to players, such as the Ohio State Buckeyes and LSU Tigers, are a baseball cap, a watch, and a fleece pullover. Well, if the watch was a Rolex, that might be pretty darn cool – but I bet it is more along the lines of a Swatch.

According to NCAA guidelines dealing with amateurism, a bowl can spend up to $500 per team member. Each school can also give merchandise worth up to $350 per player. So, I guess the car theory goes out the window. The Outback bow in Tampa, Fla is giving players a Sony digital camera, a custom ring and a watch and the participants in the Rose Bowl, Illinois and USC, will receive a Sony Bravia home-theater system. The Sugar Bowl is giving the players from Hawaii and Georgia a Sony digital camcorder.

The Capital One and Champs Sports bowls, both played in Orlando, Fla., are allowing the players themselves to choose what they want for playing; therefore each player gets a $400 Best Buy gift card, and get a behind closed doors shopping spree closed to the public.

This means that no matter if you sit on the bench or are an offensive lineman, you get the goods. Sometimes, it pays to be a football player, no matter if you suck or not you get perks of some sort. Now, if they will just give out get out of jail free cards to players who get arrested for DWI, playing college football will be the main sport of choice for college students.

Thanks: Sporting News