Menu
Colleges

CFP, new bowls boost spending on gifts

The introduction of the College Football Playoff, the addition of several new postseason games (including one outside the U.S.), and the continued expansion of the player gift suite concept have brought a new level of organized chaos to those who work behind the scenes in college football’s postseason.

SportsBusiness Journal’s annual listing and analysis of the gift packages provided to bowl game participants by the committees that host the games reveal that at least $5.4 million will be spent this year on participants’ gifts. That’s up 11 percent
{podcast}

SBJ Podcast:
David Broughton and Brandon McClung, SBJ's research staff, discuss the annual list of college bowl gifts.

compared with the expenditures of a year ago. In addition, two-thirds of those organizations will stage a gift suite or shopping spree in the coming weeks, up from half the committees a year ago.

The NCAA allows each bowl to award up to $550 worth of gifts to 125 participants per school. Schools can, and usually do, buy additional gifts that they can distribute to participants beyond that 125 limit. In addition, participants can receive awards worth up to $400 from the school and up to $400 from the conference for postseason play, covering both conference title games and any bowl game.

Gift suites are set up as private events prior to the game in which game participants, and often bowl VIPs, are given an order form and allowed to select a gift, or gifts, up to a value that is predetermined by each bowl, not to exceed the NCAA limit. Roughly half the suites take place in the bowl’s host city, while the others are staged by the game’s committee on the campus of a participating college.

The gift suite concept was pioneered by Jon Cooperstein to coincide with the 2008 Orange Bowl. Cooperstein leads the sports marketing division for Performance Award Center, a Carrollton, Texas-based company that serves as a broker between high-end brands and companies that provide gifts and incentives to their employees and partners.

Few are more engaged in the gift-distribution process than Cooperstein.

Following the bowl selection announcements this past weekend, Cooperstein had about 20 hours to ship, via air, the 1,000-pound, three-pallet, 80-box load from Performance Award Center’s 60,000-square-foot distribution center to each of the schools that will be playing in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 20. Each shipment will contain the speakers, bikes, blenders, remote-control helicopters, headphones and dozens of other items that make up the suite. The bowl committee will host a gift suite on the campus of one of the participating schools on Wednesday and then will visit the campus of the opposing team on Thursday.

Cooperstein will continue on from there, with an 18-hour cameo at home in Tennessee on Dec. 24 the only exception. (“I’ll actually get to see my wife on Christmas Eve,” he said.) He’ll fly back out again on Christmas afternoon, heading for the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl. All told, Cooperstein and his staff of eight will be traveling to approximately 47 campus and/or game sites during the bowl season, racking up “well over 100,000 miles” of flights, he said. Each stop requires assembly of a complete gift suite that must be unpacked and repacked quickly.

The amount of inventory Performance Award Center will ship has more than tripled since 2010, when Cooperstein’s crew had eight full suites that moved around to the roughly 14 sites with which they worked.

Cooperstein said the most-ordered item in last year’s suites was Southern Motion’s powered home theater recliner that has two USB ports that can charge mobile devices. Beth Loden, Southern Motion’s strategic accounts director, said the company shipped 1,500 recliners via last year’s gift suites. Last year was the company’s first appearance in the bowl gift genre, and it’s returning this year.

Beats by Dre products were the second-most ordered item in 2013, Cooperstein said, with the GLD Viper Razorback self-healing dartboard close behind that.

Of course, Cooperstein is just one of many for td> 

Southern Motion’s recliner was the most popular item in Performance Award Center gift suites last year, followed by Beats by Dre products and the GLD Viper Razorback dartboard.
whom the serious bowl business begins now that the games’ matchups have been set.

Lea Miller is the founder and president of Complete Sports Management, the operator of the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, college football’s only postseason game played outside the U.S. Although the game’s location is inviting to the participants, and the gift-giving tradition is timely (the bowl will be played on Christmas Eve), there were some unique considerations to be made.

Miller said that rather than deal with the taxes, customs and tariffs that would have been involved with getting gifts shipped to the islands, or hosting a suite on-site, it was easier to host the events on the campuses of the respective schools.

“We knew early on that we would probably have to distribute the gifts on the mainland,” she said. “But in a saturated bowl market, the destination is the differential, and when the teams arrive, the Ministry of Tourism will be providing a Bahamian-style Mardi Gras-type experience.”

In addition to the gifts the players will choose during their suite visits, each Bahamas Bowl participant will receive an Ogio backpack and a New Era cap. (Popeyes also will provide the participants, via the conferences, tumblers emblazoned with its logo before the players leave the mainland.)

Like Cooperstein, Miller noted the need to work quickly: Just two weeks separate selection Sunday from the teams’ arrival in the Bahamas.

This year’s new bowl games in Boca Raton, Fla., and Montgomery, Ala., also opted for gift suites for their inaugural gift offerings. The other two new, non-championship game committees opted to negotiate with vendors on their own.

The Miami Beach Bowl, which is run by the American Athletic Conference and has a six-year rental agreement at Marlins Park, is providing players with, among other things, items from Under Armour, a top-tier corporate partner of the committee.

The Quick Lane Bowl, which is run by the Detroit Lions, will be providing each participant in that game a custom-made Fathead with the player’s likeness. Fathead is based in Detroit.

Including gift packages for players, cheerleaders, staff and VIPs, Fossil products will be handed out by 15 bowl committees this year, matching that brand’s total from last year’s bowl season. Sony, Trek and Xbox have the potential of being the top giveaways, as their products are available in nearly every gift suite.

While a spokesman for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl would not disclose the contents of that game’s gift packages, New Era officials said bowl participants will receive a selection of the company’s products.

Similarly, Goodyear Cotton Bowl representatives would not disclose the contents of their gift packages. Organizers of the national championship game also declined to provide details of their presents, but a spokesperson for the championship game said those participating players would not be visiting a gift suite — as the committee knows that all the participants coming to that game would have already had that experience at the national semifinal games (the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl) in the preceding days.

And when it’s all done, the craziness of the season always pays off, Cooperstein said.

“The bowls are not our clients; the players and schools’ VIPs are,” he said. “If the selection looks good, then the players, the administration, the coaches’ wives and the VIPs are happy — and if they’re happy, it helps everyone’s bottom line.”

2014 Bowl Gifts to Participants

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 20, 11 a.m. (ESPN); New Orleans
Gift suite; Fossil watch

Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Dec. 20, 2:20 p.m. (ESPN); Albuquerque, N.M.
Gift suite; AudioSource Sound pop portable/mobile speaker; mobile phone charger and cord; Oakley Works backpack; Oakley Enduro sunglasses; Oakley fine knit beanie; cap; Gildan stadium blanket

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. (ABC); Las Vegas
Gift suite; Oakley Works backpack

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Dec. 20, 5:45 p.m. (ESPN); Boise, Idaho
Gift suite; Ogio backpack; winter coat; winter gloves; winter beanie; Big Game football

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Dec. 20, 9:15 p.m. (ESPN); Montgomery, Ala.
Gift suite; Fossil watch; cap; souvenir pylon; football

Miami Beach Bowl
Dec. 22, 2 p.m. (ESPN); Miami
Under Armour sunglasses; Under Armour cap; Oakley Halifax backpack; electronics product

Boca Raton Bowl
Dec. 23, 6 p.m. (ESPN); Boca Raton, Fla.
Gift suite

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Dec. 23, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN); San Diego
$395 Best Buy gift card; Fossil watch; cap

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
Dec. 24, Noon (ESPN); Nassau, Bahamas
Gift suite; Ogio Marshall Pack backpack; New Era 39Thirty cap

Hawaii Bowl
Dec. 24, 8 p.m. (ESPN); Honolulu
Gift suite; Oakley Holbrook sunglasses; Oakley Works backpack; Tori Richard aloha shirt; Pro Athletics T-shirt and shorts/swim trunks; beach towel

Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl
Dec. 26, 1 p.m. (ESPN); Dallas
Gift suite; Ogio Marshall Pack backpack; beanie; Big Game football

Quick Lane Bowl
Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN); Detroit
$250 Best Buy gift card; Sony headphones; custom-made Fathead for each player, with his likeness; various apparel; football

Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl
Dec. 26, 8 p.m. (ESPN); St. Petersburg, Fla.
Gift suite; Oakley Breadbox sunglasses; Oakley Works backpack

Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman
Dec. 27, 1 p.m. (ESPN); Annapolis, Md.
Microsoft Xbox One console; Under Armour backpack; Mighty Boom Ball speakers; beanie

Hyundai Sun Bowl
Dec. 27, 2 p.m. (CBS); El Paso, Texas
Gift suite; Timely Watch Co. watch; Ogio Politan backpack; Helen of Troy hair dryer; Majestic fleece pullover; Top of the World cap

Duck Commander Independence Bowl
Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m. (ABC); Shreveport, La.
Gift suite; Timely Watch Co. watch; New Era ski cap; football

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN); Bronx, N.Y.
Variety of New Era products

National University Holiday Bowl
Dec. 27, 8 p.m. (ESPN); San Diego
$445 Best Buy gift card and shopping trip^; Fossil watch; cap

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Dec. 29, 2 p.m. (ESPN); Memphis
Sol Republic Deck Ultra wireless bluetooth speaker; Bulova watch; Nike athletic shoes; Nike sport sandals; Nike sunglasses; Nike backpack; game ball

Russell Athletic Bowl
Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN); Orlando
$447 Best Buy gift card and shopping trip^; watch; athletic performance shirt

AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl
Dec. 29, 9 p.m. (ESPN); Houston
Gift suite; Adidas Team Speed duffel bag; cap; belt buckle

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Dec. 30, 3 p.m. (ESPN); Nashville
Gift suite; Fossil watch

Belk Bowl
Dec. 30, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN); Charlotte
Shopping trip to Belk department store; Fossil watch

Foster Farms Bowl
Dec. 30, 10 p.m. (ESPN); Santa Clara, Calif.
Gift suite; Fossil watch

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN); Atlanta
$300 Vanilla Visa gift card; Chick-fil-A gift card; Apple TV; Fossil watch; football

Vizio Fiesta Bowl
Dec. 31, 4 p.m. (ESPN); Glendale, Ariz.
Gift suite; Fossil watch; Ogio Rogue backpack

Capital One Orange Bowl
Dec. 31, 8 p.m. (ESPN); Miami Gardens, Fla.
Gift suite; Tourneau watch

Outback Bowl
Jan. 1, Noon (ESPN2); Tampa
$150 Best Buy gift card; Outback Steakhouse gift card; Fossil watch; Jostens ring; cap

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Jan. 1, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN); Arlington, Texas
Information not available; bowl committee would not disclose

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
Jan. 1, 1 p.m. (ABC); Orlando
$447 Best Buy gift card and shopping trip^; watch; athletic performance shirt

Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
Jan. 1, 5 p.m. (ESPN); Pasadena, Calif.
Gift suite; Fossil watch; Oakley Works backpack; New Era 59Fifty cap

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN); New Orleans
Gift suite; Fossil watch; New Era cap

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Jan. 2, Noon (ESPN); Fort Worth, Texas
Gift suite; Ogio Marshall Pack backpack; beanie; Big Game football

TaxSlayer Bowl
Jan. 2, 3:20 p.m. (ESPN); Jacksonville
Panasonic gift suite; Fossil watch

Valero Alamo Bowl
Jan. 2, 6:45 p.m. (ESPN); San Antonio
GoPro Hero4 Silver camera and 32GB memory card; Fossil watch; Oakley Works backpack; Schutt mini helmet; panoramic photo

TicketCity Cactus Bowl
Jan. 2, 10:15 p.m. (ESPN); Tempe, Ariz.
Gift suite; Fossil watch; Ogio Rogue backpack

Birmingham Bowl
Jan. 3, 1 p.m. (ESPN); Birmingham, Ala.
Gift suite; Oakley sunglasses; beanie; hooded sweatshirt; Big Game football

GoDaddy Bowl
Jan. 4, 9 p.m. (ESPN); Mobile, Ala.
Sol Republic Tracks Air wireless/bluetooth on-ear headphones; watch; Coleman chair; military style backpack; Wilson football

College Football Playoff National Championship Game presented by AT&T
Jan. 12, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN); Arlington, Texas
Information not available; bowl committee would not disclose

^ To be spent during the team’s official store visit.
Notes: All times listed are ET. Product details are provided as they were available as of Dec. 4. Most watches, rings, clothing, luggage and footballs are custom-made with the bowl logo. Gift suites are set up as private events in which game participants, and often bowl VIPs, are given an order form and allowed to select a gift, or gifts, up to a value that is predetermined by each specific bowl, not to exceed the NCAA limit of $550 per person.
Compiled by David Broughton, Brandon McClung and Shelby O’Brien
Sources: Bowl committees and vendors

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2014/12/08/Colleges/Bowl-gifts.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2014/12/08/Colleges/Bowl-gifts.aspx

CLOSE