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One of my favorite things about bowl season is that each bowl gives every player a gift for making it to a bowl. This is mostly because I’m a milennial who likes free shit college athletes should be and aren’t paid everyone deserves gifts and trophies for participating it’s a nice little congratulations for having a good season and spending time away from their families during the holidays.
Well, what do Iowa players get from the Outback Bowl for participating in this game? Let’s take a look at what they’re getting.
- $150 Best Buy gift card: Yo, this is pretty dope! I’d be down for 150 bucks to Best Buy! I’m not really sure what I’d buy for this amount of money, but it’d definitely contribute to a pair of headphones or something like that. Players in the Outback Bowl are probably getting ripped off a bit, seeing as how Maryland players got $200 for being in the damn Quick Lane Bowl. Whatever. Free money is free money. Can’t complain about that!
- Outback Steakhouse gift card: Pretty dope too! This time, it’s a mysterious undisclosed amount of money. I wonder if this is more so that while they’re in Florida, they get to go to the Outback Steakhouse and just eat whatever they want and it’s free. Regardless, free food is the best food, and the Outback Steakhouse is pretty good anyway. If you offered me free Taco Bell, I’d probably be ecstatic, and I hate Taco Bell.
- Fossil Watch: This one could be pretty hit or miss with the players. Since everyone has a cell phone these days, not everyone wears a watch. I wear a watch, and even when I do, I often find myself looking at my phone to see what time it is anyway. Regardless, Fossil makes some pretty nice watches though, so if they’re into that kind of thing, this could be a nice gift. If they’re not into watches, it’d still make a *fire emojis* accessory if they’re trying to step up their outfit.
- Jostens ring: I think these ones just go to the winners, which would make the most sense? Maybe? If I were an athlete, I probably wouldn’t want a ring to commemorate the game that I lost. Then again, I think I once read somewhere that the older players have a 2013 Outback Bowl ring and Iowa definitely didn’t win that one, so maybe they just get a big ring for being in the game. Regardless, this is definitely one of those “put it in the trophy case and never touch it” kinds of gifts. I have a Jostens class ring from high school, and that’s probably in my closet from my childhood bedroom somewhere. It’s a cool piece of memorabilia.
- Bowl hat: Pretty self-explanatory. You get hat that has the Outback Bowl logo. If they win, they’ll get to wear it around everywhere. If they lose, it’ll probably get lost under a bed somewhere.
Most importantly, the Outback Bowl is the only bowl game that celebrates you, THE FAN. That’s right! In case you haven’t heard, you, THAT’S RIGHT, YOU! the fan get a free appetizer no matter what the outcome of the game is! If the Florida Gators win, then everyone gets a free Bloomin’ Onion on January 3rd. If the Iowa Hawkeyes win, then everyone gets free Coconut Shrimp instead. I’m personally a Bloomin’ Onion guy, but I think my Hawkeyes fandom is strong enough to the point where I wouldn’t be all that upset with Coconut Shrimp. After all, I won’t have done anything to deserve either.
If you’re interested in seeing what the other bowls are offering players, SB Nation has you covered.