swag.

SI compares the swag that goes into the gift bags received by student-athletes who make bowl games. Most of the responses seem to think that the iPod is the coolest item, but the list includes camcorders, rings, dvd players, and yes, iPods.

I don't know how to feel about this anymore. The work these kids put in generates big revenue for their schools, for the bowl games, for advertisers (theoretically), and why shouldn't the athletes get a little of the haul thrown their way in NCAA-approved chunks? But do these guys work that much harder than the kids at non-football-factory schools that don't get into bowl games? And do those kids get $350 swag bags? How about all the myriad sports with no bowl games and no swag for anyone? [Ok, I honestly have no idea whether other sports get swag, but I doubt it.]

Hey, I don't really care if 70 football players get to carry camcorders around thanks to football-boosting advertisers. It does support the argument that we should just throw out the pretense that they aren't paid somehow for their work. Even that argument is suspect, though; plenty of college kids get perks through their summer jobs, say, and that aren't monitored and controlled. Those are perhaps even more likely to be unfair in their distribution.

So, as I say, I have no idea how to feel about this stuff anymore.