Exclusive ESPN Avatar Items

Free stuff. On Xbox LIVE. Yeah, that’s kind of a big deal. It’s not very often that we get anything back from paying for the peer-to-peer network and free applications that are Xbox LIVE “Gold”. Maybe once or twice a year at most. This time it’s some football gear for your avatar, right as football season is ending…The first thing you need to do is download the College Bowl Showdown Registration Gamerpic. That will earn you an ESPN jersey and entry into the Sweepstakes. Earn more entries by watching streaming ESPN content via your Xbox 360 console each day. Watching one of the 32 featured College Bowl games through ESPN on 360 between January 1st through the 10th will get you bonus entries and a funky ESPN football hat for your avatar.

The hat would look much better if it wore from front to back, instead of side to side. Seriously, it’s like M.C. Escher. How do those proportions even work? What we really need is Kudo Tsunoda to show us the back of the Football Hat, cause I think we all really want to know what it looks like…BAM! Guess we’ll just have to wait till they send out codes after the promotion.

There’s even a bit of a bonus for those not paying for Xbox Live Gold. On December 26th & 27th, the ESPN application will unlock temporarily for free members (so much easier to say Silver and understand, why did you have to change it Microsoft?). So you might be able to nab the jersey, even if you aren’t Golden. Don’t miss out on these limited time exclusive avatar items, they may not be available ever again after the Sweepstakes ends. Full details of the program below.

From Xbox.com:

With ESPN on Xbox 360, enjoy 32 of the major bowl games live and streaming to your console. Predict the outcome of the games beforehand with the College Bowl Showdown application and see how your picks stand up against your friends. As a special holiday bonus, ESPN Unlock on December 26 and 27 will allow free members to participate and watch games and enter the big sweepstakes.

College Bowl game schedule on ESPN.com

Sweepstakes Info

Enter the College Bowl Showdown Sweepstakes for a chance to attend the ESPY Awards or tour ESPN headquarters. Just register your gamertag and enjoy ESPN on Xbox LIVE to enter online.*

You’ll also enjoy some free avatar accessories just by entering, such as an ESPN avatar jersey and an ESPN avatar hat.

Sweepstakes Registration

Only registered gamertags are eligible for the sweepstakes. To register, you must download the free ESPN College Bowl Showdown Gamer Picture. You can add the gamer pic to your download queue here, or you can access the free gamer pic via the banner ads running on Xbox LIVE, or in the Gamer Picture section of the Xbox LIVE dashboard.

Sweepstakes Entry

This sweepstakes entry period begins at 12:01 A.M. Pacific Time (PT) on December 15 and ends at 11:59 P.M. PT on January 10. Registered players can earn entries as follows:

One entry for downloading the College Bowl Showdown gamer pic.
One entry for each day you watch streaming ESPN content on Xbox LIVE between December 15 – 31.
Two entries for each day you watch streaming ESPN content on Xbox LIVE between January 1 – 9.
Three entries if you watch streaming ESPN content on Xbox LIVE on January 10.
There is a limit of 39 entries per person/gamertag.

Sweepstakes Prizes

All qualified entrants will receive an e-mail token to download the ESPN avatar jersey by downloading the gamer picture. If you participate in the sweepstakes by watching ESPN content on or after January 1, you’ll receive an additional token to download the ESPN avatar hat. One grand Prize Package and one First Prize Package will be awarded.

Grand Prize Package: Trip for two to the ESPY Awards and after-party access (must be 21+). Trip includes airfare, hotel, and admission to the events.
First Prize Package: Trip for two to ESPN headquarters in Bristol. Trip includes airfare, hotel, a chance to meet some of the ESPN crew, and lunch in the world-renowned cafeteria.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States (includes D.C.) 18+ Sweepstakes ends 11:59 P.M. PT January 10, 2011. Live and on-demand sports through ESPN on Xbox LIVE also requires an ESPN3.com affiliated broadband provider. See ESPN3.com for provider details. For sweepstakes details including free, alternate method of entry, see the Official Rules.

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