Can it really be a participation trophy if many teams are still not invited? An example of a participation trophy is when 6 year old kids each get a trophy for being in the local tee-ball league. Bowl games are still based on record even if 6-6 teams or even a couple 5-7 teams get in. If it was really a participation trophy 2-10 Purdue would be in a bowl game too. They did participate after all....
I'm also fine with giving kids a participation trophy for playing little league. If it gets kids excited about the game and keeps them active in it instead of sitting in front of the TV all day I'm all for it. I think it's silly for adults to get upset about this kind of thing. Does it really matter which tee-ball/little league team is the best? I guarantee you that the parents who are upset some other kid got a trophy even though that kid isn't as good as theirs is care way more about it than their kid does.
I agree with
msmith198025 here. I don't think it matters how many bowls there are. The fact that the Quick Lane Bowl exists doesn't make the Rose Bowl any less meaningful. If someone wants to watch a match-up between Central Michigan and Minnesota, so be it. I won't be watching even though I'm a Central Michigan alumni but it doesn't make me mad that the game exists because it has zero effect on my life.
These lower tier bowls are obviously making money or the companies wouldn't keep sponsoring them and ESPN wouldn't keep televising them. If they keep adding bowls every year eventually they will hit the point where some bowls aren't money makers and they will get dropped. It will all work itself out.