What do you buy for a die-hard sports nut? Good question. Since Kelly and I are pretty clueless when it comes to sports, I asked a Toronto-based sports lover to chime in on what he, and any other sports aficionado would love to be gifted this year. His love (obsession?) for all sports from baseball, hockey and squash to tennis, football and golf truly makes him the perfect authority on this topic. Who is this sports lover? My brother, Eric!
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After months and months of sitting on the sidelines, the day has finally come: I’ve been asked to write a blog post. My sister has always ridiculed both the content and grammar in my writing so I was not sure I would ever pass the literacy test required to write a guest post. Fortunately for my dream, her lack of expertise in the sports arena has surpassed her fear of my incomprehensible ramblings…here we go.
Under $25
1) This is the year! The Toronto Blue Jays have made some big off-season player acquisitions and are sure to be the talk of the town come April. For under $15 you can get your very own seat to watch the action live. Nothing says I care more than a day at the ol’ ball park.
2) Every die hard sports could ramble off a list of their top 5 sports movies of all time in about three seconds. I have been personally touched by the likes of Happy Gilmour, Slapshot, Rocky, Major League 1 and the greatest sports movie of all time: Rudy. Having Rudy in personal collection allows me to hide away in my cave and bust out a good tear session when I’m home alone, and nobody will ever know.
Under $100
1) Did I mention how great I thought the Blue Jays are going to be this year? Part of the excitement of being a sports fan is being able to wear your team’s colours with pride. More often than not, these items are created with the male in mind. Victoria Secret has launched a full line of baseball apparel for that die hard female who wants to support her team in style. If there is something sexier than a girl decked out in Jays gear, I’ve yet to see it.
2) For the avid golfer out there, there is probably very little in the way of equipment that they don’t own. If there is something they are missing and they’re anything like me, the specification need to be to exact or it just won’t cut it. Moral of the story: stay away from equipment and gadgets and lean towards apparel. Golf Town is the place to go and carries a variety of designers and styles.
Splurge
1) If you’re in tune with the specific teams and athletes your special someone cheers for, nothing hits home better than sports memorabilia. The authentic jersey, autographed ball or game-used anything is a unique gift that they will cherish forever. Most sellers have their businesses online, but with that comes fraud and fake items. Be careful when buying “authentic” or “autographed” items; for every real item, there are probably 10 fake ones. Stick to reputable retail websites such as Upper Deck or Pro Sports Memorabilia if you aren’t sure.
2) The ultimate gift for the true sports nut is the live experience. Amongst all of the sports items I have, there is nothing I cherish more than my memories of the events I’ve attended. A great idea is to buy a couple of tickets for him/her to go watch March Madness (the college basketball tournament that infiltrates our lives for March and April). Tickets range from $40-$160 and the second round of games this year is taking place just outside of Detroit, Michigan. What die hard sports fan wouldn’t love a road trip to watch the best sports tournament on the planet?
for the love of awesome 