Gifts for Sports Fans

I'm crazy about Baseball; my son loves pro-football, our family all enjoyed soccer, and my grandson now plays baseball. Our family is full of sports fans and we enjoy receiving gifts related to our favorite sports.

There is probably at least one sports fan ... possibly several ... on your shopping list. Here I have compiled a group of sports gift suggestions, including some that are unique and different you might not have thought of, to make your shopping quicker and easier, whenever a gift is needed for the sports fan on your list. Also included are a few personal pictures and sports stories from our 'sports-minded' family.

*Images are from my personal collection, unless otherwise stated. ~Wednesday-Elf

Who STILL wishes he could have played football!

None of the 'kids' in our family ever played football on a team, although my youngest son dearly wanted to. When he was 8-years-old there was a sign-up for recreational football in our area. He wanted to play so badly, but the weight requirements were between 65-95 lbs. He was small for his age and weighed just 60 lbs. He begged and begged the couch to consider him, saying he'd eat a bunch, drink lots of milk... whatever it took! But couch explained ... gently, to this disappointed boy ... that he had to enforce the weight requirement. He said if a 95 lb. boy landed on a 60 lb. boy, he'd get 'hurt'!

My 'very disappointed' boy finally ended up playing soccer, but he always wished he could have played football. Today he is a huge pro-football fan, following his favorite teams and keeping up with player stats, etc. He's now the father of two teenage boys and hoped that one of them would want to play football -- but as fate would have it, the oldest boy prefers 'baseball'!

When our youngest son played soccer in the Central California Youth Recreational Soccer League, hubby & I were talked into becoming referees. Turned out to be the most fun ever! We had a great group of dads (and one mom - ME) who volunteered their time every Saturday for 4 months each year. A better, more involved group you'll never find.

Bob & I were referees for two years while our son was in the 6 to 12 year age group for this league. That's US, in the back row - Bob second from the right, Pat (the Elf) third from the right! Weren't we 'cute' in our ref uniforms? :)

Between both my boys playing soccer and their dad & I being soccer referees for two years, soccer gifts play a big part in our gift-giving.

I love all things Baseball -- watching MLB games on TV and at the stadium, when possible, reading baseball books, viewing movies about baseball, and learning trivia and tidbits about baseball places and players.

My Dream would be to visit all 30 MLB Baseball stadiums and see all things related to baseball. I've already been to TWO stadiums, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO (home of the St. Louis Cardinals) and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri (home of the Kansas City Royals). Only 28 more to go!

This book looks like the perfect beginning, spotlighting some wonderful baseball-related places to visit. I've already been to the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa. This book will be a 'for sure' addition to my library!

*Now all I need to 'follow my Dream' is to win the Lottery!

And my brother-in-law, Michael, was there...

My sister's husband, Michael, has been a fan of Ice Hockey his entire life. In his youth, he played hockey in amateur competition and later was a coach for his son's team. Michael lives in western New York State and when he learned that the 1980 Winter Olympics were to be held in Lake Placid, NY, he immediately set about getting tickets.

Between February 12 to February 24, 1980, Michael was present in the Olympic Fieldhouse and the Olympic Arena in Lake Placid, NY to watch twelve ice hockey teams from around the world compete for a medal in the final rounds. The 'highlight' of his trip was the day the United States won the gold medal with a win over the Soviet Union that became known as the "Miracle on Ice".

I'd never been a hockey fan, except for watching my brother-in-law play, but the 1980 Winter Olympics hockey changed all that. While watching all the Olympic Hockey Games leading up to that 'Miracle' game, I even looked up hockey rules so that I would understand terms like 'face off' and 'icing'.

Today I'm a much more informed fan!

And Sports Gifts are Special to Fans

If you're a Sports Fan, the most enjoyable gifts are those that relate to your favorite sport. Mine is BASEBALL and I love the baseball memorabilia I've acquired over the years.

I also have special memories of my time as a soccer referee in our youth league in California. My favorite momento is a regulation soccer ball signed by all the referees I worked with in our youth soccer league as a 'going-away' gift when we moved.

In addition to the wonderful memories of my children's days on sports teams, we have a wide variety of sports-related gifts to remind us all of those fun days.

Whether you are a sports participant, a parent or grandparent of a child participating in a sport, or a sideline fan of sports, sports-related gifts are a special reminder of your favorite sport.