There is one thing to keep in mind here: There are hundreds and hundreds of ideas out there, you just have to know what you are looking for. Sports symbols and team logos can be put on pretty much anything! Personalized pens and keychains, beverage glasses and bottle openers, license plate covers and windshield shades, customized domino sets and dart boards….the list is seriously endless so really, Knowledge is Key. Know your teams. Know your players. Then you can find pretty much anything you are looking for!

I will give you a starting point here. And if you are still stumped of looking for a unique gift for a specific team or player, please feel free to email me or leave me a comment. I’ll be happy to give you more personalized suggestions!

After extensive research and surveys* here it is:

The Stiletto Set’s Gift Giving Guide for Sports Lovers

*research based on asking my guy friends what they like and scrolling through lots and lots of sites and picking out things I would want if I was a boy that liked sports

1. Game Tickets & Gift Cards.

This was the #1 answer almost across the board with my guys (except for the one who voted for #3 but don’t mind him, he’s slightly obsessed with jerseys). There is nothing like watching a live game! I really recommend paying the extra for good seats because as my sports buddy pointed out, they can buy themselves “shitty tickets!” But either way, they are going to be happy to be going to see a game! I recommend Stub Hub. We found great tickets there all through the Tampa Rays season, even in the World Series.


There is one downfall not addressed by my friends because they all live close enough to major cities to see live games. Don’t live close by? It’s still okay just be sure to factor in the additional expense of traveling to the game, like food, lodging and mode of transportation. But this makes the gift even more memorable and thoughtful. And there is an added bonus for you when you turn it into a romantic getaway with a dash of sports thrown in!

One other factor is timing. You may not know what game you want to go to yet but if you want to surprise you guy with tickets to a Yankee name next summer, you can actually get a ticket gift card to redeem when you are ready to purchase your tickets. MLB.com also offers gift cards, but not for all teams. Find out what his fave team is and head to their website and chances are you can find a customized gift card for them. Also, at Simon.com I found this idea where you can get a personalized Visa giftcard that can be used jsut about everywhere.:

2. Collectible Memorabilia

This is an ultimate gift because, despite the fact that there are prices on the, they are truly priceless. Getting an autograph from a favorite player or having an iconic sports image framed is a very meaningful and memorable gift. And it’s something he will keep forever.

• -Autographed photos, balls, helmets, sneakers, cocktail napkins….etc.
• -Old time photographs
• -Pictures of famous stadiums and ballparks (especially this year with the closing of Yankee and Shea Stadiums. Great time for a collector’s piece)
• -Championship Game Pictures
• -Classic Sports Images
• -Commemorative Pieces

3. Personalized Jersey:

You really can’t go wrong here unless you pick the wrong team or player (FYI: buying a Red Sox jersey for a Yankee fan would not be a smart idea). And there are so many options in this field. From throwback jerseys to current stars, there are a lot to choose from. Pick a favorite player or even get a favorite team jersey and have it personalized with his own last name and favolrite number. Here are some sites to help you: Top NFL Jersey Sales Top NBA Jersey Sales

4. League Pass Cable Packages*

*Will make you a winner of the 2008 Girlfriend of The Year Award

Does he complain about not getting to watch “his team” because it’s only on the local channels and you live 1000 miles away? Shut him up with this fantastic present! Each sport offers a special cable package so you can get all the games. (I mean, yeah, he will be tied up watching sports even moer then normal, but remember soon you will be watching and enjoying it with him! And it will make you really, really, really cool with all of his friends!)

• NBA: NBA League Pass
• MLB: MLB Extra Innings
• NCAA Football: ESPN Game Plan
• NCAA Basketball: ESPN Full Court
• Hockey: NHL Center Ice

The Bad News: For NFL you have to have Dish Network to get such a package. NFL Sunday Ticket is under contract with Dish Network so if you don’t already have that, you might be SOL. Then again, convince him to get Dish Network and think of all the fabulous channels you will get like Style Network!

5. Customized Monopoly Game

Thought this was a very cute…er, manly….idea. Monopoly released board games for MLB, NFL, and the NBA and within each sport there are games for most of the pro teams. MLB even has a Monopoly Fantasy Baseball game. There is an ESPN sports one, collectors editions for championship games like the NY Giants. It’s a really fun, unique idea!

6. Stadium Replicas

I think these are fascinating. They are little mini-models of famous stadiums, ball parks and basketball courts throughout the country. They are often very detailed and beautifully desgined. And you can get them for most teams in most sports.

7. Magazine Subscription

Definitely not my favorite idea because it loses the originality factor but it is a good safe bet and sure to please. You can go general like SI or ESPN or be more sport-specific like

NFL: Pro Football Weekly NBA: Hoop or Slam MLB: Baseball America

However, putting this subscription into #8 could really boost my opinion of it!

8. Personalized Gift Baskets

This is MY favorite because it winds up being customized, personalized, homemade, creative, thoughtful……and unique!

This is a great idea because it can cost as much or as little as you want and still be fantastic. It works for grab bags, secret santas, chinese auctions (don’t ask, very scary in my family), bosses, co-workers, boyfriends, dads, brothers, husbands….okay you get the idea. I’ve seen a lot of these online but most of them cannot top what you can do yourself.

First, start by picking a theme for your basket. Here are some of my favorites:

-Sports Movie Night:

You pick the movies, his favorite snacks and beverages and even better, the price you want to spend!

I’ve also complied lists of the best sports movies, broken down by category, to help you pick ones that he will love. Some of them you will even enjoy (Mark Walhberg is in some! Yum!)

• Basketball Movies
• Baseball Movies,
• Football Movies,
• Classic & Other Great Sports Movies

In the basket also throw in some great popcorn (may I recommend Orville Redenbacughers Pour Over Butter or Cheddar. Sooo good.) and popcorn toppings.

I like to add a six-pack of my guys favorite beer or soda too. And he loves Skittles so I throw those in too.

-Office Gear

Desk calendars with sports or team trivia, customized pens, mousepad, sport or team logo ties, and of course, the coffee mug! Depending on his job it could be fun to throw in one of those desktop games like executive basketball.

-Team Fanatic

This is your opportunity to go logo crazy! From bottle openers to doormats, bobble heads to tailgating grills….everything can be logo-ed

-Sports Nut

This is great if you know his favorite sport, but maybe not his favorite team.

• -Books: Football, Basketball, Baseball, Golf, NCAA Basketball
• -Movies: see above for a list
• -Gourmet food with sports knicknacks

Still want more great gift ideas? Here is a list of the Stiletto Sports Gift Giving Guide that runs through dozens of ideas for all different kinds of sports lovers. And coming soon, the Holiday 2009 Gift Giving Guide for Sports Fanatics!

Stiletto Sports Complete Gift Giving Guide for Sports Loving Moms

Stiletto Sports Complete Holiday Gift Giving Guide for Sports Fans

Great Gifts  Ideas for Basketball Fans

• Slam Dunkin’ Best Gifts for NBA Lovers
• NCAA Basketball Books
• The Best Damn Basketball Books
• The Best Damn Basketball Movies for Fans Who Love the Shake and Bake
• UNC Tar Heels National Championship Gear

Great Gift Ideas for Baseball Fans

• Fun-est Baseball Gifts EVER!
• Great Gift Ideas for Yankees Lovers
• Tales of Modern & Past Baseball: Great books for any baseball fan!
• The Best Damn Baseball Movies for Guys who JuSt Love baseball!
• The Best Damn Baseball Movies for Girls who Like Crying in Baseball

Great Gift Ideas for Football Fans

• The Best Damn Books for the Football Fanatic
• The Best Damn 5-Star Football Movies
• My Favorite Football Gift Ideas

A few More Great Gift Ideas for all sports lovers

• . The Best Damn Sports Movies: Hockey, Boxing, Golf
• Stiletto Sports Ultimate Sports Lover Gift Sets/Baskets

About the author: Jennifer Taglione is the owner of this fabulous website Stiletto Sports. Despite writing well over 500 posts, she still maintains that she is not a sports writer! She is however a huge fan of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Sanchez, the Celtics, and totally kicks butt on March Madness brackets! Connect with her by following her on Twitter @StilettoSportsJ and subscribing to her weekly newsletter. For more info check out the About the Editor page!

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