To really be an ultimate sports fan, the fan must commit his or herself to his team fully and embrace the custom ritual of The Tailgate. Before I get into the Top 10 Must-Have Gifts for Tailgating Fans, I wanted to throw in a few bonus gifts because I think these three gift ideas are so unique and fun.
Three Unique gifts for Tailgating lovers:
1. GrillinOpoly:
I am a huge fan of custom Monopoly games. I think they are so unique and fun, and the best part is that there really is one for everyone on your list. They even have one for the Grillin’ Addict in your life! And tailgating is not a true party without a Grill Master!
2. Customized Meat Branders:
These team-logo meat branders take grilling—and team loyalty—to a whole other level. You can brand all your burgers with your favorite team logo. Imagine how fun this can be if one of your friends likes you team’s biggest rival. How pissed would they be if they had to eat a burger with their arch enemy branded on it!
3. Lolita Tailgate Party Pilsner Glasses:
I’ve been collecting Lolita glasses for years, since they just made handpainted martini glasses. Now they have a full line of martini, wine, margarita and pilsner glasses. There is one a handpainted design for every occasion–even tailgating! Super unique, super chic and super sports-fan friendly!
Top 10 Holiday Gifts for the Tailgating Sports Fan
1. GRILLS
You can’t have a tailgate party without a kickass grill. One of the challenges the ultimate tailgating fans face when they hit the road to go to a live game is how to grill on the road without their super mega grill. Well, get your tailgating friend the perfect gift of a Portable Tailgating Grill!
My personal recommendation is the Margaritaville G-1000 Ride Behind Tailging Grill. This grill is just insane! It’s so big that you can grill 2o hamburgers at a time! It’s super powerful, heats up fast and comes with all sorts of fun features like fold-down tables. And it’s Margaritaville green!
2. GRILL COVERS
Now what if your sports fan already has an amazing grill for his house and his car? How about a Team Logo Grill Cover? Help him proudly display his team loyalty to all his friends and neighbors while protecting his baby from the elements! They are available for almost any team. If the team you are looking for is not in the links below, check out the sport’s key homepage like NFL.Com or NBA.Com.
3. COOKBOOKS
Okay, Grill, check. Portable grill, check. Grill cover, check. Now, what about some recipes of what to cook on those grills on game day! Over the last few years, dozens of Tailgating Cookbooks and grilling recipe books have been popping up all over Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com, and with good reason: tailgating party food rocks! Here is a great list of fan favorite tailgating cookbooks. P.S.-I’ll be reviewing some of the best-selling tailgating recipe guides in a few days so check back soon!
4. COOLERS
Now that the tailgating party food is taken care of, what about the other major tailgating essential: the drinks! A tailgate without beer is like….a little black dress without a fabulous pair of shoes. Just wrong. But game goers need a way to keep those beverages cold (well, unless you are in those cold Northern states. Then I suppose you can just stick them in the snow!) Coolers come in just about every shape, size and color from can koozies to motorized coolers that you can actually drive.
One really awesome cooler gift idea is the NCAA Team Vulcan Coolers This is the ultimate, all-in-one, insulated tailgating cooler! It even comes with it’s own gas grill and three-piece BBQ tools! And the best part is that it’s available in dozens of different NCAA team logos. Perfect for the college football fan!
5. TENTS
To tailgate properly, one must be able to mark territory. Don’t want the opposing teams fans taking up your teams party space! Nothing does this better than products emblazoned with team logos and mascots. And one of the most obnoxious best ways to mark the territory is with a pop-up canopy/tent that is covered in your team’s colors and logos! These guys rise above the throngs of the crowds and other tailgators and proclaim “This is INSERT TEAM NAME HERE’s Territory!”
6. CAR FLAGS & OTHER FAN GEAR FOR CARS
Your favorite fanatic is all decked out in his team apparel, but what about his car? A true tailgate is not dressed and ready for the game unless the car is covered in team flags, decals, bumper stickers and all sorts of other crazy team paraphernalia!
7. TEAM SNUGGIES and TEAM FAN BLANKETS
Everyone’s favorite blanket-with-sleeves and this year’s hottest holiday present–The Snuggie—is now available in Fan Wear! Sure it’s not the stylish leopard or zebra print that everyone is freaking out about that they must-have-NOW, but the Pittsburgh Steerlers Snuggie or the New York Giants Snuggie is bound to make your sports fan very happy this holiday season. **the team licensed may not be real trademarked Snuggies, just “blankets with sleeves”
8. THE GO-PLATE
This is quite possibly the most ingenius idea of all time. It’s a plate, with a cut out in the middle for the beer. Are you freaking kidding me? How did I not come up with this idea? Every day I curse the fact I only have two hands when I’m trying to carry all my food and drink from the kitchen to the living room and here is the perfect solution! This is a perfect item for anyone who likes to host (or attend) any kind of party, but especially a tailgater!
9. TAILGATING GAMES
So tailgating can often begin bright and early in the morning and carry into the wee hours of night before the game even kicks, tips, tees, or faces off. Yes, beer consumption is the favorite pasttime of tailgating however, true tailgating fanatics love other stimulation too. Tailgating games are an awesome gift! There is everything from bean bag toss games, card games and my personal favorite: The NFL Trivia Game! Which, let me tell you, after a few beers, is a very funny game to watch guys attempt to play.
10. MARGARITAVILLE FROZEN CONCOCTION MAKER
So I was originally going to talk about the margarita machines that hook up to your car because I think they are the coolest thing of all time. But then came across the Frozen Concoction Maker and fell in love at first sight. I’m not sure you can run it off your tailgating vehicle, but who cares!? It can make 6 different potent blended concoctions AT ONE TIME!
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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