Gift Ideas for Football Fans

McFarlane Sports Picks

McFarlane action figure

If you haven’t heard of McFarlane Sports Picks, it’s time you got onboard. McFarlane action figures are among the most realistically portrayed action figures that you can imagine, right down to the tattoos. Many players are found in multiple configurations – grass and mud stains, throwback uniforms, home and away jerseys, etc. And the players are shown in realistic positions, such as running in full stride, or pulling in a deep ball. Best of all, McFarlane figures are incredibly reasonably priced. Many figures can be purchased for $13 or less. Does your potential gift recipient play fantasy football? Ask him who the best player is on his team. A McFarlane action figure of that player is sure to please. You can purchase McFarlane sports figures online at www.mcfarlanetoysstore.com.

Football Guys

Remember the molded green plastic army guys you had when you were a kid? Well, here’s a less politically charged take on the same idea: Football Guys. You can buy a set of Football Guys for $24.99, which includes (26) 2” players, (1) referee, (2) goal posts, a 32” x 20” realistic-looking felt field, an instruction booklet, and a 10” x 6” x 5” lidded container with handle. Perfect for that little football fan on your list, or for a unique display in your ‘man cave’. Sets come in black vs grey, red vs blue, or green vs black. There are also sets that feature 15 different division I college teams. You can find Football Guys at www.kaskeykids.com.

NFL Game Jersey

NFL game jersey

A “can’t miss” gift for the football fan on your list is a game jersey of his/her favorite NFL team. A football jersey is a wardrobe must for the football aficionado. No self-respecting football fan would be caught dead without wearing the colors of a favorite team to a game, a fantasy football draft, or a Super Bowl party. Expect to part with a “Benjamin” or more for an authentic NFL game jersey, but less expensive quality lookalikes can also be found at most retail chain stores. Not sure which specific player jersey to get? Take a look at our post from earlier this month. It lists the top 25 player jerseys of 2014. Authentic NFL game jerseys can be found at www.nflshop.com.

NFL Game Day Board Game

NFL Game Day board game

One of the hottest selling football board games right now is NFL Game Day. It’s simple to see why. Assuming you have a basic understanding of football, NFL Game Day is easy to learn and play. Spend just a few minutes reading through the clear-cut rules and you’ll be on your way. Each down, the offense chooses a card from his/her hand that represents a play. The defense chooses a card in the hopes of stymieing the offense. When the cards are played, the offense will be rewarded with a nice gain if they were able to out-smart the defense. If not, the gain will be minimal – or worse. NFL Game Day is an entertaining and exciting mix of luck and strategy. Find NFL Game Day Board Game online at www.shopfremontdie.com for $34.95.

NFL “The Duke” Game Ball

Every play, every kick, and every touchdown in the NFL has been with a Wilson football. What gift is more appropriate to a football fan than an official Wilson game ball? The price is nothing to sneeze at, selling for a whopping $99.95, but considering that each ball is hand-made, and must pass stringent quality checks, it’s surprising the price is not even more. (If you want to gain an appreciation of what goes into each and every Wilson official game ball, check out our Wilson Football Factory article we posted back in September.) An NFL “The Duke” Game Ball can be purchased directly from Wilson at www.wilson.com/football.

A Football Weblog-recommended less expensive alternative to the Wilson game ball is the Nike Spiral-Tech football. I love the feel and grip of this ball, and the purchase price is around $25. Visit store.nike.com.

OYO Sports minifigures

Everybody loves LEGOs, and LEGO makes a cool football player minifigure. But for the best LEGO-style football minifigures, choosy football fans choose OYO. OYO Sportstoys, Inc. makes and sells tons of football player minifigures from all 32 NFL teams. In addition to individual players ($10.39), they also sell 64-piece “Endzone Sets” ($23.99), 64-piece “Team Sets” ($91.99), and 210- piece “Game Time Sets” ($103.99). OYO also sells a bunch of minifigures and sets of college football players and teams. OYO Sports minifigures and sets make excellent gifts for your biggest – and littlest – football fan. Visit www.oyosports.com to purchase.

Football Novel

The Rookie, by Scott Sigler (2009)

Back in April of 2013 I posted an article regarding the best football novels. In the article, I highlighted several of the most popular football books available based on Amazon.com customer reviews. The book with the best reviews was The Rookie, by Scott Sigler (2009). The story takes place 700 years in the future, and is an interesting sci fi/sports cross. Best of all, The Rookie is the first book in the popular Galactic Football League series. All of the books in this series garner great customer reviews, so the promise is there for hours of reading enjoyment, and plenty of future gift giving opportunities. The Rookie can be found at most major book stores, including www.amazon.com.