A Sports Fans Christmas Wish List

The holidays are quickly approaching.  Are you struggling to find the perfect gift for your favorite sports fan?  Well, we're here to help you out. In the following post you'll find our suggestions for how to shop for that sports fan on your list and will give you some specific ideas.    

The most important thing to know is what team or teams they are a fan of - purchasing a White Sox hat for a Cubs fan can be a huge mistake. Once you figure out what team they are a fan of and their size - if possible - try to match your purchase with their style.  

For guys - I'd take a moment to think about what type of place they typically shop.  Someone who likes the JCrew broken in look would probably enjoy one of these throwback shirts from Distant Replays.  For those unfamiliar with the terrain of shopping for sports merchandise - the term "throwback" is often used by sports fan to refer to shirts, jerseys, or color or logo schemes since retired by the team.  Its the sports version of "retro".  Throwbacks give off the image that you've been a fan of the team for a long time - more often than not they also look cool and relaxed.  The sort of gear you can wear with a pair of jeans on a weekend afternoon around the house or at a casual sports bar.  

If the guy your shopping for tends to shop at a place more like REI, a hooded sweatshirt might be the way to go.  Outerwear tends to be a little more expensive - but if the guy you know attends the games in an outdoor arena - the gear will probably be much appreciated as they try to battle the elements over the course of the season.  MLB baseball, in particular, makes a cool line of Therma Base jackets that are perfect for those early spring and late fall games.  

Speaking of baseball fans - the World Baseball Classic will return next spring.  This line of gear is pretty cool for sports fans you know that also have an attachment to places around the world like Canada, Japan or Puerto Rico.  

If you know the size of the person your shopping for - it is hard to go wrong with a t-shirt and hat combo, like this one from the Colorado Avalanche.  A number of colleges and universities - as well as professional sports teams make this kind of hat and shirt combo. 

Finally, the college bowl schedule is being announced as I write this.  If you know a fan of one of the teams that made it into a bowl game - why not buy your favorite sports fan a t-shirt of their upcoming bowl game?  Since the list is long here, Google will prove to be your friend.  

If you have a young man on your list who plays video games - we're obligated to remind you about Madden '09 - the latest in the long series of NFL games from EA Sports.   If they already have Madden - we like the NCAA franchise.  

Onto the ladies.  We tend to dislike pink gear, but if you know a woman that wears a lot of pink - nearly every team makes pink versions of their replica jerseys.  Instead, teams also make the same types of replica jerseys in a women's cut.  We're fans of this style.  These zip up hoodies are also really cute.  

Buying fitted hats can be a bit dangerous if you don't know their exact size, but this sort of "stretch" fit hat is becoming more common.  

Finally, the NFL has a useful page for tailgaters here.  If you're still stumped - all of the pro leagues offer gift cards.  If you live near the college or university that he or she is a fan of, you can swing by the school's bookstore for a gift card.  Check the links surrounding this page for other gift ideas. 

Happy shopping!  Have further tips for us?  Send us an e-mail at welldressedsportsfan@gmail.com

Ashley Judd Delivers, And is Super Hot

I'm sure that on the top of Ashley Judd's New Year's Resolutions is to acquire the lavish praise of some start up sports bloggers, so I thought we could give her an early start by posting this today. Several weeks ago, before the election, Ashley Judd - a die hard Kentucky basketball fan, promised that if North Carolina went blue for Obama, she would sit in the midst of the North Carolina student section.  Well, North Carolina went for Obama and she watched her favorite team get trounced in the middle Chapel Hill.

Sitting in the opposing team's student section isn't an easy thing to do, so I wanted to give Ashley Judd props.  Plus, she looks  fantastic in a simple white shirt and jeans.  A grey Kentucky shirt would work here too - contrasting from the students in Tarheel Blue.  I'm also digging the athletic hair buns - a nice contrast to those terrible pigtails we've recently explored.  

So once again, big ups to Ashley Judd.  She deserves some 'cred. 

Well Dressed Girlfriend's take: It's great.  You doubters out there are no doubt confused about what might seem like an apparent 180 on the pigtail issue.  But face it, the Princess Leia look works for AJ--it neatly wraps stylish, practical, sexy, way fun, and even a little sophisticated into, well, two buns I guess.  She pairs the 'do with a simple jeans and t-shirt duo, but the look is practiced.  Her shirt fits impeccably, and even with the cropped photo I have no doubt the jeans do as well.  This is not some thrown on $12.99 special she picked up at the student store on her way out of Lexington.  This shirt is well loved and hugs in all the right places without trying too hard.  Plus, kudos on the sleeve length.  If AJ is anything like me, she snapped up this find after becoming immediately smitten with the perfect shortness of this short-sleeved gem.   Too much analysis of the plain white t-shirt?  Sorry, but it's simply perfect, and should be celebrated even if her team isn't.

In short, go for this look.  There's no obvious make-up in sight (it's a ball game, folks...), she looks relaxed, yet is wearing a jump-out-of-your-seat-friendly outfit.  The snap reaction looking at her?  Definitely a dyed in the wool fan.  She even resists the impulse to dress it up just a little with some jewelry.  AJ, you sparkle enough as it is.  Thanks for being a model fan.

Should I Wear that Free Tee?

We've all been there.  You go to a game with your friend and they are handing out free shirts to the first 5,000 fans.  Despite the fact that the free shirt is so large that it will only fit freaks the size of Andre the Giant properly, your friend enthusiastically puts it on. He swims though the shirt, working his way past the image of that terrible new mascot your team is trying out and turns his big brown eyes to you and says, "Sweet dude!  Free shirt!"  Um, yeah.  Free shirt.

There are two types of giveaways as far as The Well Dressed Sports Fan is concerned.  The first falls under the category of "free stuff to give to your nephew or Dad".  The second type of giveaway occurs only during special games - playoff baseball and basketball and rivalry college games.  In the above picture, Penn State has successfully accomplished a "white out" effect.  The Golden State Warriors, during a recent playoff run, gave out bright gold t-shirts that read, "We Believe".  

In the second kind of instance, it is just fine to throw on the oversized t-shirt.  What the hell, right?  Go for it.  The effect only works if everyone is doing it and you don't want to be the tool that decides at that very moment they've never been a sheep in their life and they refuse to play along.  

In the first example, limited free shirt, hat, or trinket giveaway - just pocket the damn thing and worry about it later.  

Dealing with the Rain as a Sports Fan

I'm heading out the door soon to watch a college football game.  It is raining like cats and dogs and the venue is an outdoor stadium. Something about football in the elements makes the game all the more epic.  This can add to the excitement of being a fan, but it can make for a pretty miserable prospect for being a fan.

Quick Tip: The most important thing about watching a sporting event in the rain is that everyone in your party has a positive attitude about it.  

If the sporting event you are going to may or may not get cancelled by the rain, make sure to have an alternative event planned.  If you going with your family, take them out to lunch or dinner in the town or city that you travelled to instead.  This will brighten the mood.  In the case of my girlfriend, Well Dressed Sports Gal likes going to sporting events when the weather is nice, but her fandom doesn't extend to rain, sleet or snow. Fair enough.  Take a buddy to the game instead and have a nice evening at home with the ladyfriend afterword.  

If your traveling partner is game for traveling to the event, be prepared.  A simple store bought can of waterproofing spray will go a long way.  Bring a waterproofed rain jacket.  Hopefully for you, you've already waterproofed your favorite cap just in case.  If not, shame on you, a can of this stuff is only six bucks.  

Quick Tip #2: If you plan on bringing an umbrella, check on the venue's website to make sure they are allowed in the stadium.  

What I've got my eye on: I just purchased a custom made college football jersey.  Here is hoping these become a trend. I'd go with the commemorative World Series Champions Phillies t-shirt or sweatshirt rather than a cap.  Why?  You can pass it on to your kids and it might be a while until your squad wins another world championship (or your city for that matter Philly).  

A line of vintage t-shirts at Ebbets Field Flannels is really making me salivate.  Check out this San Francisco Seals longsleeve shirt.  Also available are the Rosewell Rockets, Denver Bears, and Jersey Giants. You can wear these under an open zip up hoodie for maximum effect. 

What to Wear: Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have one of the most dedicated and hardcore franchises in all of professional sports.  They also have one of the most recognizable hats in all of Major League Baseball.  Once the Red Sox finally pulled off a World Series victory after an 86 year long drought - it seemed as though every sports fan in the Northeast was somehow required to purchase one of these on the field caps (and if you did happen to buy one of those 5950 caps, be sure to check out our post on breaking them in). Even if you had never watched a full Red Sox game in your life - you suddenly had an uncle, who had a cousin, who lived right in the heart of the city. Or something.  

Longtime Red Sox fans must feel like serious wine drinkers after the movie Sideways came out. Smothered by newbie fans who suddenly think they are some kind of experts.  The crushing throng has only increased with the addition of popular Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka - making the fanbase increasingly international.

With so much Red Sox gear available, and so many newbie fans, how can you manage to look like a cool fan - instead of some crazed idiot who over does it?  Whether your at Fenway, or just watching the games at home this post is all about how to be a well dressed Boston Red Sox fan.

For as much crap as I give some of my friends who follow the Red Sox about the growing number of bandwagon Red Sox caps I seem to see on a daily basis - the iconic Boston Red Sox hat really does look pretty darn good.  Unlike the Yankees hat, it has a little color, but it doesn't clash with most guy attire.  If you're going to a game; we recommend topping it off with the team's red alternate jersey or outerwear jacket.  The logos here don't duplicate - instead, they compliment each other.  

Quick Tip: We recommend - as with most sports apparel - that you wear only one item of your favorite team unless you are actually going to the game or going out to watch it on tv. Stock up on standard colored polos or pocket t-shirts and top it off with your favorite hat if you're going for the casual look.  For playoff runs - we expect that all bets will be off.   

If you want to opt for something a bit different, check out this 1890 Boston Beaneaters t-shirt - which would go well with a kelly green Red Sox hat.  The Beaneaters' home jersey makes more sense to wear with a cap bearing the Red Sox standard colors (extra points for a throwback with a collar).  

I've also noticed a lot of fans wearing business suits to games at Fenway.  Trust me, I respect the fact that you came to the game straight from work - I get it.  But seriously, I don't want to hear your complain three rows back when you spill ketchup on your threads. Why not buy an extra hoodie to leave at work?  If you're invited to Fenway after closing time, grab the hoodie on your way out.  Ditch your suit coat and put the hoodie on instead.

Quick Tips: Avoid Player Face Tees

Quick Tip: Avoid any t-shirt with your favorite player's face on the front.  Instead, buy something that looks a bit more like a jersey with your favorite player's name on the back.  

The whole - your face - on top of a celebrity's face thing - well, it looks a little creepy.

NFL Football Pre-Season Preview

There are really two breeds of football fan -- fans who are able to go to games and fans who watch the game from afar. Unfortunately, it isn't very easy to dress casually as an NFL fan, the way you can as an MLB fan.  Going with a jersey for your favorite player's jersey is a good choice, but do you really want to spend the dough to buy an authentic jersey?  Should you wear your jersey on your second date with that hot blond from the office, or just on gamedays?  

Football, unlike baseball, does not have a low-cost casual option that looks good on most guys.  While baseball hats look natural, football caps for most NFL teams look a bit too busy -- and can often look pretty stupid.  If you have a NFL hat that matches your favorite team's jersey, you can wear it on gameday and actually look pretty decent.  The MLB and NCAA just seems to do a better job than the NFL of offering stuff to wear that is easy on the eyes.  A lot of NFL gear has HUGE logos and overwhelming colors.

Whereas the Well Dressed Sports Fan has at least a couple of great hats in his or her closet they also have at least one great NFL jersey.  Instead of dropping your hard earned money on "replica jerseys" go with authentic jerseys.  As an added tip, take a look on eBay for some great deals (another post on this later in the year).  Replica jerseys can fade and the numbers and letters can "chip" in the wash.  Authentic jerseys have sewn on letters that will last you a much, much longer time - making it worth the money.  But buyer beware, a few authentic NFL jerseys, like the Bengals, contain both sewn on and printed on elements.  The printed on elements, as with the replica jerseys, are likely to fade.

If you're able to go to a game in person, pretty much all bets are off.  If you're looking to meet a good looking girl that is also a fan of your favorite team, it is a wise idea to tone things down a little.  If you're just looking to have a good time, however, and aren't planning on going to bars away from the stadium afterword -- sure, go all out.  

If you want to show support for your team on any other day of the week than football Sunday, grab a polo shirt with your team's logo.  These shirts are more subtle than some of the other NFL gear and can look good at the golf course.  Unfortunately, some of these polos can be a bit spendy.  

Quick Tip: Wear a matching hooded sweatshirt under your jersey for cold weather.  This also works to make the jersey a bit more snug if you look like you're swimming in it.  

Avoid: Wearing the jersey of a player still in the NFL, currently playing for another team.  For example, avoid wearing your Randy Moss jersey to a Vikings game.  Snag an Adrian Peterson jersey instead.  On the other hand, you'll look like a hardcore 49ers fan if you rock your Steve Young jersey on Sundays.  

Also Avoid: Wearing your jersey other than on game day and during draft day.  If you go to watch your team practice in the fall, feel free to sport the jersey.  You also get an exemption for Super Bowl Sunday -- which is sort of like a national football holiday.  Thinking about wearing your favorite jersey to your daughter's 3rd grade graduation?  I promise you will look stupid.  

Final take: Instead of opting for a hat or t-shirt, we recommend to go with a NFL jersey.  Further, we recommend buying the authentic jersey with letters and numbers that will last a long time.  Finally, sport that jersey only on gamedays 18 times a year and special events like the NFL Draft to keep it fresh.  

Rule Number 1: "Crushed" Hats and the Well Dressed Sports Fan

A few days ago, the Well Dressed Girlfriend and I were sitting at an evening baseball game.  We sat watching the local squad under the lights, sipping on a couple of brews and chatting.  We noticed that a large number of the fans in our section looked like total geeks.  Oversized t-shirts, jerseys for teams that weren't even playing or for players long since traded to other squads, and various shades of hideous pink logos.

On the other hand, we also saw a fair number of sports fans who looked pretty good.  A nice looking jersey, cool hat, and matching jeans made single guys look attractive.  If a cute girl wears the right hat, she can look extremely sexy.  Certain ballparks have become the "hot" place in town to meet people.  Some parks even feature "Singles Nights".

Don't get me wrong, we aren't fashion or design professionals.  I'm just a huge sports fan that often  says, "Hey, how does this look?" before walking out the door for the day.   The Well Dressed Girlfriend seems to appreciate this and since it encourages her to keep dating me, which is always a plus.

Plan on meeting a girl or guy at the stadium?  Only go to ballgames once a year and always wonder what the heck you should wear?  Are you a hardcore spots fan that wants to show off your loyalty to your team?  This is a good blog to bookmark. 

Let's get started by talking about hats, aka "caps".

One of the first things I notice about sports fans are their hats.  I collect hats like crazy, so I can be a little particular about how they look on people.  A poorly fitting hat can make you look like a 70 year old skipper.  This works when you have Hall of Fame credentials, but not when you're trying to pick up chicks at the stadium.   A poorly fitting hat on a hot girl just looks like a missed opportunity. 

Let's say you are a casual sports fan.  You go to a couple of games a year and want to avoid looking like a total geek when you're at the ballpark.  Invest in a Twins Enterprises "The Franchise" hat.  A few years ago, people would have called these hats, "crushed" or "broken in". These hats are good for new sports fans for a couple of reasons.  First, they come in only a few sizes.  Small, medium, large, xl, etc.  The caps that baseball players wear on the field come on sizes based on the exact size of your head and are harder to break in (which is the subject for another post).  A "fitted" Twins enterprise hat ("fitted" meaning they don't have an adjustable strap on the back) already looks broken in and fits closer to the dome of your head than the official caps.  In this shot, the guy on the left gets the fit right and the guy on the right rocks the hat with a nice casual sweater.

Rock this cap with a solid color polo shirt and some jeans or khakis and you will look like a well dressed, but casual fan.  If you're going for the more hardcore look, match the hat with a jersey (we will get into matching hats to jerseys later on).  

If you're buying this as a gift for someone, go ahead and grab an adjustable version of the cap.  You can't tell the difference from the front and both look just fine.  Girls tend to like to versatility of adjustable hats, since they can wear ponytails through the opening in the back.

Well Dressed Girlfriend's take: All crushed hats remind me of that Boston Red Sox fan who is comfortable with spending a little time on Saturday night picking out the right Oxford, but likes to watch ESPN and drink a beer on Sundays.  Wearing the crushed hat, of course.  Note: this hat is versatile and not overbearing, but you lose all style points if it's not impeccably clean.  You're not 12 anymore, even if you still love that hat as much as you did then.

Keep in mind these hats fade in the sun.  This can look really great if you keep it clean and clear of sweat stains.  Hand washing the hat with warm water now and again should keep it smelling clean and free of stains.  Avoid throwing hats in either the dish or clothes washer.   

Think about picking up a crushed hat before heading to the ballpark, but be sure to try on their sizes in a store to make sure it fits properly on your dome.  Match it with a solid t-shirt, polo, or oxford, to achieve the preppy look, but don't over do it.  A long sleeve tee, crew sweatshirt or oxford will look more like Nich Lachey than a 70 year old manager.  While we encourage you keep it simple (and to keep your hat clean!) the crushed hat can help you ease in the world of the sports fan.

Click here for a few more tips regarding crushed hats.