Alexandra Cohn
For some people on your list, giving them anything not related to sports is like handing an Aaron Rodgers jersey to the world’s only Jay Cutler fan: That person won’t use it — and might even be offended. With that in mind, here are some (mostly) sensible ideas for your favorite sports fan. We included something for recreational enthusiasts, too.
Milwaukee Bucks Apparel
If the NBA team 90 miles southeast of Madison lives up to expectations this season, the Milwaukee Bucks’ “Fear the Deer” slogan might just catch on around the state. Sharp replica jerseys and other apparel that show off the team’s tougher-looking new logo and color scheme will nicely complement an existing wardrobe consisting of Badgers, Packers and Brewers apparel.
Cost: Varies
Where: Name of the Game, 225 Junction Rd.; Insignia, 639 State St.; or shop.bucks.com
Sports Videogames
Once upon a time, first-person-shooter games like Call of Duty and Halo dominated videogame sales charts. But as sports-simulation games have become increasingly realistic and mind-blowing, more people than ever are buying and playing them. According to Bleacher Report, the three best sports titles of 2015 are Madden NFL 16, NBA 2K16 and FIFA 16 (now featuring women’s national teams). Fans of the real thing should get a kick out of these, too.
Cost: $60-$80
Where: Wherever videogames are sold
Books
A slew of Wisconsin-centric sports books hit shelves recently. Badger fans will be most interested in Make ’Em Believe: The Inside Story of the Badgers’ Road to the 2015 Final Four (KCI Sports Publishing), by Patrick Herb, a University of Wisconsin athletic department staffer with a behind-the-scenes perspective. Then there’s Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running From Madness (Dey Street Books), UW alum and legendary distance runner Suzy Favor Hamilton’s salacious memoir about mental illness and prostitution. The Animal Keepers: The Story of an Unlikely Hero and an Unforgettable Season (KCI Sports Publishing) is a much more wholesome running story chronicling the 1985 Stevens Point Area Senior High state championship boys’ cross country team.
There also are new Packers titles, including Green Bay Packers: Where Have You Gone? (Sports Publishing), featuring present-day profiles of former players as diverse as Paul Hornung, James Lofton, Chris Jacke and Anthony Dilweg, and Leaders of the Pack: Starr, Favre, Rodgers and Why Green Bay’s Quarterback Trio Is the Best in NFL History (Triumph Books). That subtitle pretty much sums it up.
Cost: $17-$27
Where: Area bookstores
Hoverboard
Despite all the recent hype about Back to the Future II’s fictitious 2015, many of writer Bob Gale’s and director Robert Zemeckis’s predictions weren’t too far off — including the one that had Marty McFly riding a hoverboard through Hill Valley. At least three types of recreational products now come close, including the Lexus hoverboard, which uses liquid nitrogen and a superconductor suspended in a magnetic field to keep it afloat. The bad news? It requires specialized surfaces to work and is not for sale.
But the Onewheel is available to consumers. This electric board with a single wheel in the middle is ridden like a skateboard, with inertial sensors and algorithms for balance. Also for sale: the Swegway, a self-balancing two-wheeled scooter that operates like a Segway without handlebars. Everybody from Jamie Foxx to Justin Bieber rides one.
Cost: $1,500 (Onewheel); $200-$600 (Swegway)
Where: store.rideonewheel.com/products/onewheel-ultracharger, Amazon.com
The Vince Lombardi Trophy
Dad, hubby or bro may already have everything a sports fan could want, but does he have a built-to-scale replica of the Lombardi Trophy? This epic gift comes with your choice of engraving commemorating the Green Bay Packers’ victory in Super Bowl I (autographed by Bart Starr), Super Bowl XXXI (autographed by Brett Favre) or Super Bowl XLV (autographed by Aaron Rodgers). Each signature comes with a certificate of authenticity but no “do not drop” warning.
Cost: $1,500-$1,900
Where: On 2 The Field, East Towne Mall
We have noted throughout the gift guide where our shoppers located various items; however, they may be available at other area stores as well.
