6 Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Women’s Sports Fanatic

1. Pick Great Pages 

Reading is still one of the best things we can do for our brains, so when your favorite fan needs a break from watching sports live or on TV, make sure she has something in-hand to keep the fandom going and growing. 

From the USWNT: 

• Chase Your Dreams: How Soccer Taught Me Strength, Perseverance, and Leadership by Julie Ertz
• Breakaway: Behind the Goal by Alex Morgan
• When Nobody Was Watching: My Hard-Fought Journey to the Top of the Soccer World by Carli Loyd

And other greats…

• Women in Sports – 50 Fearless Athletes by Rachel Ignotofsky
• Find a Way by Diana Nyad
• What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan
• Game Changers: The Unsung Heroines of Sports History by Molly Schiot
• Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women’s Sports – By Kathrine Switzer
• Unstoppable: My Life So Far – By Maria Sharapova

2. Get the Gear

Every sports fan loves gear from their favorite athlete or team. Check and see if there are any new top players with jerseys out, or grab a comfy tank, sweatshirt or hat to wear out on a run or for Saturday lounging and watching the favorite team play. Or you could get something that almost everyone could use, like a new team coffee mug. Some gear purchases even support the league, which is a double bonus. As another option, the She Plays merch store is carrying some of the most popular styles from our inaugural year. Get it before it’s gone and support women’s equality in sports!

3. Get to the Game

These days it’s getting easier to watch games online, but there’s nothing quite like seeing your favorite team play live. Grab some tickets for a favorite team or sport to get them right in the action — these are experiences that can be enjoyed and remembered.

4. Get in the Game

Does your friend love ultimate frisbee? See if she would want to join a local rec league, and, even better – offer to join her for a season! Sometimes we hesitate to do something we love because doing it alone doesn’t seem enticing…but add in a friend and it becomes a no-brainer. Encourage this passion for someone you love by going along with her to partake!  Most cities and towns have adult rec leagues or more competitive leagues through an athletic association. Not finding what you’re looking for? Try starting a Meetup group and invite others to join you!

5. A Few Words Go a Long Way

“Be the kind of woman who makes other women want to up their game.” 

Not sure if any of the above really hit the mark for your friend or loved one? Something that everyone needs, and most don’t so often receive, is encouragement. Think about creative ways that you could encourage that special person. This could be through something as simple as a letter, or it could be giving an encouraging word, quote, verse, etc. on an item they would see daily. If you go this route, go the extra mile, and continue encouraging this friend throughout 2020, to up his/her game in sports and in life.

6. The Gift to Play Pick ‘Em All Year Long

One of the best things you can do for a friend is to help them stay engaged with the sports they love (and others they might) by playing a fun and competitive weekly pick ‘em game all throughout 2020. She Plays is offering a weekly pick ‘em challenge where players pick winners for each women’s professional game matchup happening that week. When players finish on top of the monthly leaderboard, they win special badges to show off their skills. Does this kind of fun and competition sound like somebody you know? 

Share this link with him/her so they can sign up here and be ready as soon as Pick ‘Em launches this winter.

P.S. Hey – there’s nothing wrong with giving yourself a holiday gift either! So if this sounds like you, give yourself the gift of fun and competition in the new year by getting yourself signed up today!