Steeler Fans Holiday Shopping Guide (and Contest!)
By chris
They say the holidays are the most stressful time of the year. Even more so for members of Steeler Nation when there’s a monumental showdown against the Baltimore Ravens looming this Sunday. In order to help you kill two birds with one stone, let’s take our minds off the game by reviewing some cool gifts you might want to give the rabid Steeler fan in your life.
For your convenience, I have included links to where the products can be purchased online. They are the cheapest prices I am aware of but you’re welcome to search around on your own. I do not receive any commission, referral fee, or any other compensation if you click those links. This isn’t Aintitcoolnews, ya know.
Oh, and by the way, you also have a chance to win FREE CROCS. Interested? Read on…
Pittsburgh Steelers Mammoth Crocs
My fashionista cousins, Taylor and Lexi, were constantly on me to get a pair of Crocs, advice I foolishly ignored until this summer when a trip to Kennywood hipped me to the fact everyone was wearing them. I finally bought a pair and I swear they are the most comfortable shoes ever. If you’re one of those people, like me, who lives in sandals or flip-flops from May to September, you should definitely check them out.
If you “fan” the official Crocs Facebook page linked here and then order through them, they’ll take 15% off your order.
Now for the part I know you’re interested in. I was making this list but before I could check it twice, the fine folks over at Crocs contacted me. I told them what I was doing, they loved the idea and generously offered not one but TWO free pair of Pittsburgh Steelers Mammoth Crocs (pictured above) for my loyal readers. The Mammoths, retail price $44.99, are a new line designed to keep your gnarly toes warm during the frigid winter months.
Since I hate elaborate, “Write a 1,500 word essay about how the Roethlisberger-Ward dynamic represents interpersonal communication within the workplace”-type contests, this one is very simple. All you have to do is guess how many TOTAL POINTS will be scored this Sunday in Baltimore. In other words, come up with a final score, add the numbers together, and post this guess IN THE COMMENTS below. Whoever comes closest wins (in case of tie, LOW man wins) and one guess per person.
Wait, I said there were two pairs, right? Here’s the best part. Even if your guess is absolutely rotten, I will take everybody who participates, put their name in my Steeler Stocking, and choose a second winner. One guess, two chances to win. Please make sure your email address is working (or post one with your guess) so I can contact the winner.
When you’re finished trying to win free swag, here a few more gift ideas for you to give (or give yourself) this Yuletide season:
“Steel Dynasty” by Bill Chastain
I’m guessing most of you are my age (GenX) or younger. As such, you were born too late to experience the Steel Curtain teams of the 1970’s. The history of that team lives on in our older relatives, who remember every last player, every last game, and love telling stories which recount their greatness.
However, if you want a history told by an actual professional author, this is the book for you. While the 70’s Steelers are the subject of many books, I found this one a fairly quick read which still gives you a ton of fascinating information. It starts with the arrival of Chuck Noll, describes how he built the team into a juggernaut, and then goes year by year through their accomplishments. The book also doesn’t shy away from controversial topics like Terry Bradshaw’s feud with Noll or Pittsburgh’s racist treatment of QB Joe Gilliam.
You can find (or order) this book at most major booksellers so I suggest you buy it wherever you have a discount membership card or you can look through Amazon’s second hand booksellers and find it for about $8.00.
Steelers Super Bowl Victories DVD Set
After reading about the Steel Curtain, you can watch them with this sweet DVD set containing the original broadcasts of their Super Bowl victories. When I first got online back in 1994 as a freshman at CMU, one of the first things I searched for was tape traders. There were a ton that traded wrestling and a bunch who swapped soap operas but I only found one guy with a crappy 4th generation dub of Super Bowl XIV. Here you get them all plus the One for the Thumb against the Seahawks.
Deepdiscount has it for $30, ten less than retail plus they don’t charge tax or shipping.
LaMarr Woodley Kills People T-shirt
Ever since I posted this picture way back in week two, people have emailed me asking where to get one. After searching until my fingers bled, here you go. Now stop bothering me. I paid a little less for mine but you can pay $20 for this awesome shirt online or you can walk around outside Heinz Field on game day and hope you bump into a tall olive-skinned gentleman in a bucket hat like I did.
The Alyssa Milano NFL Collection
Actually, I don’t really like that shirt, I just wanted to post Alyssa Milano in my blog. “Embrace of the Vampire” is a cinematic masterpiece as far as I’m concerned. In her spare time, she designs NFL clothes for women. Wait, I thought she was a baseball groupie? “Charmed” residuals mustn’t be paying well.
Actually, this does bring up something I’ve been meaning to tell all the ladies out there. Please, I beg you, STOP BUYING pink #7 Roethlisberger jerseys. You do not look cute. You look like a cliché. Pink Roethlisberger jerseys scream, “I’m trying to show my boyfriend how cool I am by pretending to love his favorite team.”
If you’re female and you truly love the Steelers (and I believe some of you do exist), buy a REGULAR jersey. Believe me when I say guys will find you 300% cuter if you’re wearing an actual Polamalu jersey rather than one that got attacked by a Bedazzler. If that’s not feminine enough for you, check out the Alyssa Collection. Pretty much anything except one of those pink abominations. Okay?
Jack Lambert (McFarlane Toys Legends Collection)
If you’re an old school comic geek like yours truly, you probably remember the squiggly web-drawing greatness of one Todd McFarlane. You also probably know he retired from funny books years ago to devote himself to other projects, like making toys. I’m in no way, shape, or form a toy collector but his NFL licensed figures are outstanding. He has a Polamalu and Roethlisberger which are both tremendous. He also has a Hall of Fame line with an excellent reproduction of Franco Harris scooping up the Immaculate Reception, which I would’ve chosen but are hard to find and currently listed as $75.00 on Ebay. So my new favorite has to be this one of Jack Lambert.
You can find them for about $10.00 on Amazon, probably a little less on Ebay although that would require a bit more searching. I leave that up to you.
Hope this quick stroll through Chrismukkah Gift Ideas provides you with some inspiration. And don’t forget to enter the contest. Happy Holidays everybody!