For many families, Thanksgiving is all about tradition. Don’t like turkey? Too bad, here’s 10 pounds of it. Pumpkin pie reminds you of spiced baby food? Doesn’t matter, that’s what you’re having.
The day after Thanksgiving, also known as “Black Friday” (now with 100% more Egg Bowl), has its own tradition; shopping. Some prefer to navigate crowds at big-box stores in hopes of securing unbeatable prices on apparel and consumer electronics, while others sift through hundreds of emails whose subject line contains some version of the phrase, “Black Friday Sale.”
Great if you’re shopping for a bottle of cologne, a new blender, some slippers or a coat you’ll never wear in Mississippi. Less helpful if you’re interested in giving someone something they actually want.
So, to help you navigate your post-Thanksgiving malaise and to prevent any shopping burnout, I’m providing a handy gift guide for Bulldog fans and those who love them.
Budget conscious
You don’t have to spend a lot to show the fan in your life that you care. A quick eBay search yields thousands of Mississippi State items available for less than $10. Twenty-year-old decals? Check. Pre-owned apparel? Yep. Old ticket stubs to games you never attended? You can store those between your stamp collection and that assortment of paperwork you’ll never organize. It’s like a slightly less awkward garage sale.
When you actually care about the person
A TV is a must-have for any sports fan. Unless that fan is a child, I operate under the assumption that everyone already owns the biggest TV they can afford and/or fit in their house. So, you’ll have to look elsewhere for gift ideas. How about eBay? Any number of game-worn helmets, jerseys and pants(?) can be yours for less than $300. Just remember, team-issued football jerseys don’t fit unless you’re wearing shoulder pads underneath and are comfortable baring your midriff at all times.
Breaking the bank
Buying for someone who has it all, and by all I mean “more money than sense?” You, too, are in luck. For the low, low price of $17,630 they and seven of their closest friends can sit in one of the field-level end zone cabanas at Davis Wade Stadium (parking not included). Is your loved one a baseball fan? What luck. For only $56,000 you can purchase them access to an 18-person Diamond Suite at Dudy Noble Field (tickets not included, of course). But for those really looking to impress, a cool $10 million will get you naming rights to the North end zone at Davis Wade. While that price may seem steep, I’m assuming you get credit for every touchdown scored in that direction.
If you’re not convinced any of these are the right options for your intended recipient, maybe try calling them and telling them how much you care? Reassure them that football couldn’t be any worse next season than it was in ‘24. Promise them that the baseball team does in fact have a pitching staff, we just don’t quite know yet who they are. Convince them that James Anderson, Chris Jans and Sam Purcell will stay in Starkville forever. And if none of that works, you can buy the North end zone video board for $2 million. It would certainly look great in my backyard.
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
