I think dads are hard to shop for, in general.  I often struggle with ideas for gifts for my dad. When he wants something to support a hobby for example, he just buys it for himself. An experience gift can be a great thing for someone like this, because, by definition, they are typically something people don’t do. They are new or different experiences.

And one thing that a lot of fathers like is sports.

Play ball!

Getting a pair of tickets to a game can be a lot of fun. You can either get a pair of tickets and go with the recipient, or give them a pair of tickets and let them take another friend (particularly if you don’t live in the same place!)

The prices can vary widely though. Here in Houston, the hot ticket is for the Houston Texans, and even for the nosebleed seats, the tickets will cost you an arm and a leg. But there are typically other options out there. Baseball tends to be a bit cheaper, though that’s a bit out of season during the holiday season.

You can also save a lot of money and still get 97% of the fun if you go to a minor league game. Check out the six hockey minor leagues. Six in North America! You’re bound to have a team near you. And those games have twice the scrappiness and four times the heart of the typical NHL game.

You can also save some money if you find your tickets on StubHub, the online ticket exchange. There you can search by team and date. (For example, here are StubHub’s listings for the minor league hockey Connecticut Whale.)

Show your colors.

And to complete the package, why not look the part at the game with a bit of team gear. Jersey’s are awesome of course, but you’ll often have to pay a pretty penny for them. But often you can get a hat or a t-shirt for pretty cheap. Hopefully that’ll turn into a good reminder of the fun time y’all had at the game.

And who wouldn’t want to see dad in that hat?