Smack Zone — Sports Gifts

Have a Windy City sports fan on your holiday shopping list? Here are some great gift ideas for your favorite Chicago sports aficionado. No matter what home team they’re rooting for—Bears, Cubs, White Sox, Bulls or Blackhawks—we’ve got you covered this holiday season.

Don’t Be a Dick (Anti-Packers) Shirt

$22.99

Cheer on the right side of the NFL’s oldest rivalry! Any Chicago football fan would be proud to don this anti-Packers t-shirt—which comes in long-and short-sleeve—the next time the Bears take on Green Bay.

The Curse Ends: The Story of the 2016 Chicago Cubs Children’s Book

In 2016, Chicago Cubs’ fans everywhere celebrated when the team won their first World Series in 108 years. This engaging children’s book recounts the Cubs’ heartbreaking history, the infamous Curse of the Billy Goat, and the team’s epic and emotional championship season. “The Curse Ends: The Story of the 2016 Chicago Cubs” makes a cool gift for kids or a collectible coffee table book for die-hard fans.

Chicago Cubs Team Scarf & Gloves Set

Chilly game days are a breeze with this comfy team gear, resplendent with Cubs’ colors and logos. Cheer your team to victory in style!

Bear Down, Drink Up! Chicago Football Shirt

$19.99

The perfect tailgate apparel for any Bears fan. This fun design is available in your choice of a tank top, hoodie, and long- or short-sleeve t-shirts, so you can tailgate properly in any weather. Grab a cold one and cheer on your team! 

Chicago White Sox Heritage Banner

Know your White Sox history. This black-and-white vertical wall hanging showcases the Chicago baseball team’s logos through the years, from the early 1900s to present day. Celebrate your favorite team’s heritage while upgrading your space.

Chicago White Sox Tiki Totem Statue

Add a fun touch to your garden or patio. This outdoor 16” tiki totem statue, sculpted from 100 percent resin and hand-painted, features Southpaw, the official White Sox mascot, as well as the team’s colors and logo.

Chicago Blackhawks Logo Tie

Show your team pride in the office or add some sporty flair to your formalwear. This 100 percent silk, printed tie features the Chicago Blackhawks logo and team colors, making this dapper piece a must-have for any true fan.

Tommy Hawk (Chicago Blackhawks) Mascot Bobblehead

Put your Blackhawks’ pride on display! Place this Tommy Hawk mascot bobblehead on your desk at work or set it on a shelf at home to show everyone you’re a real fan. This must-have collectible is perfect for any Chicago hockey lover.

Chicago Bulls throw blanket

Chicago basketball fans, get ready to cozy up on game day. Wrap yourself in this comfy throw blanket while watching the next Bulls’ game in the comfort of your home or add a pop of team pride to your living room décor. This 60” by 80” raschel-knit blanket is large enough to cover an entire couch and the design’s fun shadow play gives this fan-favorite a unique look.

Is it Just Me? Onesie and Toddler T-Shirt

$18.99

Start your little Bears’ fan early! This funny anti-Packers design inspires young football lovers and their families to root for their home team.

Chicago Bulls Leather Trifold Wallet

This stylish wallet helps Bulls’ fans organize their belongings while putting their team pride on display. The embroidered team logo adds a classy touch to this winning design.

They are the legends of smack. Sports figures who talked as good a game as they played or coached. Greats who told you what they were going to do; did it; then told you all about it. If there were a Sports Smack Hall of Fame, these guys would be elected on the first ballot. Their mugs would adorn the Mount Rushmore of Smack: Muhammad Ali. Dizzy Dean. Michael Jordan. Steve Spurrier. Oh, we know. There are many others who have raised trash talk to an art form over the years. You might prefer four completely different smack talkers, and who are we to argue? Well … We are Smack Apparel, the nation’s leading sports parody apparel company. We’ve been around since 1998. We make t-shirts for fans who love their teams -- and love to hate their rivals. And this? This is Smack Zone, our new blog dedicated to all things smack talk and sports passion. Check in daily for stories, videos, fan contests and a few surprises along the way. We wanted to kick things off today with a tip of the cap to the smack masters. After all, what would modern-day smack talk be without the breakthrough moments of trash talk engineered by pioneers like Ali, who gave us this all-time epic piece of smack moments after he defeated Sonny Liston in 1964: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY6_3Y7OOo8] Come on, who’s better than Ali? No one. He was correct: He is the greatest. But he shares the stage with many. For instance, where would we be today if Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean hadn’t vowed that he and his brother, Paul, would combine for at least 45 pitching victories for the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals? That was a big promise, and sure enough: They won 49 together that year. Dizzy remains the most recent National League pitcher to win 30 games in a season. It was Dizzy Dean, during his later career as a broadcaster, who gave us one of the all-time truisms of smack talk: “It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.” And who could dish it out better than His Airness? The greatest basketball player of all time also might have been the cockiest. Pity poor Craig Ehlo. The Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star drew the unenviable task of trying to guard Jordan late during a memorable game on March 28, 1990. All Jordan did that day was drop a career-best 69 points – including a sequence of plays when he informed Ehlo exactly what moves he would make and where he would shoot from, then did it. According to Ehlo, Jordan didn’t even sound a bit malicious when he said, matter-of-factly:  “You know you can’t stop this.” Then there’s the Ole Ball Coach. Steve Spurrier loves what he calls “Talkin’ Season,” and few have used the slow summer months to better verbal advantage. Remember, you still can’t spell Citrus Bowl without UT. Spur Dog has a special place in our hearts here at Smack Apparel. You see, our founder and Smack Talker in Chief, Wayne Curtiss, went to Florida State. Our very first shirt was conceived when Wayne thought about that old saying by cowboy performer Will Rogers: “I never met a man I didn’t like.” [caption id="attachment_862" align="alignleft" width="300"] The very first Smack Apparel t-shirt: an homage to one of the masters of smack, the Old Ball Coach himself.[/caption] Well, thought Wayne. Will Rogers never met Steve Spurrier. And there we had it: our first article of Ready-to-Wear Smack Talk. It was, and remains, a Smack Apparel classic. Who else deserves a spot alongside our four greatest smack talkers of all time? A few potential candidates come to mind: Joe Namath, Deion Sanders, Richard Sherman, Deacon Jones, Warren Sapp, Sean Avery, John Randle, Shannon Sharpe, Chad Johnson, Gary Payton, Floyd Mayweather, Satchel Paige, Terrell Owens, Reggie Miller, Ray Lewis, Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Steve Smith, A.J. Pierzynski. And so many other legends. We’ll get to them all soon enough. Meanwhile, welcome to Smack Zone. We’re glad you could make it. Hang on … it’s going to be a great ride.

_______________

Coming tomorrow: As we continue to celebrate the launch of Smack Zone and the kickoff of football season, come with us behind the scenes as founder Wayne Curtiss shows you how we do what we do at Smack Apparel. And be sure to follow us Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for a constant stream of smack throughout the day! [caption id="attachment_864" align="aligncenter" width="266"] Rosemary and Wayne Curtiss welcome you to Smack Zone. We hope you enjoy wearing our t-shirts as much as we love making them for you![/caption]