Sports gifts are basically gifts which are meant to show the recipient you remember his or her fondness for a particular sport. Thus, your sports gifts could be a football signed by an NFL player, or a basketball that used to personally belong to an NBA player. The more unique, original and creative the sports gift, the higher the probability it will be treasured by the recipient for a long time (maybe forever if you are considered a special friend by the recipient.)

Some sports gifts still have a functional value, like a football, a baseball, or a basketball which are all in good shape and may still be used during games. But it is not recommended you actually use these sports gifts in real sports matches because the value of the sports gift hinges on its current state. That is why some sports gifts may even become traded with other sports gifts collectors for either cash or another more desirable sports gift. The harder the sports gift is to come by, the higher its value. And in the final analysis, value is dependent on how each person perceives the sports gift. What may seem valuable to one person could be considered junk by another – like, if someone gives a baseball bat to a person who is not a baseball fan, that person will just store the sports gift somewhere until he can find someone who values it more than he does. Otherwise, it is just something that will occupy space in his closet.

What is the best type of sports gift? The best sports gifts are those which will be treasured by the recipient, that are in great condition, and which are good conversation starters. Some less expensive sports gifts you might want to check out are sports apparel – like the sweaters of Ivy League universities; or baseball caps for US baseball teams. Though many counterfeiters make a thriving business churning out cheap imitations of such sports gifts, you will probably be remembered by your recipient with more fondness if you can manage to procure the real thing. Nothing says friendship better than an original product, someone should have said a long time ago, because imitations should be reserved for less-valued relationships (or for desperate times when income is lean.)

Sports gifts might be divided into gifts that belong to the amateur type of sports and those that belong to the pro level sports matches. Amateur sports are university and college level sports while examples of pro matches are basketball games in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (or NFL.) If you select sports gifts that are symbols of well known players (like a very highly valued college basketball player, or a pro basketball player like Michael Jordan), the value of such sports gifts would be much higher compared to gifts that symbolize or represent lesser-known players or even just the reserve players. It is like saying a statue of the national hero of your country has a greater value than a photo of a simple security guard of your office building. One's accomplishments dictate one's stature.