Good Thursday morning, Uni Watchers. I hope everyone had a good Wednesday!
Longtime pal and conrtibutor Jimmy Parker has authored many articles for Uni Watch over the years, and when I took over the editorship from Paul back at the end of May, I asked Jimmy if he’d like to contribute more articles, on about a monthly-ish basis, and he heartily agreed. Jimmy is the proprietor of the most excellent Beauty Of A Game website, and he also goes by that handle on Twitter-X and Bluesky.
Mr. Parker returns today with another wonderful and timely piece that’s going to be a giant nostalgia trip for a good number of us. Uni Watchers of a particular vintage will definitely be saying “I remember those!” or “I had that!” or even, “I asked for that, but Santa had other ideas…”. I definitely had at least five or six of the items you’re about to see (or are linked to) below. How about you?
Here’s Jimmy with…
by Jimmy Parker
Christmas is a magical time of year for all, but especially for kids. Time can almost seem to come to a standstill as anticipation of the big day builds. As anyone who has seen “A Christmas Story” (is there anyone who hasn’t???) can attest, sometimes our desire for certain gifts can consume our holiday season. Still, memories of treasured Christmas gifts can warm our hearts in later years and Uni Watch readers are no different in this regard. What follows is a look back at some of sports fans’ most memorable Christmas gifts. Although there are 10 items, think of it as not so much a countdown as a leisurely Uni Watch Christmas stroll down Memory Lane.
NFL/NBA Bedding
Under normal circumstances getting a set of sheets and a comforter would be a huge letdown for a kid on Christmas morning. Unless those sheets happened to be adorned with either licensed characters (looking at you, Star Wars) or sports players or teams. Luckily for kids, bedding sets in a variety of styles suitable for the burgeoning Uni Watcher have been around for decades. Whether it’s generic athletes, stylized team names or actual team logos, these timeless designs always helped you sleep a little better Christmas night.
Another staple of Christmas for decades, jackets featuring NFL team logos have long been a surefire hit under the tree. Often sold as a set along with NFL wool hats, these jackets changed slightly in styles over the years but could always be counted on to brighten up Christmas for the league’s youngest fans.
The older I get the more I recognize, and even take joy in, the effect nostalgia plays in our memories of Christmases past. And perhaps no entry on this list better illustrates how nostalgia can help us romanticize the past than the electric football game. Invented in the late 1940s, the game grew in popularity alongside the professional game, especially as the battle between the NFL and AFL heated up in the 1960s.
Over the years hundreds of different types of games have been produced, using both generic and branded players and teams. But not a single one of them has worked as you would hope. Still, there was nothing like the buzz of the game being turned on and that split second of hesitation before the players started scrambling around the vibrating field. All the times that the players bunched up and nothing really seemed to happen were negated by the times that something unforgettable DID happen.
While it would technically be incorrect to say that the Nerf ball was invented specifically for Christmas, you could be forgiven for thinking it. Introduced in 1969, the original Nerf ball was marketed as the world’s first official indoor ball and was a huge success, with over 4 million balls sold in the first year. But it was with the 1972 introduction of the Nerfoop basketball set and the Nerf Football that Nerf was set on its path to the Hall of Fame. No longer did Christmas mornings mean you had to brave the elements outside to get in a game of hoops or sling the ol’ pigskin around.
Christmas cards ON the mantel are no match for baseball cards OF the Mantle. Whether it’s individual cards, unopened packs or complete sets of cards, for a collector there’s nothing else like cardboard for Christmas. Topps sold a complete set of its baseball cards through the JCPenney Christmas catalog in 1974 but sales must have been less than stellar, as the offering was discontinued. However, during the hobby’s boom in the 1980s, Christmas catalog pages began to fill with cards and specially created card collecting sets aimed at beginners. By the early ’90s most card manufacturers offered their cards through catalogs to reach the Christmas gifting audience.
To a kid there could only be one thing better than being a diehard fan of your favorite team – and that’s being a player FOR your favorite team. How else do you explain the decades-long love affair between Christmas morning and officially licensed football uniform sets? The logos change to match what the pros are wearing, but otherwise these sets are year-in, year-out favorites of kids everywhere.
Christmas falls almost exactly in the middle of the time between the end of the World Series and spring training, which makes it an excellent time to get a new glove. Getting a glove for Christmas ensures you’ll have plenty of time to get it broken in before the season starts – so glove manufacturers have long used the holiday, and the game’s biggest stars, as a major selling opportunity. Forget cinnamon, pine and gingerbread – Uni Watch kids know the best smell on Christmas morning is leather.
Being able to play football, basketball or baseball on Christmas morning was no match for being able to play football, basketball, baseball, Breakout, Space Invaders or Pac-Man. First released in 1977, the Atari 2600 brought video games into our homes and we’ve never looked back. Yes, the graphics were crude. Yes, the gameplay was rudimentary. But the option to play so many different games, on our TV, opened up a whole new world of entertainment to sports fans and kids in general. The quintessential “best Christmas present ever” for a generation.
10-speeds. Cruisers. Sting-Rays. BMXers. Bikes have been found underneath, besides, behind and adjacent to Christmas trees for decades. And throughout time a bike almost certainly ensured a treasured Christmas memory for years to come. But for Uni Watch kids, the combination of the independence provided by a bicycle and the sense of belonging that comes with sports fandom reached its apex in 1979 with the introduction of the NFL Bike. Licensed by the NFL, the bike could be had in the colors and emblems of each of the league’s 28 teams and featured “motocross styling” that was popular at the time. Although the $99.99 price tag (over $400 today) may have been prohibitive, those lucky enough to find one on Christmas morning cruised into the 1980s in a style rarely seen before or since.
Wood-paneled station wagons. Custom vans with airbrushed sides. Roller skates that looked like tennis shoes. In the late 1970s and early 1980s kids were not only on the move, they were moving in style. And those kids needed sports entertainment that could travel with them. Luckily Mattel, Coleco, Milton Bradley and a host of other game and toy companies stepped in with a variety of sports-themed handheld electronic games. Auto racing, baseball, football, basketball, soccer and more, all in tiny plastic boxes you could take just about anywhere. Nostalgia for these games runs so high that not only are the originals now cherished collectibles but several have been re-released in recent years.
— Jimmy Parker
How about you, dear readers? I’m sure there are many here among us who had at least one of the products shown above, and I’m sure some of us had many more! Which of these found its way underneath your tree? Which was your favorite? Did you have a similar product not shown here?
Please share your Christmas morning stories of when you were a kid and you received something from Jimmy’s list!
Simply awesome post.
I still got my Mattel games. And they still work.
Btw: Intellivision had better sports games than Atari. Plus, their football video game played out in real time. I still have my system boxed up with the games, ready to be reconnected, if I only knew how!
-C.
Thanks for reading and taking time to comment Chris! Glad you enjoyed it.
GTGFTU: Sep 28, 1969. Oilers 22, Fins 10 at the Astrodome. Roy Gerela scores 16 of the 22 points (5 FG and 1 PAT).
You got it John! couldn’t be 1970, because the Dolphins didn’t wear stripes on their sleeves and Gerela wasn’t there in 1968
Totally remember those NFL jackets. Growing up in the 1970’s in New York, the Giants & Jets were horrible. So, almost every kid had either Cowboys, Dolphins, Raiders or Steelers!
I think the only choices available were the team from the city you were in plus the Steelers and Cowboys.
Those jackets got circled every year in The Wishbook! LOL. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
Seeing those ads takes me back! 1996 was a big sports Christmas for me, I got a Steelers Starter jacket, trash can, and beach towel and an NFL logo comforter, all from JC Penny. I still have and use the jacket, though not as regularly as I did.
Safe bet that all that Steelers gear was on a single page in the Christmas catalog. Those things were amazing to a kid. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
I have never seen A Christmas Story.
Looking back, I’m amazed at how well my parents did in terms of sourcing sports-related gifts at Christmas. Almost every year I got something to do with Arsenal, and while the jerseys were the main prize, the other accompanying goodies were great too! I still have a bottle of Arsenal body wash in my bathroom from when I was 12 or so – I used to use it once a year (on NYE) before it expired.
I truly didn’t think it was possible for anyone to not have seen A Christmas Story. LOL. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
Thanks Jimmy! A real trip down memory lane, somewhat bittersweet for me. I longed for licensed Broncos gear, but our family couldn’t afford it.
Sorry about that, I hope you were able to find at least a little enjoyment in the article. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
Someone decided to be a sneaky SOB and sneak in a preseason game into the GTGFTS! It forced me to go into a deep dive on the GUD as they did not have the blue-and-white Rams in their blue jerseys playing at San Diego Stadium in the regular season (their first regular season at the future Murph was in 1975, by which time the Rams were back to blue and gold with the horned jerseys, and the Chargers had gone from powder to royal). So, by matching the other games on the scoreboard, I can surmise this was the August 24, 1968 preseason game.
My favorite sports christmas gift is a Marshall Faulk authentic jersey from his rookie year with the Colts. At that time jerseys weren’t that easy to come by, the replicas available in sporting good stores were local players, and a handful of major superstars. There really weren’t online team shops yet. Mail order catalogs had only 2 or 3 players from each team in replica format. But it was a big deal, like $300 I think, and you could order a custom authentic jersey.
I still have this jersey, the craftmanship in the mid 90s on these authentics was spectacular, the sewn on numbers instead of screen printing, the double mesh fabric on the shoulders, and stretch material side panels. Also at that time only the authentic jersey had the sewn on NFL shield on the collar. Being 1994 this jersey also has the amazing 75th anniversary patch. Probably my favorite gift ever.
Very cool – those 75th Anniversary jerseys are awesome! Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
Spent hours re-painting all the electronic football teams. Never thought they were good enough. We had the game down to a science where you were able to cut the power and readjust your players. We also used a spinner for passing instead of flicking it. Made for a much better game.
By necessity there had to be a lot of DIY when playing electronic football. Good times. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
That is one beautiful scoreboard. Unlike today’s video monstrosities where you have to search around just to find down and distance among all the stats. It has score by quarters, that never is shown any more, and all the information you need at a glance.
GTGFTS: Aug. 24, 1968. Second year of interleague preseason games.
Check out the sign behind the goalpost reading, “1963 World Champions – San Diego Chargers.” I think the Bears would take issue with that statement!
OK, now I feel old. I didn’t own all of those items, but remember them all being available. Holy crap.
Side note, I LOVE the Oilers uni shown in today’s photo. The silver/blue/red combo looks great, and I didn’t recall those sleeve stripes until now. So nice!
That’s my second favorite Oilers uni.
Great post today! So many great memories of electric football at Christmas. And although I never got the Atari system that I really wanted, I was pleasantly surprised with getting the much simpler TV Tennis game.
link
I just bought a pillowcase with the stylized NFL team names this year. Only two dollars and it looks as if it barely was used. It’ll be going on the bed tomorrow when I do laundry.
Glad you enjoyed it Jim! Thanks for reading and taking time to comment! And congrats on the pillowcase – $2 is a steal.
Thanks for reading and taking time to comment Tim! Admittedly, most of the stuff on the list only got circled in the Wishbook – I certainly didn’t get it all. But strong memories of being amazed by them all.
The only thing better as an 80’s kid than the Sears Wish Book was getting to go into the back of the Sears to find your family’s bin where all the orders were.
Thanks for reading and taking time to comment Marc! I’m still amazed that Sears went out of business but JCPenny is still around, as I always thought Sears was superior. Not sure why I thought that.
Two stories: In 1971, my parents got me a wool Giants’ jacket with the leather sleeves. I rudely announced that I was a Jets’ fan, barely cognizant that both teams were on a decade to nowhere.
Things went better many many years later after the Saints won the Super Bowl, and the NFL was caught unprepared (expecting a Peyton Manning coronation) so New Orleans souvenirs were thin on the ground. Mom and Dad came through in a big way with a championship t-shirt and Sir Saint knit hat.
That’s great Walter! Glad the article brought back some memories for you.
I can still smell that Sears Wishbook. We got the Montgomery Ward one as well, but the pages were thicker and the smell was different. Still cool.
That Cowboys bike is sa-weet! I’d have killed for that, but it looks like I was basically aged out by the time it hit the market.
The Sears Wishbook was the greatest! I wrote an article years ago on it – link – but it looks as if the links no longer work. Maybe I can get Phil to repost it next year. LOL. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
Also on that BMX page, Rams and Chargers helmets are facing opposite everyone else’s. I wonder why?
Dog, I was Sweet Vonette the Dunkin Cassette on my first Nerf Hoop. My dad had to install some plywood reinforcement after I tore it down like Chocolate Thunder.
Nerfoops were probably the cause of more childhood accidents than lawn darts. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
I had and have again a 1970 Coleco CFL electric football game and I still have my original Mattel and Coleco electronic sports games. Mind you, I was in my late teens when the electronic games debuted so I bought them myself. Living in Canada, I didn’t have access to all of the licensed NFL items that I would have loved to have as a kid.
Speaking of Canada, that’s an absolutely gorgeous photo of Canadian Roy Gerela wearing my favourite Oilers uni.
Those original handheld games were great. We were so easily amused back then. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
That NFL bike came along about 15/20 years too late. I’d have been all over a Colts branded bike when I was a kid!
I have one of those Mattel electronic baseball games in a drawer in my office. I think one of my kid’s friends left it here a couple of decades ago. Maybe I’ll see if it still works.
Finally, I remember getting baseball cards in my Easter basket in 1959 and that started me on the collector road. Not sure I got any for Christmas gifts
I didn’t get the NFL bike, but man did I want one. I was a big Steelers fan back then and practically drooled all over that one. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
How bad were the Packers in the mid-to-late ’80s? The children’s uniform set was still sold with #12 several years after Lynn Dickey retired, and that’s the one we got in about 1988.
Yeah, but then you got Sterling Sharpe. Would’ve loved to seen him have a full career – he was a beast. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
Great stuff, Jimmy! I had several of these items growing up, but my favorites were the durene 3/4 jersey/helmet (I got a Cowboys helmet/blank jersey in third grade and remember going to the local sporting goods store to have Tony Dorsett’s 33 heat pressed on), and the varsity style jacket/ski hat combo. I still have my Falcons ski hat to this day.
That’s awesome! Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
Great stuff, Jimmy! It definitely brought back some fond memories for me!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
Oh, Jimmy, did you spin my clock back almost 50 years!
The NFL’s agreement, contract, whatever, with Sears in the 1970s was the young fan’s best! My history with the Sears and Shield relationship began in 1976 with my obsession for the NFL Standings Boards, in particular the AFC version — I thought the magnetic mini helmets were the coolest things, and they were *only* $3.99, Mom! (Dad made the dough, she did the shopping and ordering.) They were on page 99 of the ’76 Sears Wish Book, and I wore a crease in the catalog spine looking at them all autumn. And I got my wish, but Mom also saw the same mini helmets as push pins in said catalog and ordered those as well — along with the bulletin board that I was wanting for my new, own room. We had moved to another, bigger house in Topeka, KS, and we had a full line Sears department store there that carried mostly Chiefs and Royals items.
Back in ’76, the playoffs were already down to the championship games, so I used the push pins to form the final four bracket (Steelers-Raiders and Rams-Vikings).
For my birthday in March of ’77 I got the Coleco football game, which was better than Mattel’s original because it had a pass
I never had any of those items but I did have a set of Minnesota Vikings pajamas for some reason, circa 1979. You know the kind, scratchy and “flame retardant”. I’m sure my mom still has a photo somewhere of me wearing this getup.
Unfortunately none of these great goodies were available in the Netherlands during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Atari was, but only a limited range of titles and certainly not in American sports. Also Christmas was not yet the big consumer festival in my country that it is right now.
But what a great look back and the ad of the NFL bikes should be framed and on my wall right now.