Christmas is right around the corner. With that comes (hopefully) a bit of time off to spend with family and friends, eating way too much and of course presents from Santa. While big presents are nice, some of my favourite holiday acquisitions are from stocking stuffers.
Stocking stuffers can be worth their weight in gold, and there are plenty of sportscasting-related stocking stuffers that you might either want to put on your list, or give to your sportscasting brethren.
Here’s our list of 25+ sportscasting stocking stuffers under $25.
All the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase the items Sportscaster Life will receive a cut of the sale at no extra cost to you.
Sportscaster Life Scorebooks (starting at $21.99)
We’ll start with a shameless, unapologetic plug. Designed by sportscasters, for sportscasters, these books have great layouts for note taking, stat tracking and more. Designed for all four major North American sports.
Pack of five 1/4″ Headphone Adapters ($14.99)
If you’ve worked in a radio station, you’ll know these are golden. They’re very handy and bailed me out on a few occasions when I had to improvise some of my cabling.
Phone cleaning wipes ($8.99)
Whether it’s ear gunk, skin slime or that late night pasta on the bus after a game, our phones go through a lot and carry a lot of germs. These wipes are easy to stuff in a bag and have on you to clean that screen.
Bendy Cell Phone Tripod ($24.99)
Whether vlogging or doing selfie-style videos, this bendable tripod with phone mount allows you to put your phone just about anywhere to capture behind the scenes footage or pre-game previews.
Clip-on Selfie Light ($12.99)
Illuminate your interviews or social media videos with this small, simple light. Use on the front or back camera, it’s compact and will immediately improve the quality of your videos.
Phone Holder and Light Combo ($19.99)
This is a less portable, but still equally small combo kit with a phone holder on a small tripod and a light. Great for locked off shots when you’re low on space.
Smart Plug with USB ports ($14.99)
It’s getting better, but hotels are notorious for being stingy on electrical outlets. By the time you plug in you laptop, phone, power bank, tablet, headphones and other gadgets…you’re lucky to find a spot for the hair dryer.
Portable Power Bank ($22.98)
Speaking of power, a quality power bank is a no-brainer for sportscaster-related stocking stuffers. Portable juice for phones, tablets or anything else.
Leather Cord Organizers ($8.99)
These stylish cord loops will help prevent your kit bag from becoming a rats nest of cables…prolonging the life of your gear.
Tile Mate ($24.99)
This helps track and locate lost items. Great for travellers who leave things behind in hotels or on buses.
Laundress Wash and Stain Bar ($5.38)
Got three games but only packed two dress shirts? Did you drop a blob of sauce on your pristine white shirt? Quick laundry on the go to help remove grease and other stains from clothes.
Pack of six Desktop Cable Clips ($5.69)
These cable clips are colour coded so you can know exactly what each wire is just by looking at it. Great for the booth or the office.
Manfrotto Mini Tripod ($18.39)
A personal favourite. This little guy has a ball head and can support a good sized DSLR easily. Also great for vlogging if you’re into that.
Qi Wireless Charger ($9.99)
Set it and forget it. No wires, just set it down on this pad and your Qi-enabled phone will charge wirelessly.
Behringer Headphone Amp ($23.99)
Sometimes you need more than one stereo output for your broadcast. Maybe you and your color analyst would like different volumes in your headset, or maybe you’re running commercials off your laptop. This gets the job done by splitting one audio output, into four more.
Hand Warmers ($11.49)
If you work in winter sports you know how cold it can be. Whether you’re in a cold ice rink or holed up on the sidelines of a football field, sometimes gloves can be too cumbersome. These hand warmers are the perfect substitution.
Opolar Mini-Fan ($12.99)
Okay, so what about the guys and gals that work summer sports? This Opolor Mini-Fan is not only inexpensive, it’s known for it silence. No worries here about a loud fan noise coming through your broadcast and you’ll keep cool all game long. Don’t belive me on how quiet it is? Check out this YouTube video for proof.
1/4″ TRS Extension ($12.99)
Have an old pair of Sennheiser’s with the dual termination that has no reach between the XLR and the 1/4”? This extension could be the answer to your problems.
Halls Breezers ($8.11)
Don’t forget to take care of your most important asset. These cough drops taste like candy and can help coat that scratchy throat and keep you sounding your best.
Duct Tape ($8.29)
Okay, so it’s not the most glamerous gift, but is duct tape not the most verstile item in the world? There’s always a need for some duct tape! From sticking down extension cords to taping papers to a desk in a pinch, duct tape is always in fashion.
Contigo Spill Proof Coffee Mug ($18.80)
Coffee addict? Or do you like a certain beverage in the booth? This spill proof mug will keep your drinks hot (or cold) for hours without the worry of accidentally knocking it over and spilling on your prep or your equipment.
Electronics Carry-All ($9.89)
Need a succint, compact, and waterproof place to keep all your shorter cables, adapters, and cords? I carry two of these in my broadcast case, one for the cables and adapters I use on a daily basis and a second with all my backups which are used less often. Roomy with some mesh pockets and strong zippers that’ll withstand being thrown about.
Soft Bluetooth Headphones ($19.88)
An absolute necessity if you travel is headphones, but Air Pods can be lost fairly easily, standard ear buds get tangled, and over-ear headphones can be clunky and uncomfortable when trying to sleep on a bus. These headphone earphones will stay in place, have no cords to get jumbled, and you won’t even feel them as you lay down trying to drown out your hotel roommates’ snoring.
Mic Flags ($17.95)
Add a little something extra to your coach’s show or your stand-up video with these mic flags. Grab a team sticker and you’ll instantly look more professional without hardly trying.
USB to Ethernet Adaptor ($17.95)
With laptops getting thinner after each new model, finding an onboard ethernet plug-in is becoming harder and harder. Stop relying on spotty Wi-Fi and plug right into an ethernet connection with this adapter.
Pocket Notebook ($12.55)
Ideas, stats, programming notes, and so much more. Perfect for the every day and for game day.
24 Pocket Organizer Folder ($13.90)
Are you one of those guys who tapes his spotting boards to an old manilla folder that flops around like a flag in the wind? Try this for a cleaner and more organized approach. The 24-pockets leave room for spotting boards, line charts, records, and anything else you need to keep handy. The coil bound spine keeps it laid flat and out of the way.
Darth Vader Bluetooth Item Finder ($24.99)
Find your stuff, and the dark side. These item finders pair with your phone to help locate keys or wallets or other things that you lose frequently.
SanDisk 128GB microSD Card ($23.99)
Load up the tablet or phone with every movie on the planet (or thereabouts). Or take an infinite number of photos on your camera. Storage is always needed and you can never have too much.
SanDisk 128GB USB Flash Drive ($19.49)
Speaking of storage, the old-faithful USB key. Cloud storage is great, but when you’re in the middle of nowhere and you need that file…you’ll want it on this stick.
Smartphone lenses ($23.99)
This kit of lenses for your smartphone camera will help you take a range of picture types from telephoto to wide angle and macro.
Compact Bluetooth Receiver ($15.99)
Handy in many different ways from music on the bus to your broadcast. Stream stuff from your phone to your mixer without a wire.
There’s our list of stocking stuffers for sportscasters. Did we miss anything? Let us know!
