Celebrating Football Fandom with DICK’S Sporting Goods

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of DICK’S Sporting Goods. All opinions are 100% mine.

As a lover of fitness and active living, sports are definitely a passion of mine.

When it comes to my own workout routine, sports play a big part. Boxing is one of my all-time favorite ways to break a sweat, hitting the tennis courts for a friendly competition with my husband is always fun, and as an adventure lover, the feeling of racing down a trail on my mountain bike is an adrenaline rush like no other.

Watching professional sports is big in my household. I love absorbing myself in big events like the Olympics, Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and Vegas fights that thrill the the boxing world. Even soccer games have even grown on me due to my husband’s constant watching.

But when it comes to my favorite sport, there’s one that exceeds all the rest by a long shot: football.

My father has been a football coach my entire life, and I think that the love for the sport has been engrained in me. I grew up going to football games and constantly watching them on TV. My dad’s high school team has been ranked in the top 10 in the country many times over the years, and I remember the excitement at getting to go on the field at the Meadowlands (now MetLife Stadium) after some of his big games. I even have gotten to meet some NFL players!

In fact, my parents were in Tampa this week for the College Football National Championship rooting on Alabama, as one of my dad’s high school players is now a great athlete on the team. Talk about an upset game for Alabama, losing to Clemson!

Another bummer game of the week for me? The NFL team I’ve been a longtime fan of, the New York Giants, losing in the playoffs to the Packers. Ah well, you lose some, you win some. 

One way that I love to show my Giants pride is by wearing NFL jerseys. When I wore one last Sunday before the game for a beach walk with my dog, at least a dozen fellow fans stopped me to say things like, “Go Giants!” and, “I hope they get a W today!”

That’s the cool things about being a fan of a team. It connects people and brings them together, even when you’re living 2,500 miles away from where the Giants are based.

Years ago, it was tough to find women’s NFL jerseys, but I’m happy that nowadays, they are not hard to come by. Most of the NFL gear that I own is from DICK’S Sporting Goods. As the the country’s largest sporting goods retailer, DICK’S core company belief is that sports make people better, and I agree wholeheartedly.

To engage with NFL fans and showcase favorite jerseys across the country, DICK’S created the Jersey Report. An NFL popularity contest of sorts, the report is based on online and in-store sales data. Each week the DICK’S team digs into the data and aggregates the top-sellers to show off in the Jersey Report.

Fans can check out the Jersey Report to see which players’ jerseys are top-sellers – including overall, offense, defense, rookie and team rankings, by week, 30 days, or the entire season. It’s fun to play around with, and I’m pleased to see that Giants’ wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the top best selling NFL jerseys of the season. I’m not surprised, as he’s been one of the flashiest and most emotional NFL players this season, and he makes some amazing catches!

I’m also not surprised to see the rookie Philadelphia Eagles’ QB Carson Wentz taking the #3 spot on the Jersey Report, as he’s been a big deal for the team this year. My husband and father-in-law are Eagles fan, so I’ve made several visits to the Giant’s rival team stadium in Philly in recent years.

Fun fact: Carson Wentz bought a home in my father-in-law’s New Jersey town last year. I obviously made him point it out to us over the holidays when we were in the area!

Rounding off the Jersey Report’s top 10 list for the season is Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green. He was injured for part of this season, but he helped my Fantasy Football team come in 2nd place this year (in an otherwise all-male league might I add!).

I just love the passion and handwork that athletes put into their sport, and I know that being a sports fan and athlete myself enriches my life. I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be conquering bike trails, cheering on my team wearing NFL jerseys, rocking my pink boxing gloves in the gym, and cheering on the teams & athletes that I admire for years to come!

To learn more about the Jersey Report, check it out here and follow DICK’S Sporting Goods on Instagram and Facebook.

Readers, tell me… What’s your favorite sport? Do you have an NFL team that you root for? 

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