This past Sunday, yet another football season began. And as always, millions of men and women began spending small fortunes -- on tickets, cable television, apparel, trading cards, beer, chicken wings, fantasy football, and every conceivable type of powdered-cheese-covered chip. Over the decades, these investments will add up to a meaningful amount -- one that can make the difference between retiring early or greeting people at Wal-Mart until you're 105. But the investment doesn't end with money. The average fan also invests massive amounts of emotional energy rooting for his/her team. And if that weren't enough, they -- OK, we (go Bears), also invest massive amounts of our most precious resource -- time.
Since we invest so much of ourselves in watching sports, why not put aside some of that time and energy to earn a real return on our investment? This way, when the spouse or some annoying writer/comic artist like me bugs you about this, you can claim to not only be watching the game but also legitimately tracking your investments. Here are some companies with a seemingly ubiquitous presence on, and around, the gridiron. Under Armour
Another never-ending battle is the battle of the beers. These include stocks such as Molson Coors
The bottom line is that football and sports in general appeal to something primal inside us all. If we're going to invest vast majorities of our free time, energy, and money into following a sport, we owe it to ourselves to maximize our return on that investment.