With March Madness upon us this weekend, opportunities to spend money are as plentiful as brackets tucked into briefcases. Whether it’s a waste of cash or a thoughtful investment of funds depends on your fanaticism for college hoops.
NECESSARY ATTIRE FOR ANY SUPERFAN:
THE HAT: If you’ve always admired the craftsmanship of a “cheesehead” hat but aren’t a Green Bay fan, foamheads.com has something for you. Most teams are represented in their “collegeheads” collection. Cost: About $25.
THE BANNER: Drape yourself with your school flag. Find a banner on sportsfanoutlet.com. Cost: About $25.
THE JERSEY: Pay tribute to your team’s top players from the past with an “authentic throwback” jersey from Adidas from distantreplays.com. They’re not originals, but they’re made just the way they were in the year they represent. Cost: $200 to $425.
THE BLING: Flash your team’s logo with as many gold charms and watches as you can lug through the metal detectors. Start the search on sportsfanoutlet.com or go to your school’s alumni Web site for the pricey stuff. Cost: $29+.
THE SHOES: Nike is about to introduce its Huarache 2K4 shoe, an updated version of the shoe that the University of Michigan’s “Fab Five” wore in the tournament in ’92. Cost: About $125.
…OR BANK IT
Bank the date, that is, and get yourself to San Antonio for a Final Four game. Tickets are on sale at stubhub.com, and flights are still available for the weekend of April 2. For about $300 we found a ticket to the 4 p.m. April 3 game. And we found a round-trip flight on Northwest Airlines for about $400. Assuming you have $1,000 to work with, that leaves $300 for a hotel room, cheap eats and a lot of face paint.
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Edited by Lara Weber (lweber@tribune.com) and alBerto Trevino (atrevino@tribune.com)
