Black Friday and Cyber Monday

If you slept in this morning, never fear. There’s still time to take advantage of  “Black Friday,” the post-Thanksgiving free-for-all where everyone celebrates yesterday’s gluttony by going on a huge holiday season shopping spree.

With consumer spending down, merchants are putting even greater emphasis than usual on the importance of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. (Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday season.)

So, in order to do our part to stimulate the economy, here are some deals you can take advantage of:

Black Friday and CyberMonday Deals:

Sports Authority: Shop the circular during the 10 Hr Door Buster Special on Black Friday at SportsAuthority.com! 5am to 3pm on 11.27

Sports Authority: 15% off your Order on Cyber Monday at SportsAuthority.com! Exclusions Apply. Valid only on 11.30

Champion: Get free shipping with a $50+ order at ChampionUSA.com! This offer is valid now through December 1st!

ESportsonline: Save 20-50% + Free Shipping on Gifts for Women in the eSportsonline FOR HER Holiday Gift Shop.

Amazon: Visit Amazon.com to find great Black Friday deals and get FREE Super Saver Shipping on millions of items.

Not home for the holidays

Not everyone can make it home for the holidays, especially collegiate athletes.

Some may say that athletes get ripped off during holidays because when everybody else is relaxing, the athletes are in the gym, field, arena or natatorium getting ready for their next performance. Winter and fall sport athletes may end up training harder than ever just when other students are packing up to go home.

There may be no place like home for the holidays but you can create a holiday mood wherever you are. Get together with some teammates to cook a dinner and create your own extended family celebration. You have a unique camaraderie with your team that allows you to bond not just on holidays, but on any occasion. Having that second family helps many athletes get through the holiday and a weekend of competition.

And if you’re not an athlete in training during the holiday, and you find yourself sitting on your butt wishing you had a longer break, remember the athletes who are back at school practicing, training and competing. If they have a bad game for whatever reason, then don’t give them a hard time. Give them a break because they never get much of one.