Charitable Gift Giving

For the last few weeks, we’ve been highlighting great Olympics souvenirs where proceeds go to support the athletes of the US Olympic Team.

For the next 15 days, we’ll highlight one new product each evening from the US Olympic Shop.

If you saw the opening ceremonies last night, you witnessed an amazing spectacle. From the display of two thousand drummers to the amazing surprise feat of human-powered animated blocks to the image of the torch carrier running across the ceiling to light the Olympic flame, some of the special effects still have me scratching my head in amazement.

You may have noticed some of the volunteers that evening wearing some nice-looking red jackets which read “Beijing 2008” on the back. This jacket is on sale from the US Olympics Shop.

Cheer on Team USA by wearing their official apparel, and check back here each day to track their progress on this official medal count widget.

The Summer Olympics start today!

For the last few weeks, we’ve been highlighting great Olympics souvenirs where proceeds go to support the athletes of the US Olympic Team.

For the next 16 days, we’ll highlight one new product each evening from the US Olympic Shop.

The opening ceremonies took place in Beijing today. The US team came in wearing some very stylish blazers designed by Ralph Lauren himself, whose company Polo Ralph Lauren is an official sponsor of the team. The left side of the blazer had the official USA Olympics insignia, while the right side had a nice polo horsey. The athletes were also unified wearing some very stylish berets.

The US Olympic Shop has a number of great-looking official products from Polo, many which you’ll see on the athletes for the next sixteen days. While you can’t get the blazer on their site, you can get the cool beret! (Technically, it’s a “Driving Cap”). Like the blazer, it has the official US emblem to the left, and the polo horsey to the right.

Here’s a picture of the US Taekwando team greeting the President tonight:

 Cheer on Team USA by wearing their official apparel, and check back here each day to track their progress on this official medal count widget.

The Summer Olympics are less than two weeks away! A few weeks ago, we highlighted 10 great Olympics souvenirs for sale at the official shop for USA Olympic Team.

Well, since then they’ve added more great stuff. And of course, proceeds go to help support athletes who will be competing in Beijing in two weeks, as well as up-and-coming athletes who represent our country!

Here are some of my favorites:

1. 2008 Olympic Basketball Dream Team Jerseys: Since 1992 when professionals first started playing in the Olympics, USA Basketball games were usually one-sided affairs with the Team USA easily trouncing its opponents. but in 2004 in Athens, the US Team suffered its first wake-up call, suffering a devastating bronze-medal finish, losing to Argentina in the semi-final round. Three things had happened: the US team had not had enough time to build chemistry and gel as a team, some of the players were still young and not yet seasoned, and the world had caught up in terms of its competitiveness.

This year, things will be different. In an interview with LeBron James, he said that this year’s the players are really working together as a team, and that things are must different than they were in 2004. The team is probably one of the most exciting assemblages of talent in recent history. You can show your support for the USA and for your favorite player by getting one of these official jerseys of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwane Wade.

2. Basketball Shorts. Since we’ve talked all about basketball jerseys, let’s move on to basketball shorts! These are the official shorts as worn by the players of USA basketball on the court. They’re made by Nike, and are great to wear to root on the team, as well as for shooting around yourself. Choose from red basketball shorts and white basketball shorts.

3. Official Team USA Olympic Flag. Whether you fly it from a flagpole or hang it on a wall, this Flag is a great way to show your support for Team USA. It’s emblazoned with the letters “USA”, and contains the five Olympic rings.

Here are some interesting facts. The five rings represent the five continents of the world, and the reason for choosing the five colors is because at least one of the five colors is represented in the flag of every nation in the world.

4. Beautiful Handcrafted Jade Necklace. Here’s a very special gift for the lucky lady in your life. This Olympics Jade Necklace is handcrafted and plated in 24 karat gold. Its design is inspired by Olympic medals, and contains real jade, which is of course one of the most popular precious stones in China.

5. Official Medal Stand Jackets. When you watch the first Olympic medal being awarded to an US Olympian, watch to see if they’re wearing this medal stand jacket. These are the official jackets created by Nike for the USA athletes in Beijing to wear when they’re accepting their gold, silver, and bronze medals. Whether you choose the Men’s Medal Stand Jacket or the Women’s Medal Stand Jacket, it’s a stylish way to remember the games and all the wonderful stories of the athletes.

6. Official Polo shirt of Team USA. These days, just about everyone is selling polo shirts. But there’s only one Ralph Lauren, and only one official Polo Shirt. This 100% cotton short-sleeve shirt features the logo of Team USA for the Beijing Olympics, as well as the famous Polo pony.

7. Medal Stand T-Shirts. Not only do athletes who win medals get Medal Stand Caps and Medal Stand Jackets, they also get these Medal Stand T-Shirts. You can choose a Men’s Medal Stand T-Shirt or a Women’s Medal Stand T-Shirt. The shirt, made by Nike, will proudly show the world clearly where the medal winner is from.

8. Team USA Volleyball. Here’s a great collectible item. It’s a Team USA Volleyball. It’s regulation sized and silkscreened with the words “Team USA” and the USA Olympic team logo.

9. Team USA Olympic Pendant. Here’s a stylish Olympic Pendant with the USA logo and the inspirational words: DREAM, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE. It’s a great way to inspire someone in your life, and to remember the inspiring stories of those who are competing for their country.

10. Official Beijing Olympic Keychain. What’s a souvenir shop without a keychain? This Official Olympic Keychain is a beautiful baked enamel keychain with the official logo of the Beijing Olympics, the Olympic rings, and the words “Beijing 2008”. It’s the quintessential way to remember the games.

This year’s Olympics are going to be the most competitive since the years where the USA and the Soviet Union went head-to-head, only this year, they say that China is going all out to try to win the medal count. Cheer on Team USA by wearing their official apparel, and bookmark this page to track their progress on this official medal count widget (you can also install this widget on your own iGoogle or Facebook page).