by Hanna Edwards

Created on: September 03, 2008   Last Updated: September 08, 2008

Paint your face and fire up the grill for the classic fall tradition: gridiron football! Who has time to crunch the numbers on investment opportunities? Luckily it's possible to mix business and pleasure. Here are some stocks that feed your football passion and might pad your wallet at the same time.

If your nosebleed seats make players look like ants, you might find yourself admiring the incredible brightness and definition of the scoreboard. You might likewise admire the stock of Daktronics (DATK), the leader in digital LED scoreboard and billboard manufacturing. Daktronics has more than 80% of the scoreboard market in the United States. And with over 100 pro and college sports facilities being built or upgraded, that's a good chunk of business. But Daktronics is also taking advantage of the move to digital in the outdoor billboard advertising market. Currently, less than 2% of roughly half a million billboards in the U.S. are digital, and Daktronics will likely be converting the majority of them. At a recent stock price of $17, this stock is more than 40% off its 52 week high of $32, which is par for this volatile stock (Beta 1.25). But with a steady backlog of business for the near future, it's a solid bet.

You may have noticed there's a new logo in town. The interlocked U and A of Under Armour, Inc. (UA) grew by word of mouth when founder Kevin Plank, a former University of Maryland football player, developed a skin-tight synthetic undershirt that provided compression and wicked water away from the body. The company went public in 2005 and has expanded its offerings to include over 300 styles of moisture-wicking athletic wear, as well as becoming an official NFL footwear provider. Under Armour's earnings tend peak in Q3 estimates, and its beta of 1.24 suggests a volatility that bears watching. But it has beat earnings estimates every quarter since the IPO and is still growing at a 25% year clip, a pace that CEO Plank says it can sustain through 2010. With a PE ratio of 43 times earnings, it's not cheap, but it is the hot brand.

By now you're probably feeling your tummy rumble, so take a look at Pepsi Co. (PEP) stock at $69, down from its 52 week high of $79. With brands from natural (Naked Juices) to athletic (Gatorade) to fun (Pepsi), there's just no way you aren't drinking something from Pepsi if you go to a game. Add to that the good crunchy fun of Frito-Lays chips, meat sticks and the all-American Cracker Jack, and you have the crux of the Sunday afternoon football game fare. With a beta of 1.04, this blue chip is a classic dividend income bet, but it's also great to go long and sell some covered calls for a little extra cash. Just keep an eye on it so you don't have to deliver the shares before you want to.

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