Why Autographed Memorabilia Is So Special

Everyone has their things that they’re passionate about. Some people are really into art, maybe they enjoy collecting stamps, and in some cases, they just really enjoy going out to their local park to watch all of the local birds go about their business.

Every passion has things that some people outside of their passion wouldn’t understand. A bird watcher might travel to Texas and would probably get pretty excited if they saw a Black-bellied Whistling-duck, but people that aren’t so passionate about bird-watching might not understand why someone would be willing to travel to see a bird.

The same can be said for people that aren’t sports fans or are new to the world of sports. One thing that a lot of people don’t fully understand is the importance of things like autographed memorabilia, regardless of how special this kind of thing really is. 

Whether it’s something simple like signed Texas shirts or something more extravagant like the ball that was used in the world series and subsequently signed by every player on the winning team, these things are really something to behold and some of them are enough to bring even the most hardened collectors to their knees. 

But what really makes these items so special? Why are so many sports fans willing to shell out hundreds if not thousands of dollars to get their hands on these pieces of memorabilia? It might not make a lot of sense if you’re outside of this part of the world.

That being said, we wrote today’s article in hopes that we can inspire some sports fans out there to start their own collection and learn how to fully appreciate everything about sports culture that there is to appreciate. If you’re so inclined, when you’re done with this article you can go ahead and get yourself some signed souvenirs online.

We Have An Absurdly Long History of Playing Sports

Sports are something that humans have been doing for a very long time. In fact, there is evidence that humans have been doing sports for over 15,000 years. To put that into perspective, humans have only had civilization for about 5000 years.

10,000 years before humans were settling down we were playing sports, with the first sport that we have evidence of being wrestling. Suffice it to say, sports are something that humans have engrained into society since before the birth of society.

Over time we’ve created countless new sports, with many that you may have heard of and many that you may not have heard of. For example:

• Basketball.
• Baseball.
• Soccer. (or Football if you’re reading this from outside of the United States.)
• Football. (or American Football if you’re reading this from outside of the United States.
• Rugby.
• Lacross.
• Polo.
• Parkour.
• Ice Hockey.
• Running.
• Volleyball.
• Boxing.
• Cricket.
• Gymnastics.
• Rock climbing.
• Cycling.
• Competitive swimming.
• Skiing.
• Tennis.
• Dodgeball.
• Powerlifting.
• Rowing.
• Frisbee.

The list goes on and on indefinitely, there are a lot of sports that we as humans play together. It’s something that we do for fun, to blow off steam, and to build up comradery among ourselves.

There’s something special about the sport you love most, and that’s one of the biggest reasons why people enjoy having memorabilia signed by their favorite athletes in their possession.

Holding Excellence in Your Hands (or In a Protective Case)

In sports, there are some occasions that are extra special. Of course, any game that you watch can be special if you’re surrounded by your loved ones, but there are some instances where history is made in any given sport.

For example, the 2016 World Series Game 7. It was the Chicago Cubs versus the Cleveland Guardians (at the time they were known as the Indians, but they changed their name in 2020.) Neither team had won a world series in an incredibly long time, so both teams had something to prove.

The Guardians hadn’t won a World Series since 1948, and the cubs hadn’t won a World Series since 1908. No matter who won this game it would be one for the history books, and both teams were well aware of that and played their very hardest.

The game was neck and neck all the way up until the final inning, where there was the first Game 7 rain delay in Baseball history. After the delay, the Cubs were able to win the game and take home their first World Series victory in over a hundred years.

This is a momentous occasion that had Cubs fans all over the United States celebrating. In fact, this was such a historic moment that even people that weren’t fans of the Cubs were celebrating. Smart money would even say that the Guardians were pretty excited about that victory for the opponents. 

Many people consider this game to be the game that broke the curse of the Cubs. It was widely believed, whether earnestly or somewhat ironically, that the Cubs couldn’t win a World Series because they were cursed by a man who was kicked out of a game because his goat was bothering other guests.

Yes, you read that right. A man was kicked out of the stadium because his pet goat was bothering other guests, and on his way out he said “them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” It’s known as the Curse of the Billy Goat and it lasted until after the man passed away.

A lot of people feel that by owning a piece of signed memorabilia from this game, it’s like owning a piece of baseball history, and that’s far from an uncommon stance on this topic. That’s why balls with a single signature from this game go for upwards of $200.

There are all sorts of historic moments in baseball and not just ones that are associated with curse-ending games. Throughout the history of baseball or any other sport, you can find many moments of excellence if you look hard enough to find them.

Feel Closer to Your Favorite Player

If you’re into sports, there’s a good chance that you have a favorite player. Maybe it’s a player from your favorite team, or maybe you just really like how someone plays their game and don’t care as much about their team as a whole.

Regardless of who your favorite player is or why you might have chosen them to be your favorite player, owning a piece of merch that’s signed by them can be something really special for you as a sports fan. Something that’s one of one that you and only you own.

Now, don’t get us wrong. If you get a baseball signed by Vladimir Guerro Jr., odds are someone else has the same thing. The reason why it’s one of one is that not everyone has the exact one that you have. Maybe he signed it in a slightly different spot, maybe his handwriting was a little messier than usual.

There’s something unique about every single piece of autographed merchandise that’s floating out in the world, even if it’s something as simple as a signed ball. That brings you a little closer both to the game that you love and the players that you cherish.

Bring You Closer to the Game, Even if You Don’t Play

One of the biggest reasons why signed merch is so great is the fact that it allows you to be much closer to the game that you love, even if you don’t or can’t play it. 

Some people aren’t in good enough shape, don’t have the hand-eye coordination, or don’t have the desire to play sports but they still really love watching their favorite teams go up against each other when the season is right, and for them these pieces of merch make them feel much closer to the game.

There are other people that have physical or mental disabilities that prevent them from being able to play their favorite sports. Maybe they’re paralyzed, blind, or have something like vertigo so keeping their balance even on flat land is difficult. Some people can’t play sports at all. 

Of course, you can find handicapped leagues that find ways to work around this. Most sports can still be played in special wheelchairs. That being said, not everyone has a work-around so signed merch is that much more important to them. If they can’t play the game, they can hold a piece of its history in their hands.

Understanding the Passion of Sports Fans

Not everyone in the world is a sports fan. There are plenty of people out there that don’t know the difference between American Football and Rugby, and might even refer to sports in general as “sportsball.”

That being said, there are plenty of people in the sports community that feel very passionately about their favorite teams, players, and games. For those people, if they want to commemorate their love for the game, they always have the option to get themselves something special so they can always think about it.