Organizers at the 29th Annual National Sports Collector’s Convention say they are offering a record $25,000 if disgraced Chicago Cubs fans Steve Bartman shows up and signs an autograph at the event in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont.
Bartman entered baseball lore and earned the ire of Cub fans everywhere on Oct. 14, 2003, when he attempted to catch a foul ball in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against Florida and interfered with Cubs left-fielder Moises Alou. The Cubs collapsed after the play, lost Game 6 and went on to lose deciding Game 7. Bartman’s life has been made hell since by idiotic, sick and twisted Cubs fans who hold him responsible for the loss and he had refused all endorsement opportunities.
From a release sent to us by Ross Forman, a longtime Outsports contributor who is a publicist with the collector’s convention:
The most money ever offered for one autograph is on the table, literally, at the 29th Annual National Sports Collectors Convention, scheduled for July 30 – August 3 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.
Show organizers and SportsBuy.com, a sports online sales and auction firm, announced that a briefcase filled with $25,000 – that’s 250 $100 bills – is being offered to Steve Bartman on “Redemption-Reward Thursday” (July 31) at the convention. The Bartman signing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central Time that day.
“No one in sports memorabilia history has ever been paid $25,000 to sign one autograph – not Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, or any other athlete,” said Mike Berkus, co-Executive Director of The National.
“All Steve has to do is show up, prove he is in fact the real Steve Bartman – not some earphone-wearing imposter – and he’ll move to the top of the autograph value list,” said Wesley Hein, CEO of SportsBuy.com.
The photograph that The National organizers want Bartman to sign is, of course, the infamous image from Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins. Once the picture is signed, it will be auctioned on SportsBuy.com to the general public with net proceeds being donated to a Chicago-based charity. This photo, signed by Steve Bartman, would be, arguably, the most sought-after collectible in the history of sports memorabilia.
“Steve Bartman has been a recluse for years, but we’re hopeful that he will accept our invitation and generous offer to appear at The National,” Berkus said. “We have personal security to provide to Steve at The National and to a destination of his choosing.”
If Bartman accepts the offer, he immediately will vault into an autograph stratosphere of his own. Just consider the past prices and values of former athletes for one autograph:
–Babe Ruth: $10,000
–Shoeless Joe Jackson: $7,500
–Lou Gehrig: $5,000
–Michael Jordan: $2,500
–Joe DiMaggio: $2,000
–Mickey Mantle: $1,000
on Jul 23rd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Nice article, except the comparisons to other autographs don’t take into account inflation. What would Babe Ruth’s 10k autograph be worth now? Between 118919.24 (1920) and 116702.84 (1945).