When I was 11, one of my best friends took me to a few Utah Jazz games.
The best part? Our seats were close to the opposing team’s tunnel. This led to many player interactions highlighted by my face-to-face with the NBA’s infamous “Bad Boy,” Stephen Jackson. Earlier in his career, he served a 30-match ban for his involvement in Malice at the Palace.
My friend’s father looked at my friend and I and dared us to say these words: “Hey, Stefan, do you want to fight?” At 11, I raised my fists, looked Jackson in the eye and asked him if he wanted to fight. He shook his head, scoffed, and went to the court to warm up.
Such moments led to the opportunity to get some wonderful memories.
I have shoes worn by Samuel Dalembert and Wesley Matthews and one of my favorite memories is cheering for the Sacramento Kings and having their coach give me and my friend a bunch of Kings gear. After the game, I also picked up DeMarcus Cousins’ game-worn headband.
Sweaty, though epic.
What improvements can we make to the world of golf memorabilia?
I’ve been on a sports card kick lately, so this is the first option we’ll visit.
Six weeks ago, I opened a Topps MLB holiday box and pulled out an authentic Paul Skenes used jersey card numbered 99 – meaning only 99 copies of that card exist.
Wouldn’t it be the coolest thing in the world to open a box of golf cards and find something similar?
Panini has released LIV Golf cards for the past couple of years, but we haven’t seen many options from the PGA Tour. Upper Deck sporadically releases PGA Tour themed cards, but I want more.
Create cards with legendary inserts. How hard can it be?
I mean, imagine how cool it would be if you pulled a Scottie Scheffler card with an insert featuring a piece of his sneakers, a polo, a glove, or a scorecard?
I did some research and found evidence that these types of cards have been made before in the golf world, but it doesn’t seem to be a priority right now.
If I had to guess, I’d say golfers have trouble making card deals with the major manufacturers.
For the sake of fans and collectors, MAKE A DEAL HAPPEN. I’d go bankrupt following a Scottie Scheffler insert.
If I can be given the shoes of Dalembert and Matthews, what’s to stop the golf greats from doing the same?
Picture this: you go into your man cave for a quick moment to yourself. You put your feet up and look at the shelf under your 1,000,000 inch TV. Looking at you is a pair of Tiger Woods’ autographed Sunday Red game-worn shoes.
Even more epic.
All this is possible, but it will take some help from the fans. I’d be willing to bet Scheffler wasn’t asked to remove his shoes after the round. If he has, I think it hasn’t happened many times.
i understand Fans can be voracious. Fans can sometimes skip, but lifelong fans are created through intimate experiences like this.
I’m 26 years old now and I’ve been holding on to my game worn memorabilia for almost 20 years. There is something about feeling connected to a player/sport/game. It creates a new level of connection that golf is missing.
I would like to see change in this aspect.
I would be ecstatic to watch the landscape of golf memories change before my eyes. Heck, maybe I’ll be the one to drive change. As a fan and collector, I don’t just love it.
