I spent 18 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, starting on
September 11, 2001, to help the team with the campaign to build a new ballpark
and ballpark village in downtown St. Louis.
I initially only signed on for a short stint as a freelance
consultant, but by 2005 I was working full time for the team to help monetize
our final season at Busch Stadium. While
we had set out to build a publicly owned stadium, that wasn’t in the cards for
us. Instead, we ended up privately
financing the new stadium. That fact meant we had to aggressively find ways to
monetize our final season as we essentially had two mortgages to juggle.
We were shameless in selling as much memorabilia as we
could. Virtually everything we set our
eyes on was possible memorabilia.
We literally sold the dirt.
No kidding. If it wasn’t nailed
down – and even if it was (like the flooring in the dugout) – we sold it.
Candidly, it was the most fun I had in my time with the
team. I loved it!
We were so creative in finding ways to monetize our final
season. I enjoyed working with everyone
in coming up with funs ways to monetize while making memorabilia available at
every price point. Our efforts ultimately gave birth the
Cardinals Authentics, which is a thriving memorabilia business division for the
team. Most teams in baseball now have
their own versions of this business line.
During the final season in Busch II, we sold over 14,000
pairs of authenticated stadium seats. We
held a salvage sale for our concessionaire equipment. We hosted a high-end auction. And the day after Thanksgiving 2005, we held
Fredbird’s Garage Sale at the Convention Center in downtown St. Louis.
Unlikely Memorabilia: A Urinal From The Cardinals
Clubhouse
But it in the realm of sports memorabilia, where every piece
has a story to tell, one items stands out as an unlikely star – a urinal from
the St. Louis Cardinals Clubhouse at Busch Stadium. We decided to offer the
urinal for sale in our high-end auction hosted by Leland’s Auctions.
Turning the restroom relic into a coveted collector’s items was
a master’s class in the crucial role of storytelling in sports memorabilia and
how thinking outside the box was marketing genius because of the
attention-grabbing role it played in fueling interest.
The decision to auction a urinal may seem eccentric, but in
the case of the Busch Stadium Farewell auction, it was a stroke of marketing
genius. The farewell auction aimed to
commemorate the storied history of Busch Stadium while helping us monetize those
memories as items made their way into the homes of fans. Among the more conventional items like
autographed items and game-used equipment, the inclusion of the urinal was a nod
to the everyday spaces where players spent significant parts of their careers.
The Power of Storytelling in Sports Memorabilia
Sports memorabilia is more than just a physical
artifact. It is a collection of stories
waiting to be told. It is a memory. It is history captured in a physical
item. A baseball is just a baseball
until it is tied to a great story. That
insight drives so much of what we do today.
It isn’t about the item. It is
all about the story.
For players who hold onto memorabilia, there comes a time
that they often opt to sell it. Talk to
a Hall of Famer. They don’t really want
the stuff. They already have the
memories. It can take up a lot space and
feel like clutter. They want it
gone. What’s more, they’d love a pile of
cash in its place since it stores much easier.
Now with STORYSMART®, we help the athlete preserve their
collection digitally so they can use to tell their story. They can still sell the physical item at an
auction while retaining the digital rights.
That is key point. A digital item
is legally distinct from the physical item.
You can own both or sell one or the other. Think of a MVP award or a Gold Glove. In the scheme of the player’s story it is
important. The digital proxy can work
just as well as the physical item when it comes to storytelling. The digital proxy can be key to telling a
player’s story (which they can also sell if they are smart about it.) or
monetizing digitally in the metaverse.
Anyway, the urinal is just a urinal but for the fact that it
was witness to so much – you know – history.
As players came and went, the urinal stood as a silent spectator
to the evolution of the team. Think of
the stories that fixture could tell?
The Cardinals Marketing Genius
Enter Lelands, the renowned sports memorabilia auction house
that hosted the Busch Stadium Farewell auction.
The decision to include the urinal was not just a quirky choice. It was a marketing masterstroke. The Cardinals and Lelands understood that to
create buzz and generate media attention, they needed something
attention-grabbing and unconventional.
The PR value of their investment paid off big as the story
about it’s sale made national news. It was one of ESPN’s weirdest stories of the
year for 2005.
Google it now and still comes up. Nearly two decades later.
Stories that Sell: A Legendary Urinal’ s Journey
Humor aside, it’s not just about owning a piece of the
stadium, it’s about connecting with the narratives that unfolded within its
walls. That is why that urinal
ultimately sold a local urology practice.
The lesson here is about story. The value comes from the story. The storytelling aspect elevates sports
memorabilia from mere commodities to cherished relics.
During that season, we went out of our way to write up great
descriptions of items when placing them in an auction or simply for sale. Dirt is just dirt unless there is a
verifiable story behind it. Yes,
everything was authenticated. Our
authentication program would hold up well in court. The chain of custody process is akin to
evidence gathering from a crime scene.
Complete with a cool hologram sticker with a unique identifying number
you use to look up the item. Think
analog NFT.
The decision to auction a urinal wasn’t just about selling a
piece of plumbing; it was about sharing a slice of the intimate world where
players spent a considerable part of their professional lives. One can imagine the conversations, laughter,
and shared moments this piece of porcelain silently witnessed.
The Auction’s Impact on the Sports Memorabilia Market
When the gavel finally fell, marking the end of the bidding
wars, it wasn’t just a victory for the highest bidder; it was a triumph for the
entire sports memorabilia market. The
urinal’s final auction price surpassed expectations, selling for over $2,000,
proving that the value of an item isn’t solely based on its traditional
significance.
The auction generated over $900,000 in sales. The team’s ability to get serious collectors
bidding against fans who were new to the memorabilia market was key to driving
prices up.
Lessons in Marketing & Storytelling
The success of the urinal auction offers valuable lessons
for celebrities, athletes, teams, and others looking to sell memorabilia. This toilet tale underscores the importance
of thinking outside the box and leveraging the power of storytelling. By connecting items to a great story, you can
create a sense of emotional attachment driving up the value of even the most
mundane objects. This unconventional
marketing strategy isn’t limited to sports memorabilia alone. It opens the door for exploring new and creative
ways to engage your audience.
What are your thoughts on this unique piece of sports
memorabilia? Have you come across other
unconventional items with fascinating stories?
What do you have from your collection that helps tell your story?
Are you a former professional athlete or celebrity looking
to monetize your story? If you are, we
can help. We have developed a line of
services to help you preserve your story and make the most of it from licensing
and storytelling monetization.
At STORYSMART®, we specialize in helping discerning clients
with documentary filmmaking, as well as using cinematic storytelling to help
market their brand online. We help individuals and organizations with
storytelling they own forever. All our storytelling services are delivered as a
confidential work-for-hire service, ensuring clients own the copyright on the
own story. If you are interested in learning more, please schedule a FREE no
obligation storytelling filmmaking consultation now.
About STORYSMART®
Nothing is more enduring than a beautiful film that brings a story alive on screen and in our hearts. Great stories demand nothing less than cinematic Hollywood-quality storytelling. STORYSMART® specializes in helping public figures such as professional athletes, entertainers, former elected officials and celebrities make the most of their story using a proprietary approach that blends Hollywood-style cinematic storytelling with museum-like collection curation and story-focused brand licensing.
STORYSMART® provides Hollywood Quality filmmaking and storytelling consulting services, functioning as a high-end work-for-hire ghostwriting service specializing in cinematic storytelling rather than being limited to traditional book publishing (hint - you can do both if your are smart about your storytelling derivative rights). STORYSMART® services range from story preservation digital archive services like those used by Oprah Winfrey, Bon Jovi and Billy Graham, to story development, screenwriting, licensing, and professional documentary filmmaking.
STORYSMART® is ideal for clients interested in controlling and monetizing their own storytelling through story-based media production, publishing, and merchandising.
Learn more about our customized white glove approach and book your FREE CONFIDENTIAL consultation at storysmart.net
Filmmaking For ALL™ My Own Story™ Storytelling For ALL™
