Sports Memorabilia Value What’s It Really Worth

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I have a Derek Jeter autographed baseball. How much is it worth? We hear this question all the time. Everybody wants to know how much money they can get for their sports memorabilia. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple to determine.

The short answer is, and the answer that many sports memorabilia dealers tell their customers, is that your sports memorabilia is worth what someone is willing to pay you for it! Although this answer is simple enough, there is a way to determine the value of an item. It may not be what we can sell the item for, but we certainly can find out what similar items have sold for.
Let’s take the Derek Jeter autograph baseball as an example. We are at Yankee Stadium and Jeter is signing autographs on the rail before the game. We toss him a ball, and low and behold, he signs it. It’s our lucky day! We happened to be in the right place at the right time. We now own Derek Jeter autograph baseball.

What’s it worth?

When we get home from the game, the first thing we do is check the internet to see if we can find a value for our new prized possession. We go to our favorite search engine, type in “Derek Jeter autograph baseball” and, needless to say, we get the phone book. There are literally thousands of sites that have this.

We do some more searching and click on to Steiner Sports. Now Steiner is one of the largest memorabilia companies around, are based in New York, and do exclusive signings with Derek Jeter. They sell Derek Jeter autographed baseballs for $500 each. Does that mean my ball worth $500?

Lets continue.

Next stop, a sports memorabilia store that sell Jeter autographed baseballs for $399. In fact, this company is a Steiner authorized distributor, the ball is authenticated by Steiner, and is the exact same item that Steiner sells for more. So is my ball worth $399?

Not so fast, lets move on.

On to ebay. Here we find a very wide range of Derek Jeter autographed baseballs from many different types of sellers. Some have COA’s from Steiner, some from PSA/DNA, some from Joe’s Baseball Card Emporium, and some that have no COA’s at all. Selling prices are all over the board, from as low $50 in some cases, to over $900 in others. We don’t even know if half of these are real.

At this point we are totally confused. How can there be such a price difference for the same Derek Jeter autographed baseball? Well the answer my friends, is that they are not all the same! There are many factors that determine the value of similar items. Two of the most important factors are condition of the item and authenticity.

When you pay top dollar from a company like Steiner Sports for an autograph baseball, you get a brand new, snow white baseball, with a strong, smudge free Derek Jeter penned signature on the sweet spot. It is a top condition ball. If you pay less, you usually get less. A Derek Jeter autographed baseball signed on a dirty or soiled ball, or one that is signed on a side panel, or one where the autograph is fading, is certainly going to be worth much less.

The same is true about authenticity. If you are not sure that the ball has actually been hand signed by that player, it is worthless. Because of their reputation, a Derek Jeter autograph with a Steiner Sports COA is the best you can do. They witness every ball signed. You can’t beat that unless you see the player sign the item yourself, which is impractical in most cases. Other companies, such as Mounted Memories, Tri-Star, and UDA are reputable as well and their authenticity is not questioned in the industry. Reputation and integrity of the company or individual standing behind the product is more important than the product itself. That is why some people will pay top dollar for their items, because they know that it’s real.

So how does my ball compare with these. Well, it was a new ball before the game, but after Jeter signed it, he threw it back to me and I dropped it and it got a little dirty. Plus my friend got some mustard from his hot dog on it. Oh yea, Jeter signed it on the side panel with a sharpie, but I did witness it. Although who’s going to believe me if I want to sell it. But I still want to know what’s it worth?

The answer. It’s worth what someone is willing to pay for it!

African Sports Safaris It’s Time To Lace Up Your Shoes

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Sports tourism, which is defined as trips taken specifically to watch or participate in sport events, has a huge potential to boost Africa’s tourism revenue.
Grossing more than $600 billion a year, the global sports tourism sector is identified as a potential driver of the continent’s tourism growth figures especially after the hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa.

Although African Sports Safaris are not as popular as game viewing expeditions, the continent is quickly earning a reputation as a sports tourism destination thanks to its world-class sports venues and golfing estates.

South Africa is undoubtedly one of the top destinations for African sports safaris. The country boasts top-class venues, including more than 500 world-class golf courses, which enable it to host international sports events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Rugby World Cup and the African Football Cup.

Golf and water sports such game fishing, wind surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling and canoe racing are some of the most popular sporting activities among visitors to South Africa, Morocco, Kenya and many other African countries.

Sun City, Cape Town and Garden Route are South Africa’s best golfing destination. On the other hand, Limpopo is ideal for fly fishing, cycling, mountain biking, car racing as well as golfing.
Morocco’s prevailing winds, fabulous beaches and rugged terrain make it an ideal destination for parachute jumps, biking and horse riding among other sports.

The coast of Kenya is ideal for sports such as scuba diving, snorkelling, water-surfing, deep sea fishing and dhow sailing. The country is also emerging as a potential destination for golfers especially with the recent investors’ plans to build golf cities in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Thika, Eldoret and other strategic locations across the county.

But even with the spirited effort by tour operators to market Africa as a destination for sports safaris, it will take powerful marketing campaigns for the sector to make a significant contribution to the local economy.

And because such expensive campaigns may not yield immediate results, many operators seeking to improve their bottom line are finding it more sensible to continue marketing the traditional game viewing safaris. A Tanzania wildlife safari, for example, will most certainly attract clients faster than a golfing tour in a nondescript village half an hour outside Arusha.

Tanzania, one of the few African countries that allow hunting expeditions, offers some of the best game drives in the continent. Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ruaha, Selous, Tarangire and Serengeti national parks are some of the most popular destinations for Tanzania wildlife safari.
Wild animals that can be spotted within the Tanzania national parks and reserves include wildebeest, elephant, leopard, lion, cheetah, hippos, zebra, buffalo, gazelle, warthog and crocodiles among other species.

Rise In Popularity Of Sports Nutrition Products Amongst Adolescents And Baby Boomers

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Sports supplements were originally designed for professional sportsmen and athletes. These were ergogenic supplements meant to enhance athletic performance, increase muscle mass, and provide spurts of energy when needed. However, the real force driving the industry today is adolescents and baby boomers! Enthused by a desire to live long and healthy, these baby boomers have sent the sports supplement market soaring for more than a decade. Adolescents, or the younger generation, want to build muscle, enhance their sports performance, or use sports supplements as part of their diet regimen.

This popularity is marked by a fast rise in sales every year. According to research conducted by the Nutrition Business Journal, the fastest growth in the nutritional supplement market is in specialty supplements and in the sports nutrition sector, which has a growth expectancy of 6 percent right through 2010.

Sports Nutrition Products ‘ Rising Popularity

Baby Boomers
Baby boomers were the first generation to include fitness in their daily program even beyond middle age. These people are educated, have the spending power, are aware of their nutritional needs and desire to adopt proactive measures to maintain good health. According to Forbes, the number of health clubs has tripled since 1990. This is directly related to the number of men and women, over the age of 55, joining health clubs. In 2003, 6.3 million health club members were over 55 working out what they believe is a prescription for maintaining an active lifestyle. The intensity of growth is further substantiated when you think of the fact that there is a baby boomer turning 55 every 7 seconds!

Adolescents
Adolescents are another group of people who increasingly enjoys sports nutrition supplements for various reasons.

The problem of being overweight has tripled since the early 1970s and today about 15% of our children between the ages of 16-19 are overweight. Statistics keep rising, with an expected 25% of overweight children by 2010. Many of these adolescents use weight loss supplements.

Thirty to forty million children participate in organized athletic activities. About sixty percent of our children participate in school sports. There is pressure to perform and many of these children use supplements to enhance muscle mass and improve their sports performance. Nutritional sports supplements offer a better alternative to steroids which are considered unsafe and carry harmful side effects.

Bars, beverages and meal replacements are the most popular sports supplements in this category. Energy drinks sensationalized by celebrities or sports stars have become lucrative prospects.

Sports Nutrition Products ‘ Rising Prospects

The nutritional sports supplement manufacturing industry maybe a small segment of the entire nutritional supplement industry, but it consists of consumers who are dedicated. Those who invest in sports nutrition supplements are making an investment towards a determined goal. It could be to enhance sports performance, or to maintain good health and an active lifestyle.

Sports nutrition products, including weight loss products, are not only sold by retailers, but many health spas, gyms, health clubs carry sports supplements. This accounts for about 42 million people. Retail stores, chain stores and departments are other additional outlets.

Sports nutrition and weight loss is therefore a big business and still booming. In spite of the economic climate this industry is showing a respectable growth. With the new GMPs in place by June 2009 for medium sized manufacturers, the supplement industry will receive an added impetus. The newly enforced quality regulations will help to build more consumer trust in nutritional supplements.

How Sports Can Relieve Stress

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Everyone has some recollection of the middle school and high school years. All of the changes in your body, as well as in your mental state begin to change dramatically. For several, this isn’t a pleasant experience and can lead to problems such as stress, and even more severe problems of depression. Making sure that youth stay active and are able to maintain the changes that their body is making may help them to have a more pleasant experience during these years.

If you are looking for ways to help your youth relieve some of the extra stress that they are gaining, you don’t need to look any further than youth sports and activities. If you see that your youth is stressed over the changes that they are going through, including things such as school work, social life, etc. then encouraging them to join a sport will help to relieve this problem.

Physical activity for youth doesn’t just begin to help them adjust to the changes in their body. It is scientifically proven that physical exercise will help to switch on particular hormones and chemicals in the brain that allow for one to relax. As soon as your body begins to move, the chemicals have to readjust in order to keep the circulation in your body at its best. The more you move, the more your body will be required to continue to balance out your body.

One of the main ways that this happens is by the production of endorphins into the system. Endorphins are proteins that are located in the brain and sent out to the body. They are especially activated if the body is telling the brain that it is in a painful situation. The endorphins will react by relieving the pain. If your youth is exercising for at least twenty minutes a day, the endorphins will continue to be sent from their brain, allowing them to stay relaxed and stress free.

If you want to make sure that your youth enjoys their time of being young, then you can help them out by suggesting a physical activity like a sport. This will help them to relieve their stress, stay calm, and balance out some of the chemicals that are moving throughout their brain and body. By using a physical activity, you can be certain to give the youth an alternative to stress.

Sports Related Fundraising Ideas

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Are you tired of selling chocolate bars to raise money for your school fundraisers? Do you spend a lot of time training for your sport with nutrition and practice that selling chocolate and sugary snacks doesnt seem to reflect your team?

Would you like to have options that include healthy snacks? Would you like to put on an active fundraising campaign? Here are a few options that you might like to put on better sports fundraisers.

Sell Healthy Items

A lot of professional fundraising companies can offer your school sports team better alternatives to chocolate. Some examples of smart fundraising snack alternatives are nuts. And trail mixes. Cashew halves are available and other mixed nuts. They have natural oils and are low in fat.

Trail mixes are available with a mixture of nuts, cranberries, raisins and banana chips. There are other samples of trail mixes that your school club can sell. Whether the donor has spicy tastes or salty there are healthier options for him.

It is a very easy and successful campaign to put on. The healthy snacks fundraisers are sold to donors in the $6-$8 dollar range. Donors are usually excited about this switch from chocolate because it gives them new choices. It is an order taking campaign with the donor choosing his snacks; the orders will be totaled and then shipped from the fundraising company. There is no left over stock to handle because everything that is shipped is already sold.

Active Sports Fundraising Ideas

You can use just about any activity for a active fundraising campaign. The sports fundraisers are great ways to get a large cross section of people to participate and depending on the time of the year also a variety of choices.

Bowling tournaments are a great way to appeal to different age groups. It doesnt matter if its ten pin, five pin or lawn bowling a tournament will bring out all the bowling aficionados. Approach you local club and arrange for a day for your school team or charity event. This bowling fundraiser can be put on any time of the year.

Golf tournaments are easy to put on and get people out for. Tournaments generate publicity and appeal to corporations. A few calls and some advertising can net you some corporate sponsorship as well. Many courses will be happy to help you set up the organizational work.

Check out part 2 of this article for even more active fundraising ideas.