THE Namath Helmet... think he's mad?

[toddhead]

Does anyone think Namath is pissed that his helmet from Super Bowl III is giong to be auctioned off? In case you haven't read, a friend's son asked him for his chinstrap during the season and fearing bad luck, Namath didn't want to give it up, so he promised the kid his whole helmet after the season. Now, the helmet is going up for auction. I know the guy has all the right in the world to auction it off, but if I was Namath I would be pissed unless he offered it back to me first.

Would you be pissed?

[mvandor]

Link to story?

[toddhead]

Sorry...

http://sports.ha.com/common/info/press/default.php?ReleaseID=1489&ic=rightcolumn-namathhelm2-022608

[David]

If you expect it back at a later date, it's not a gift. Evidently this was given as a gift not a loan.

[DRILLINDK]

I agree, can't expect that back.

[mvandor]

No way I'd ever give that up for auction. I agree with the hyperbole, it IS one of the most significant NFL items to come to auction and at least appears to have pretty solid provenance. Too bad it's personalized, kinda takes away from the item - unless you're the guy selling it that it was personalized to.

[lund6771]

wow!!!...what an incredible piece!!!!..Mvandor, I'm willin to bet that this inscription could come off if someone wanted to

[mvandor]

wow!!!...what an incredible piece!!!!..Mvandor, I'm willin to bet that this inscription could come off if someone wanted to
Agreed. If I hit the lottery and could get this piece, I'd break out the Oops! to clean it off then get Namath to sign it "Joe Namath, SB III Game Used"...

I can dream, right? :rolleyes:

[nick1980]

I don't think Namath is pissed if he wrote a letter to go with the helmet?

[platinum1]

If this is all true I might think that Joe pulled a fast one on the kid.

[nyjetsfan14]

If this is all true I might think that Joe pulled a fast one on the kid.

I think it would be unfair to say Namath pulled a "fast one." I doubt we'll ever see another athlete garner the attention and face the demand that Joe did. Everybody wanted a piece of the great #12 and his personality was such to deliver as best he could. With that said, was their a real game worn helmet or jersey for the hundreds, probably thousands, of fans that wanted one? Nope. But you see an awful lot of Namath "game worn" jerseys on the market and now this helmet. The scenario was the same for many star players I am sure, team jerseys and maybe a couple helmets had to be made up in the locker room and given out. Not trickery, just the nature of the beast.

GO JETS!

[commando]

I'll bet 40 years ago, no one would ever have imagined the evolution of our hobby today and the money involved, not to mention the resources available to verify this these now-expensive relics. Namath or the equipment manager felt they were making a kid happy, so what was the harm in giving him Namath's backup helmet, or a team helmet made to look like Joe's?

Lo and behold, 40 years later this helmet hits the auction block with a $50K starting bid...

[jwasserman]

I think Jack Dempsey used to do this a lot- give away gloves and other ring used items from his famous fights because he loved to please his fans. The only trouble is that he'd give out four sets of gloves all supposedly belonging to the same fight. Back then, game used equipment wasn't an industry. These guys were just being fan friendly.


I think it would be unfair to say Namath pulled a "fast one." I doubt we'll ever see another athlete garner the attention and face the demand that Joe did. Everybody wanted a piece of the great #12 and his personality was such to deliver as best he could. With that said, was their a real game worn helmet or jersey for the hundreds, probably thousands, of fans that wanted one? Nope. But you see an awful lot of Namath "game worn" jerseys on the market and now this helmet. The scenario was the same for many star players I am sure, team jerseys and maybe a couple helmets had to be made up in the locker room and given out. Not trickery, just the nature of the beast.

GO JETS!

[platinum1]

This should be easy if anyone could get in touch with Joe and ask him the question.