man shares purchase issue (l) jaguars game (c) man holding up jersey he purchased (r)
Via @seiksnoob TikTok @jaguars TikTok
There’s nothing quite like cheering the home team to a win. Even if you’re not a fan of that particular team, the camaraderie of a home team victory is infectious.
The energy is even more electric surrounded by tens of thousands of fans at a professional sporting event like an NFL football game. People are often moved to tears, overindulgence, and buying things they may not necessarily want.
One man had the unfortunate experience of dropping $119 on a mystery jersey at a recent Jacksonville Jaguars football game, only to be disappointed by what he got.
Earlier in the week, influencer Aiden Buendorf (@seiksnoob) issued a warning to his 113,300 TikTok followers: Don’t buy the mystery jersey.
Buendorf confirmed with BroBible he bought a mystery jersey at the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game over the weekend. Since Buendorf recently moved to Jacksonville, he figured he’d buy a jersey to support his new area. But he quickly learned that was a big mistake.
“I highly recommend, highly recommend you do not go into the Jaguars fan experience zone and go to that booth that’s selling mystery signed jerseys for $119,” Buendorf says in his video. “It sounds like it could be fun until you open up your package and this is what you get right here.”
He holds the jersey up for the camera. At first glance, it appears to be a run-of-the-mill jersey. So what’s the beef?
As Buendorf explains, the jersey isn’t branded with an NFL logo, isn’t Jaguars colors, and the player, kicker Brandon McManus, isn’t even on the Jaguars’ roster anymore.
“He hasn’t played for the team since 2023,” Buendorf says in apparent exasperation. “They’ve been trying to get rid of these things forever.”
Worse yet, McManus currently plays for a team the Minnesota Vikings fan is programmed to loathe: division rivals the Green Bay Packers.
Why Buy Jaguars Memorabilia This Year?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a 1995 expansion team that has had some good and some very bad years. They’re yet to even make it to the Super Bowl.
The era of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, selected first in the 2021 draft after the abysmal 2020 season in which the team went 1-15, was supposed to be a turning point.
Unfortunately, Lawrence’s record as quarterback has been as uneven as the Jags’ history.
This year, however, long-suffering Jaguars fans may finally, finally have cause for hope. As of this writing, the team’s record is 6-4, and Lawrence remains healthy.
Thus, while Buendorf may bleed purple and gold, this is arguably a good time to buy a signed Jaguars jersey for $119—depending on what you get. The Jags themselves are currently selling signed Lawrence jerseys for $550.
That may sound like a lot, but sports memorabilia can increase in value, sometimes significantly. This is especially true if a team or player does something exceptional, like go to or win the Super Bowl.
Investing In Sports Memorabilia
Sports memorabilia like signed jerseys are ephemeral mementos that can be trash or treasure.
Buendorf’s jersey may be worth less than he paid. But consider that Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series sold for just north of $24 million last year. And, per Sportico, in 2007 a Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant card went for an eye-popping $12.9 million. Given Bryant’s untimely and tragic demise, today that card is probably worth far more.
So while non-collectors may scoff, there is an argument for investing in sports memorabilia.
Where it goes wrong, however, is when you drop over a hundred bucks on a jersey that you can buy online for less.
That’s part of the fun of buying a signed mystery jersey, however. In seisknoob’s case, that hope soured the moment he opened it.
Perhaps that’s why some of his 19,500 viewers as of this writing have the mindset of “buyer beware.”
“That’s called gambling,” pickle beans commented.
Chaidinar agreed (and rubbed in their good fortune),”I got a signed Trevor jersey. Guess that’s why it’s gambling.” Another said they bought a mystery jersey and got Jags legend Tony Boselli.
Some did urge the Jaguars to refund Buendorf, which seems pretty unlikely. After all, he did choose to buy the mystery jersey.
Odds are, he won’t be taking that same risk again anytime soon.
“I want to burn that jersey,” he says, adding, “I highly recommend you do not buy that. And Jaguars, if you’re seeing this, I want my money back.”
He told BroBible, “I reached out but have not heard anything about a refund yet.”