70 Baseball Fans Once Paid a Whopping $7500 Each for “At Least Five Minutes” With Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez

Baseball fans would go to the end of the earth to have a chance to meet their idols. And the chance to meet with the two legendary MLB former players Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds, rarely comes by. However, back in time, when these two were terrific at the ballpark, they garnered thousands and millions of loyal fans who would do anything and everything to meet their idols. A similar case happened in the 2000s when seventy of their loyal fans paid $7500 each to interact with the two superstars for just 5 minutes. Top sports writer Jeff Pearlman revealed the story behind this meeting through his book. 

In early December, amid the darkening steroid cloud, Bonds visited New York City for his role in the bizarre coda to the season. His encounter with the ex-Yankee Alex Rodriguez ended up in a two hours interaction with seventy fans who paid a premium. The shindig ended with fans getting memorabilia of their favorite MLB legends. 

Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds spent 2 hours interacting with fans in “The Ultimate Event”

At the peak of their powers, Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds were two of MLB’s best power hitters. A chance to meet both of them together rarely comes by. In his book, “Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero”, Jeff Pearlman revealed an incident wherein 70 fans once paid $7,500 each for a five-minute interaction with these two superstars. “The Ultimate Event,” as billed by promoters, took place in the Astor Ballroom of the Marriot Marquis Times Square. The shindig transcended beyond mere moments of interaction, unveiling a captivating experience that left a lasting impression on fans.

Explaining the deets of the event, on page 312 Pearlman wrote, “In exchange for the ticket price, a scant $7,500, not only did wealthy fans spend at least five minutes each with Bonds and Rodriguez (“I got 12 minutes out of Barry!” gushed Ari Malatlian, a Sarasota, Florida–based architect), but they dined on a bevy of appetizers that featured shrimp, caviar, and four varieties of cheeses.” The delight didn’t end here, the two MLB superstars gave away memorabilia.

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By the end-of-the-evening, fans got a gift bag containing A-Rod/Bonds blue jeans, cranberry cognac, a coupon for a custom-made dress shirt, and a Jim Thome action figure. Bonds and A-Rod have remained in contact since retirement. In fact, earlier this year, the New York Yankees legend A-Rod shared a video of their latest meeting.

A-Rod and Bonds enjoyed an unlikely reunion earlier this year

Earlier this year, in February, the two enjoyed a Minnesota Timberwolves game together. A-Rod shared a video of them sitting side-by-side on Twitter with a funny caption. The Tweet read, “Brought Barry to the game to see if he’d lend me four homers.” This was a funny reference to the Yankees legend being four short of 700 home runs and Bonds being the MLB leader. But it shows the friendship that they have decades after having met for the first time.

What do you think of fans paying $7,500 each to meet Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds? Would you be willing to pay a premium to meet your favorite sports icon? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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