"The jersey worn by Argentina legend Diego Maradona when he scored the infamous “Hand of God” goal during a 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England was auctioned for $9.3 million.The price smashed a record for a game-worn jersey set in 2019, when one used by Babe Ruth while he was playing for the New York Yankees went for $5.6 million. It was also the most ever paid for a piece of sports memorabilia, according to Sotheby’s.Maradona’s jersey had been owned by English midfielder Steve Hodge, who swapped with the Argentine star after England lost 2-1."
I'll come back to this later in a post pondering the meaning of placing value on sentimental and historic items. For now I'll just leave this here without comment.
One thought: We have a hierarchy gene that's expertly amplified and exploited within systems where the powerful most benefit at the expense of the powerless. An artifact, such as this jersey, is associated with high status and has high value as a result; that is, high value as a kind of sacred relic, within our dominant religion: competition. Sports is ritual competition with religious overtones, bolstering and legitimizing the hyper-competitive madness we experience in every other domain of civilized life. If none of this was true, I think the jersey would have a value of $5. Soccer would be a game we all play for fun and international superstars would not exist. I once read a book called No Contest. It made the case against competition. I was convinced.
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