Jim Irsay Buys Volodymyr Zelenskyy-signed Baseball for $50k; Goes to Ukraine Relief

Scott Polacek @@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVMay 12, 2022

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 10: Jim Irsay attends the 15th Annual HOPE Luncheon Seminar at The Plaza Hotel on November 10, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Noam Galai/Getty Images

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay helped provide relief to Ukraine as the war in the country continues following Russia's unprovoked invasion in February.

Irsay tweeted that he purchased a baseball that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed during a visit to New York in 2019 with some of the proceeds going to help Ukraine:

Jim Irsay @JimIrsay
Added to my <a href="https://twitter.com/IrsayCollection?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IrsayCollection</a> yesterday at auction, the only known baseball signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to NY in 2019. A portion of proceeds going to Ukrainian relief. 💪

TMZ Sports noted the baseball sold for $50,103, and more than $15,000 of the proceeds will go toward Zelensky's country. The president signed the ball in both Ukrainian cursive and English print.

According to TMZ, the ball was projected to sell for $15,000, so the final sale price exceeded projections by more than three times.

As the war in Ukraine continues, the House of Representatives passed a relief bill for approximately $40 billion on Tuesday.