How Much Would You Pay to Hang out with a Pro Athlete?
In the olden days it was no easy task to meet a professional athlete. You'd have to go to a game and wait around in the hope you may run into him afterward. Or haul your buns to the middle of East Bumfrick, Nowhere, for NFL training camp.
Well, those days are long gone. No longer do you have to wait in line at some memorabilia show for hours and then pay for the privilege of an athlete scribbling his name on a headshot which, by the way, you probably had to pay for too.
These days all you need is internet access and a few bucks in your bank account and Thuzio.com can provide you with a personalized athlete "experience." That sounds expensive, and it definitely can be, but you'd be surprised at how affordable some experiences are.
Athlete experiences run the price gamut from budget busters to bargain basement clearance. There's something for almost every budget.
Participation Medal Level Experience: Oliver Darden
1 of 21
Video Message: $99
Lunch or Dinner: $250
Attend a Game: $500
Celebration/Appearance/Hear Their Story: $500
Corporate Outing: $750
Speaking Engagement: $2,500
The pricing of former Indiana Pacer Oliver Darden makes a lot of sense, considering I put his name into Google and they suggested "Olive Garden" was probably what I meant to type. Also, there's no photo available.
If you want to go for value and get your money's worth with Darden, I'd take him out to a game and then out for dinner. You could probably get him to tell his story at a discount—what else are you gonna talk about for 90 minutes?
Participation Medal Level Experience: Alana Blahoski
2 of 21
Video Message: $99
Lunch or Dinner: $150
Fantasy Draft/Pick-Up Game: $150
Attend a Game/Round of Golf: $300
Celebrations/Appearance/Hear Their Story: $300
Corporate Outing: $500
Speaking Engagement: $500-$1,500
Coaching/Camp Coaching: $150/$500
Alana Blahoski won gold as a member of the U.S. women's hockey team at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Always pretty cool to hang with a gold medalist—right?
Blahoski's time is a bargain, so why stop at one experience? You could take her to lunch, do your fantasy hockey draft together, play a pick-up game of street hockey and finish the day with dinner!
That'll only cost you $600, plus the cost of meals.
Participation Medal Level Experience: Keith Henderson
3 of 21
Video Message: $99
Lunch or Dinner: $250
Fantasy Draft/Pick-Up Game: $250
Attend a Game/Round of Golf: $500
Celebrations/Appearance/Hear Their Story: $500
Corporate Outing: $750
Speaking Engagement: $2,500
Coaching/Camp Coaching: $250/$750
Keith Henderson was a running back for the 49ers in 1989, one of their many Super Bowl seasons, and played alongside Hall-of-Famers Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. He was also a pretty big deal at UGA.
With Henderson, you have to go for the "hear their story" experience. Then you're gonna want to make it clear that you don't want to hear his story, but rather some inside scoop on Joe Montana from back in the day.
Actually, he should make that an option and charge extra. "Hear Joe Montana and Jerry Rice gossip."
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Participation Medal Level Experience: John Rocker
4 of 21
Video Message: $99
Book Signing: $300
Lunch or Dinner: $500
Fantasy Draft/Play Baseball/Round of Golf: $500
Attend a Game/Celebrations/Appearance/Hear Their Story: $800
Speaking Engagement: $2,000
Corporate Outing: $2,500
Private Coaching/Group Coaching: $125/$200 per hour
Not really much of a surprise to learn that the going rate to spend time with noted jag John Rocker isn't particularly high. Some people would pay $500 just to keep him away.
Considering he's already on clearance, there's some value to be had here. Rocker charges $200 per hour for group coaching, which means you and some friends could pool your money and hold him captive for a full day.
Bronze Level Experience:
5 of 21
Video Message: $99
Lunch or Dinner: $500
Attend a Game/Pick-Up Game: $750/$500
Celebration/Appearance/Hear Their Story: $1,000
Corporate Outing: $1,500
Speaking Engagement: $1,000-$3,000
Private Coaching/Camp Coaching: $200 per hour/$1,500 for the day
Temryss Lane is a retired professional soccer player who once played for the Damallsvenskan, a Swedish women's professional soccer league. She now works as a presenter/host for Fox Soccer Channel.
Ms. Lane is a pretty good looking lady, so I'm thinking the best value experience buy would be the celebration. She could tag along with you to a bar/bat mitzvah, a wedding or even an anniversary party.
But if you're a man, I would suggest you not bring her to your own wedding or anniversary party. Just a thought.
Bronze Level Experience: Steve Weatherford
6 of 21
Pick-Up Game: $1,750
Hear His Story: $1,750
Lunch or Dinner/Appearance: $2,250
Fantasy Draft/Attend a Game/Celebration: $2,250
Speaking Engagement: $2,750
Round of Golf: $3,250
Lessons/Coaching: $1,750
NFL punter Steve Weatherford played for the New York Giants team that won Super Bowl XLVI. He tied the league record for the most punts inside the 20-yard line with 42 in 2010.
There aren't really any value buys here unless you're really into punting. Weatherford is a pretty good looking man though, so maybe book him to attend your high school reunion with you?
Bronze Level Experience: Phil Bourque
7 of 21
Video Message: $99
Lunch or Dinner: $1,250
Appearance: $1,500
Round of Golf: $1,875
Speaking Engagement: $2,000-$5,000
Phil Bourque is the color analyst for the Pittsburgh Penguins local radio broadcast and was a member of the Pens teams that won two consecutive Stanley Cups in the early 90s.
As a member of those teams he played with all-time greats like Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Paul Coffey, Larry Murphy, Joe Mullen, Ron Francis, Mark Recchi, Bryan Trottier and Kevin Stevens.
You want to get Bourque out on the golf course and menace him with questions all afternoon. Also ask him about his distant cousin Ray Bourque. (His distant cousin according to Wikipedia)
Bronze Level Experience: Rick Barry
8 of 21
Video Message: $99
Lunch or Dinner: $1,500
Dinner - 3 hours: $2,000
Attend a Game: $2,000
Round of Golf: $2,500
Appearance: 5,000
Fly Fishing Trip: Request a Price
Private Lesson: $1,500 per hour
Retired NBA player Rick Barry is, according to his Thuzio bio, "considered to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time." I have no reason to doubt him.
Those are just some of the things you can book Barry to do. He's got so many experiences available, I'm pretty sure he'd come over and babysit your dog if the price was right.
Personally, I'd go for the fly fishing trip. Start really low with the bid and work your way up. Who knows, maybe he'll be super bored and accept your first offer.
Silver Level Experience: Tiki Barber
9 of 21
Video Message: $99
NYC Lunch: $500
Lunch Outside of NYC/Dinner: $1,000
Game Watch: $1,000
Round of Golf: $2,000
Flag Football/Celebrations: $2,000
Appearance: $4,000
Considering he's one of the brains behind Thuzio, former Giants running back Tiki Barber is one of the cheapest "big name" athletes on the site. Probably because nobody likes him.
I'm thinking the way to go with Barber is a "game watch" experience. That gives you 3-4 hours to ask him uncomfortable questions about why he retired when he did and his ill-fated attempt at a comeback.
Just a note: If you want to watch the Super Bowl with Barber, increased rates may apply. That's probably based on demand, meaning they probably won't apply.
Silver Level Experience: Kevin Youkilis
10 of 21
Video Message: $99
Lunch or Dinner: $3,600
Round of Golf/Paintball: $3,600
Appearance: $6,250
Private/Group Coaching: $1,250/$2,500
Kevin Youkilis played 10 seasons in MLB as a member of the Red Sox, White Sox and later the Yankees. He was a member of both the 2004 and 2007 World Series Championship teams in Boston.
There's no question here—you have to go with the paintball. The fact that it's on here at all means that Youk is probably pretty good at it. He'd be the ultimate ringer.
Plus, he's pretty intimidating just to look at. Your enemies will be running in terror all afternoon.
Silver Level Experience: Eric Berry
11 of 21
Lunch or Dinner: $2,000
Fantasy Draft/Pick-Up Game: $2,000
Attend a Game/Round of Golf: $3,000
Celebrations/Appearance/Hear Their Story: $4,000
Corporate Outing/Speaking Engagement: $5,000
Coaching/Camp Coaching: $2,000/$5,000
Most of the athletes on Thuzio are retired, some retired a very very long time ago. Chiefs safety Eric Berry—the highest paid safety in NFL history—is one noteworthy exception.
Either he's really good at financial planning and worrying about his future, or he's really bad at financial planning and already hurting for money.
Whatever the case may be, the best bet here has to be book Berry for your fantasy draft. You could make like The League and really turn that mother out. Berry could be your good luck charm.
Silver Level Experience: Mike Milbury
12 of 21
Lunch or Dinner: $4,000
Fantasy Draft: $4,000
Attend a Game/Celebrations/Hear Their Story: $5,000
Corporate Outing/Appearance: $5,000
Speaking Engagement: $3,500-$6,500
Coaching: $2,000
Mike Milbury played 12 seasons for the Boston Bruins, served as the head coach and general manger for the New York Islanders and is currently an analyst for NESN, Hockey Night in Canada and NBC Sports.
Considering Milbury is generally thought of as one of the worst GMs of the last 50 years, you probably want to keep him far away from your fantasy draft. He's kind of loathsome as a human being too, so socializing is out.
The best value here is probably taking him someone (a game or corporate outing) where you have a lot of enemies. Milbury might get agitated, freak out and beat the hell out of someone with his own show.
Gold Level Experience: Caron Butler
13 of 21
Lunch or Dinner/Fantasy Draft: $3,700
Attend a Game/Celebrations: $5,000
Appearance/Hear Their Story: $5,000
Corporate Outing: $7,000
Coaching/Camp Coaching: $3,700/$7,000
Caron Butler currently plays small forward for the Milwaukee Bucks. He was a first round draft pick in 2002 and a member of the NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
And he owns six Burger King restaurants across the United States!
Honestly, he sounds like a pretty successful business man off the court with all those BKs, so perhaps he'd be best served as the guest of your upcoming corporate outing.
Gold Level Experience: Greg Olsen
14 of 21
Celebrations: $7,500
Appearance: $7,500
Hear Their Story: $7,500
Corporate Outing: $11,250
Considering Greg Olsen has been a wholly mediocre tight end in the NFL since being drafted in 2007, it's surprising his time is so valuable. His best season (by far) was with the Panthers in 2012, with 843 yards receiving.
The only way you're going to get your money's worth is by bringing Olsen to a celebration of some sort and passing him off as an old friend. Just make sure you come up with a really rich backstory to make it believable.
Gold Level Experience: Ed Belfour
15 of 21
Video Message: $99
Lunch or Dinner/Pick-Up Game: $6,250
Appearance: $10,000
Speaking Engagement: $10,000-$12,500
Round of Golf: $12,500
Retired NHL goalie Ed Belfour played most of his 17 seasons in the league with the Blackhawks and Stars. He won a Stanley Cup with the Stars and an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada.
Belfour was a pretty good goalie in his day, but he was an even better partier. The best way to spend your money here would be on a dinner and hope you can get some stories out of him.
Or maybe create stories of your own if you can convince him to go on a bender with you.
Gold Level Experience: Gary Payton
16 of 21
Pick-Up Game: $12,500 per hour
Appearance: $12,500 per hour
Nine time All-Star Gary Payton was a member of the 2006 NBA Champion Miami Heat, a decade after he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year as a member of the SuperSonics.
You're not going to find any cheapies here; with Payton you're gonna have to go big, or go home. If you're gonna go big, I'd suggest going with the pick-up game of basketball.
That'd be a more informal event and he might not even charge extra for autographs. Although, he does reserve the right to do so.
Platinum Level Experience: Kenny Smith
17 of 21
Video Message: $99
Lunch or Dinner: $7,000
Appearance: $12,500
Speaking Engagement: $15,000-$20,000
Kenny Smith is a two-time NBA Champion who currently works as an NBA and college basketball analyst for Turner and CBS Sports. And he's supplementing his income with some seriously high priced outings.
Frankly, I think Smith has priced himself out of the market. If you're looking for a Smith fix, I'd recommend going with the video message. He seems pretty nice, but not that nice.
Platinum Level Experience: Pete Rose
18 of 21
Lunch or Dinner: $8,125
Appearance: $19,250-$25,000
If you find it insane that anyone would pay tens of thousands of dollars to have Pete Rose grace you with his presence for no more than 60 minutes, you're not alone. Seriously, who would do that?
That being said, having dinner with Rose and a few friends (up to four of them) in Las Vegas (at the restaurant of your choice) sounds pretty damn epic.
They claim he'll share stories from his career—just make sure you get your money's worth! I'd be peppering him with questions and plying him with booze for a full 90 minutes.
Platinum Level Experience: Curt Schilling
19 of 21
Appearance: $22,500-$37,500
Speaking Engagement: $30,000-$45,000
Coaching: $15,000
Wow. For Curt Schilling, time is definitely money. The best investment is obviously he coaching; it's the cheapest and actually offers something more than the unpleasant sound of his voice and the privilege of his company.
What's funny is that the coaching is for a group of 2-6 people. Which means he's concerned about getting stuck alone, giving baseball pointers to a single weirdo for up to 60 minutes.
Platinum Level Experience: Cris Carter
20 of 21
Lunch or Dinner: $10,000
Round of Golf: $12,500
Appearance: $15,000
Speaking Engagement: $25,000-$30,000
The cost of spending time with Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter is…well…extremely costly. His appearance fee is pretty hefty alone, but if you want him to utter a single word, might as well double that.
The best investment is probably the round of golf. It's a little more expensive than the lunch or dinner, but a round of golf is up to five hours. Just don't ask him for an autograph because—you guessed it!—that costs extra.
Platinum Level Experience: Roger Clemens
21 of 21
Video Message: $99
Round of Golf: $20,000
Appearance: $20,000
Speaking Engagement Half Hour: $25,000
Speaking Engagement One Hour: $45,000
Group Coaching: $15,000 per hour
Roger "Rocket" Clemens is an 11-time All Star and seven-time Cy Young award winner. Those are pretty serious credentials—despite any steroid drama—and they don't come cheap.
For the priciest athletes, the round of golf is almost always the way to go. Every other "experience" is 30-60 minutes tops, while a round of golf can be up to five hours.
That's assuming you want to spend five hours with Roger Clemens.
**And follow me on Twitter: Follow @blamberr
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
