Pursuit of Perfection

Over the past few months, I’ve become somewhat of a football memorabilia nut.  I’ve purchased Riddell’s set of 43 Super Bowl Champion Pocket Pro Mini-Helmets, Riddell’s set of all 32 current NFL teams in Pocket Pro Mini-Helmets, Riddell’s set of AFC 50th Anniversary Pocket Pro Helmets, and Riddell’s Football Helmet Standings Tracker sheets with all 32 current NFL teams in Gumball Mini-Helmets.  I also received a genuine Reebok Premier/EQT Tom Brady New England Patriots Team Color Jersey for Christmas from my parents.  Given the price and quality of jerseys, I asked for a Premier/EQT jersey because it is the mid-priced option (MSRP: $109.99) and has some stitching on the jersey instead of the Replica jerseys which are all screen-printed for an MSRP of $79.99 and the Authentic jerseys which are fully-stitched and game quality but carry an exorbitant $259.99 MSRP price tag.  More info on the differences between the jerseys can be found here.

Growing up in the state of Maine, I’ve always been in a bit of a football “dead zone” in terms of being able to easily access NFL merchandise and games.  The New England Patriots–my “hometown” team–play nearly 3 hours from my hometown and a full 5 hours from my current location.  As such, the only true option for me to purchase NFL merchandise has been through online outlets.

For the memorabilia I mentioned in my opening paragraph above, I went through NFLShop.com for the items.  After the New Orleans Saints upset the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV and I had interest in purchasing a jersey to remember that victory–particularly since it was the first Super Bowl my fiancée had ever watched and it was our first Super Bowl since getting engaged.  Unfortunately, NFLShop.com dropped the ball with the Super Bowl XLIV jersey situation.

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