By Jack Bantock, CNN
(CNN) — In a market where a single trading card can command an eight-figure sum, never underestimate the lengths some fans will go to get their hands on sports memorabilia. Yet for golf nuts looking to score a certain piece of exclusive merchandise from the 2025 Players Championship, deep pockets won’t be enough.
To be eligible to secure a limited-edition onesie from tournament organizers, you’ll have to be born in Northeast Florida this week.
Golf’s unofficial “fifth major” is renewing its “Island Baby” program ahead of the 51st edition of the tournament on Thursday, dishing out commemorative outfits to every baby born at participating hospitals around its TPC Sawgrass venue in Ponte Vedra Beach between March 11 and March 16.
Over 500 onesies have been produced to anticipate expected arrivals across approximately 12 participating medical centers and hospitals in North Eastern Florida, according to Players Championship Executive Director Lee Smith.
“It’s a unique program that is very unexpected,” Smith told CNN Sports.
“It’s just one of many ways that we feel we can give back and support those organizations that support us, and honor and appreciate those expected mothers and new babies during the week of the Players Championship.”
Launched in 2018, distributed onesies were embroidered with “Crawl. Walk. Golf” and “Born a Champion” before the “Island Baby” slogan – a nod to the championship’s iconic 17th “Island Green” hole – took hold in 2023.
It’s just one arm of a wider strategy to introduce golf to the next generation – adults with tickets to this week’s tournament are permitted to bring up to two children aged 15 or under free of charge.
“Every sports and entertainment product needs younger fans, and what better way (to achieve that) than to provide them with some memorabilia and apparel as a newborn,” Smith added.
Tradition
Golf isn’t the only sport looking to capture new fans as early as possible.
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of its first international rugby match last month, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) offered a special replica kit to all babies born in Ireland on February 15th.
To claim the “150 Kit,” parents had to send in a copy of their child’s birth certificate.
“The Irish Rugby jersey is an iconic symbol of national pride and passion,” IRFU President Declan Madden said in a press release.
“We’re thrilled to be able to share this moment with them by welcoming the next generation of rugby fans with open arms – and with their very first kit.”
Apparel giveaways more generally are nothing new in sport, especially in the US. Mass handouts of free team shirts have become common practice for NBA playoff games, decking out home crowds in a uniform block of color.
The Oklahoma City Thunder handed out their first playoff t-shirts in 2010 during the franchise’s maiden postseason game against Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers. Initially intended to be a one-time promotion, the blue tees were such a hit that team officials scrambled to produce over 18,000 more for the following home fixture less than 48 hours later.
It has been tradition for the Thunder ever since, with last April’s opening playoff victory over the New Orleans Pelicans – played out in front of a sea of white inside Paycom Center – marking the 1,000,000th t-shirt handed out across postseason games.
In baseball, the New York Mets are again running their gate giveaway program for the 2025 MLB season, offering free gifts to the first 15,000 fans in line across selected fixtures at Citi Field.
Giveaways include jerseys, plushies, hats, mini bats, as well as bobbleheads of current players and – at three games – Hello Kitty.
The-CNN-Wire
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Is this one of the rarest items of sports merch ever? Florida newborns secure limited edition Players Championship onesie
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