NCAA Tournament, Kentucky Derby Merchandise Is Still Available

People who were previously lucky enough to score tickets to events like the NCAA Tournament or the Kentucky Derby are no doubt bummed. It’s for the best, but it doesn’t take the sting out of missing out on the action. (Especially if you’re a Penn State basketball fan who wants proof that they’re actually good this year. What’s up with that?)

We can’t go back and magically make the events happen as scheduled, but we can do the next best thing: buy merchandise as if we were there.

The Kentucky Derby was supposed to happen on May 2, but was postponed until September. Race officials will still roll out a merchandise store on April 15 that includes more than 300 Derby items printed with the original May 2 date. The Kentucky Derby Museum will also donate 20 percent of the sales proceeds to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s TEAM KY and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s One Louisville: COVID-19 Response Fund.

Prices will be cut next week on May 2-branded Kentucky Derby merchandise as proceeds go to local COVID-19 relief funds: https://t.co/LyO5YvbOs4 pic.twitter.com/BGwWNACdFf

— Horse Racing Nation (@HR_Nation) April 10, 2020

In addition to items like apparel, hats, bags, home items and collectibles, it will include Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby glasses, which according to Lane Report are not available for sale anywhere else.

“Due to its wide availability, the official glass has always been popular with collectors,” Chris Goodlett, director of curatorial and educational affairs for the museum, told Lane Report. “Consequently, limited production runs or mistakes can make these highly sought after at auctions and other places of public sale. Of course, 2020 has presented a unique situation. With the Kentucky Derby being postponed, these Kentucky Derby 146 glasses were produced with the original date May 2. Will the date change increase the value to collectors?”

This is a real “making lemonade” situation.

As for the Big Dance, as we in the basketball industry love to call it, Penn State fans who have endured countless seasons of mediocre Big 10 basketball without so much a glimmer of tournament hope can fondly remember this overachieving season with official March Madness merchandise.

Fanatics is selling Final Four Atlanta 2020 products like towels, can coolers, lanyards, ID holders, flags, stickers, keychains and more. Imagine strutting around State College with one of these bad boys, proudly telling everyone you know about how Penn State totally would have made a deep run all the way to the second round before losing by 20 to Marquette. What incredible times for Nittany Lions basketball.

It’s really a bummer that these events were disrupted, not just for the people going, Penn State basketball fans enjoying what is surely a fluke, and sports fans from all over. But, it’s great that these companies are still issuing merchandise as fun collectors items. In the case of the Derby, the proceeds go to a good cause.