An Aaron Hernandez women’s fitted Patriots jersey is currently in the middle of an ebay bidding war, currently going for over $400 at the time of this writing with dozens of bids — and there are still many hours left remaining on the auction.
News broke Monday that many Hernandez jerseys were going up into the $200-plus range — but I never figured I would see them go up any higher, especially a women’s jersey.
Seeing this crazy bid on ebay also made me think of a video that surfaced last week; a video that shows women screaming jubilantly as Hernandez’s motorcade passes by while leaving court. If you can find it, it’s pretty weird stuff.
So what the heck is this ridiculous fanaticism all about? This jersey is just one example of the mad hysteria. Aaron Hernandez is a man charged with one murder and possibly another that dates back to last year. One would think his arrest and all the charges made against him would lower all Hernandez value and paraphernalia. So what the heck gives??
According to this article, journalist Sheila Isenberg touches on a few theories as to why some women fall in love with murderers:
1….has to do with their media celebrity and that, culturally, bad guys are seen as macho. “We have always made media stars out of murderers,” she told The Daily Beast. “Anyone who gets noted in the media can become an object of hero worship. Then as a murderer he has the added notoriety. It makes him sexier to some people.”
2. Women and men who are desperate for attention also find captive criminals easier to love. Isenberg notes that real celebrities are less likely to respond to fan mail than someone in prison, making it easier to actually develop a relationship with the often-dangerous criminals. “Any guy sitting in jail or on death row will focus attention out of boredom,” she says. “But that romantic focus is like a blazing light to some women.”
3….women who pursue a relationship with someone who is captive have the ultimate control. “If you are in a relationship with a man behind bars for life, or a man on death row, then you have a lot of control over the relationship,” she says. “You can decide when to make the visit, when to accept the phone call, or if you will accept the call, and you are that man’s primary link with the outside world…it’s a very powerful position to be in.”
Alright. Hernandez is charged with murder, so that means he is macho, easy to love and easy to control when he is imprisoned. Sounds like a match made in heaven. A really, really, bizarre heaven.
I guess if this means you can sell your $95 women’s jersey that your ex-girlfriend never wore for $400-plus, more power to ya.
Josh Helmuth is the editor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JHelmuth or subscribe at Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports for the latest in sports on your newsfeed.
