How Much Do Minnesota Sports Stars Charge for Public Appearances? Prepare for Sticker Shock

I took my daughter to meet Twins outfielder Chris Parmalee last week at Fan HQ in Ridgedale Mall.

We got there early, waited in line about an hour and had a blast talking about baseball and chatting with other Twins fans similarly infected with the eternal promise each spring brings to the season.

Parmalee made small talk with my shy first-grader when it was our turn at the table, asked her name and signed her banged up ball—which has also been autographed by Bert Blyleven and a few other players. She now calls him Parmesan cheese and is a fan for life.

We paid exactly $0, although I’m not privy to what sort of fee—if any—the store paid to bring the 25-year-old California native (and fellow Red Hot Chilli Peppers fan) to Minnetonka.

The evening rekindled an idea I’ve been tossing around for a while now: to invite a Minnesota sports star out to Lake Minnetonka for a meet-and-greet on the lake. My thought was to loop in a local charity such as a food shelf or youth sports league and make an afternoon of it.

Sounds fun, right? 

But how much do local sports figures charge for appearances?

Like most reporters, I was unable to rest easy until I had an answer.

I found someone in the “business” who knows about these sorts of things, and what I discovered left me surprised and borderline offended.

Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks, for example, requires $20 an autograph and a guaranteed 200 autographs. Hicks is currently hitting .057 in his rookie season—just three hits in 53 at bats—and is on the verge of being sent back down to the minors.

My attention quickly turned to Minnesota Wild star Zach Parise. For those who don’t know, Parise is our neighbor and bought a house on Lake Minnetonka in 2012.

I reached out to Parise’s agent soon after he inked a $100 million deal with the Wild last summer that will keep him in Minnesota until 2025. I proposed a signing somewhere around the 28-year-old’s new community and maybe a shooting or stick handling clinic with some lucky kids.

I never heard back, and my “guy” wasn’t surprised. He said Parise demands $14,000 per hour for public appearances. Yes—per hour. Obviously not everyone would get an autograph in just 60 minutes, and the last thing any event organizer wants is for guests to leave unhappy.

If you think that’s outrageous, Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson captures a cool $50,000 per hour to sign memorabilia and meet with young fans and hobby geeks.

Superstar quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers caught a backlash of criticism last year after it was reported he was asking upwards of $225 per autograph.

So what about Joe Mauer—a St. Paul kid with about as wholesome an image as there is and a favorite of casual and die-hard fans alike?

I found out securing Mauer for a public appearance is nearly impossible because of his exclusive autograph deal with Ironclad Authentics (owned by Cal Ripken, Jr.). Outside of the annual Twins Fest (during which you have to win a lottery just to stand in line) or a chance run in at Mauer's favorite pizza joint, having Mauer sign a baseball card or photograph is just about out of the question.

I guess there's always eBay.

Now, I understand athletes have a right to make money just like everyone else living in a free-market, capitalist society. I also recognize just about all players sign many, many, many free autographs during the course of their career.

I once watched Torii Hunter sign autographs outside of a Metrodome gate until each and every fan had a chance to shake hands and offer their advice on the fastball low and away.

Still, I find these fees exhorbanant in an era when more and more kids are turning to video games and iPads for entertainment rather than emulating their favorite athlete in the backyard.

Sports figures should make themselves more available to the fans of the teams they play for and remember what it was like to meet their favorite player before they themselves reached the big show.

They need to be reminded that money can't buy lifelong fans like the one Parmesan cheese made last week in Minnetonka.