Who is Honus Wagner?

Honus Wagner was a professional baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for most of his career. However, he is perhaps best known for his appearance on a rare baseball card that has become one of the most valuable sports memorabilia items in the world. This card, known as the T206 Honus Wagner, has been described by experts as the "holy grail" of baseball collectibles, with only a handful of known copies in existence.

But in recent years, Wagner's legacy has become intertwined with that of a different kind of performer: the commercial actor. In 2019, a commercial for sports apparel company Fanatics featured actor Keegan-Michael Key playing Wagner in a parody of the iconic Wagner card. The commercial depicts Key as Wagner, sitting for a portrait wearing his Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. But when the painter reveals the portrait, it is not Wagner's face that appears, but Key's own likeness, clad in Fanatics gear.

The commercial was a hit with viewers, in part because of the clever way it played off the mythology of the Wagner card. In reality, Wagner did not like having his image used for commercial purposes, and reportedly demanded that the American Tobacco Company, which produced the T206 set, cease distribution of the card in which he was featured. The exact reasons for Wagner's objection are not known, but some speculate that he did not want children to spend their hard-earned money to buy a pack of cigarettes just to get a glimpse of his face.

Despite his reluctance to be used as a marketing tool, Wagner's image has become a valuable asset in the world of sports advertising. The Fanatics commercial is just one example of how his iconic status can be leveraged for humorous effect. But even more than a century after his playing days, it is Wagner's skill on the baseball diamond that continues to captivate fans and inspire awe. His career batting average of.328 and reputation as one of the best shortstops of his era have secured his place in the pantheon of baseball greats, far beyond the borders of the rare baseball card that bears his name.

Social media links