There’s no doubt about it, sports related tattoos are one of the biggest types of tattoos that I often see on people. Because I live in Canada, those sports tattoos are almost always hockey related. Now if you ask me – and you didn’t but I’m going to tell you what I think anyway – I don’t really understand the point of getting a sport related tattoo. But, as with all things tattoo, sometimes you just have to say To each his own.
It’s taken them a little while to catch on, but it seems that at least one money obsessed professional sports industry has caught on to the idea of tattoos and their marketability amongst sports fans. As if it weren’t already enough that fans are expected to dole out for outrageously inflated ticket prices and insanely overpriced jerseys and other team related clothing, the New York Islanders hockey franchise is now going to be adding a tattoo booth to several of their home games this upcoming season, making it the first professional sports franchise to have their own “official” tattoo shop.
‘Tattoo Lou’s will set up a tattoo/body piercing station at 10 Islanders home games at the Nassau Coliseum during the 2011-2012 season. The Islanders claim they’re the first pro franchise to designate an official tattoo shop. The mini-shop, in the form of a penalty box, will also sell body-centric Islanders souvenirs and tattoo-inspired T-shirts.’
Yup…I’m sure those will be really affordable and reasonably priced tattoos. Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell anyone who wants to get a NY Islanders tattoo that they are stupid for doing so or that they simply shouldn’t do it. But I think that if you really are serious about getting a tattoo of your favourite team, go to a tattoo studio that isn’t located in a professional sports arena. I’m all for advancing the art of tattoo in terms of its acceptability, but this is nothing more than a cash grab by the NHL and the New York Islanders and it has nothing to do with tattoo and everything to do with the further gouging of hard working people who already pay too much money to see a bunch of highly overpaid athletes play a game. In other words, I’m going to go ahead and encourage people to just say no to pro-sports stadium tattoo shops.