Die-hard sports fans see death in a different light
Fans who bleed Dodger blue can now be interred Dodger-style. The first company to use licensed-image caskets and urns reports that about 50 Dodger urns have been sold since the company began producing sports funeral products last year. Dodger urns, however, are not as popular as Yankee urns.
The company, Eternal Image, claims its products are helping Americans to view death as a celebration honoring the personality and life of the deceased. The company sells several urns and caskets that feature licensed art or logos from Major League Baseball, the Vatican Library Collection, Precious Moments and Star Trek. According to a spokesperson, Eternal Image won "Best of Show" at last year's National Funeral Directors Assn. Expo. The company will unveil new products this fall.
Americans are notoriously reticent to discuss death, but trends like branded caskets might help us confront death and think about how we want to be remembered, says Dr. Terry Eagan, a psychiatrist and expert on death and dying who is medical director of Moonview Sanctuary, a treatment and optimal performance center in Santa Monica.
"Hearing about these interesting and unusual products gives people cause to pause and think about their own death on many levels. And I think that is a great thing," Eagan says. The more people are able to speak openly with each other about death, "the more comfortable people can become, and they more they be able to focus on the incredible beauty of a life well-lived and not just on the pain and sadness of the loss."
- Shari Roan
Photo: Courtesy of Eternal Image
