St. John's has canceled its final "One Piece" promotion, which was supposed to take place Saturday at Madison Square Garden vs Villanova.
An email was sent out to all attendees to the game Tuesday afternoon, stating the following:
Dear Ticket Holder: Please be advised that the "One Piece" promotional giveaway that St. John's had previously announced for the St. John's vs. Villanova Men's Basketball game on Saturday, February 28 will no longer take place. Please note that the game itself will proceed as scheduled.
Sources tell cllct security issues were the reason behind the cancellation. As recently as late January, Rutgers was burglarized following a "One Piece" promotional game vs Michigan State, where cards were stolen.
Though the number of cards has been quite exaggerated, with several sources claiming the number to be $2 million worth - which cllct confirmed is not true - there have still been widespread security issues due to the popularity of the promotion.
Last week, Houston gave out cards after a game, rather than before, because so many students across the country were attending the games just to retrieve the cards and then leaving.
Why? The cards are selling for hundreds on the secondary market, especially on places like eBay.
Five schools participated in the "One Piece" promotion, with 15 total games scheduled: St. John's, Rutgers, Illinois, Houston and Gonzaga.
Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.