This past birthday my wonderful wife Lisa presented me with an Everlast boxing glove that was signed by Smokin’ Joe Frazier. To be clear, Lisa didn’t get this from Joe personally. She didn’t stalk his location, track him down and interrupt his dinner to get this item for me. She didn’t know a guy who knew a guy who had a connection to the former heavyweight champ. What she did, as many people do, was go through a company that sells authorized sports merchandise. This is not a one of a kind item. He undoubtedly signed hundreds more just like it under the supervision of a memoribilia expert with the sole intention of selling them. With that being said, it’s prominently displayed in our home office and undoubtedly the greatest gift I’ve ever gotten.<\/p>\n
Autographed items mean different things to different people. When a child gets an autographed ball directly from his\/her favorite player, it’s one of the greatest thrills they could possibly experience. It signifies a connection. It represents the moment of time that the child and the athlete shared. For people like myself, the boxing glove represents a connection with sports history. It’s exciting for me to have an item that was signed by one of the greatest fighters to ever walk the planet. Seeing it reminds me of some of the greatest fights from one of the greatest eras in boxing. For others getting autographed items is just business. They acquire autographed items for the sole intent of selling them for profit.<\/p>\n
It has become a growing trend over the past decade or so for professional athletes to sell their autographs primarily through companies rather than just give it away for nothing. Many people believe that it’s greedy or selfish for an athlete making millions of dollars to squeeze even more money out of their loyal fans. Are they right? Is it unethical to charge for an autograph?<\/p>\n
If a child approaches a professional athlete on the street and the athlete makes the kid give him $5 for an autograph, obviously that’s ridiculous. An athlete should always take a moment to make a memory for a child providing he has that moment to spare and there’s no invasion of privacy going on. If a forty year old man is approaching an athlete on the street, the athlete owes absolutely nothing and should in no way feel obligated to provide an autographed item for this person. Why don’t they just sign everything you ask? What’s the big deal? Collectible sports memorabilia is a big business and lots of money is being made from these signed items. There is a huge demand for athlete autographs worldwide. It’s not fair to ask someone to give you something of value for nothing and then get upset when they turn you down. If your true intention is to capture the moment, discretely snap a picture or ask if the person wouldn’t mind taking one with you.<\/p>\n
Sometimes there will be arranged signings that you can attend to get a players autograph. Usually the athlete is paid a set fee to be there and then whoever put the event together will dictate what each autograph seeker will pay. In many cases, like a book signing for example, they will ask that you simply purchase the book being promoted. For a lot of retired athletes, autograph signings are a strong stream of income. A big plus for you is that you get to meet your favorite player. and before you leave you’ll get authentication that the signature is real. You know – so your friends believe it.<\/p>\n
Is it “nice” to charge for autographs? No. But it’s no less ethical than any other business. Go into your local deli and tell them that you’re a HUGE fan of their sandwiches and you’d like a free one. It’s not all that different. Athletes and other sellers should be able to charge whatever the market will bear for their autographs. Sorry folks, the game has changed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This past birthday my wonderful wife Lisa presented me with an Everlast boxing glove that was signed by Smokin’ Joe Frazier. To be clear, Lisa didn’t get this from Joe personally. She didn’t stalk his location, track him down and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":177,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n