But autographs, like just about everything else connected with American sports, have become big business.
Last weekend, for instance, four members of the University of Kentucky basketball team made appearances at a local store that sells “sports stuff.” The player who appeared on Friday charged $10 for the chore of writing his name on caps, shirts or scraps of paper. The two who appeared on Saturday charged $25.
But they were merely the supporting cast for the 18-year-old star of the team, who showed up on Sunday and charged $50 to sign his name. Although, to be fair, his name was considerably longer than the other guys’. And for an additional $10, he would add an inspirational message, such as “Go Blue!”
When I checked with the store manager on Monday, he said there was “a very good turnout ... a couple of hundred.”
“How many of them paid $50?” I asked.
“They all did.”
I probably shouldn’t have been amazed that so many people would pay $50 for the signature of a teenager who, any day now, will be signing a pro contract worth roughly the same as the gross national product of a Caribbean island.
Besides, a $50 autograph is chump change in today’s market. Pete Rose raised the chutzpah bar to unmatched heights when he began selling baseballs with the message “I’m sorry I bet on baseball” printed on them (still available for $193.99 on Amazon). For serious fans, there also is a copy of the document that banished him from baseball for $500.
It’s not that I begrudge college players being compensated for their heroics. Lord knows a $30,000 or $40,000 a year education is hardly worth the sweat on their tattoos.
And perhaps $50 will be a terrific investment. That player could go on to become the greatest dribbler who ever lived and all those other autographs he signed might be lost and you’d have the only one in existence, making it worth millions of dollars 100 years from now.
Even though I’m a sports fan, I can’t imagine myself paying players for their autographs. Maybe I’m too proud, or too cheap.
But, the way I look at it, they should be paying me for supporting them.
Contact this columnist at dlstew_2000@yahoo.com.
Your turn
How much would you pay for the autograph of a sports star? Send an email to D.L. Stewart at dlstew_2000@yahoo.com to share your thoughts for consideration for publication. Please include your first and last name and hometown, plus a daytime phone number.
About the Author
