NBA vs. MLB Cards
BriantheTaxGuy
Posts: 209 ✭✭✭
The thread about the Jordan rookie price explosion got me thinking about the comparison between the NBA and MLB, and why it seems so many basketball cards are skyrocketing in value.
I commented that the lack of marketing by MLB of its star players is a problem and it has been a problem for decades. It's my belief that MLB saw the most popular players of the steroid era, those that actually became mainstream personalities, became problematic for MLB.
The Bash Brothers were iconic and the first players in many years to crossover into the popular mainstream. Who else remembers the Nike "Chicks Dig the Long Ball" commercial? Of course, you do! The fact that the commercial, which debuted in 1999, is the last widely known MLB commercial is indicative of the problem MLB finds itself in.
MLB was more than happy to ride the popularity of alleged PED users to drive fan engagement, but once consumer sentiment soured of the premise of "cheaters" in the game, MLB retreated. It is clear they wanted to attempt to make the sport itself the centerpiece and take the focus off of players.
Meanwhile, about the same time, Space Jam is released (1996). The NBA has been wiping the floor with MLB in fan engagement for years and the crossover success of so many NBA players is the clear result. Meanwhile, MLB's commissioner blames its best player in years, Mike Trout, over his lack of national visibility.
Clearly, MLB has a marketing problem. An entire generation of young fans (at the time) saw the sport turn away from the players who first got them excited about the game - Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, etc. - and MLB did nothing to market the next generation of players. The NBA was more than willing to bring these same young fans into the fold with the Bulls ascending to immortality, young players like Kobe, Iverson, Vince Carter, and others all being marketed nationally.
This is why I believe NBA cards are so much hotter than MLB cards, particularly now. If you think about the run of all-time great players the NBA has seen over the last 25 years, and compare that to MLB? Then compare how well known each sport's players are, not just nationally, but globally?
It's no contest.
Comments
I think basketball players are the most charismatic athletes as a whole, mainly because of their visibility (no helmets, hats, face masks, or anything else that obscures their faces). Also, basketball allows a player to show their creativity more than the other sports. They can do no-look passes, crazy dunks, and other moves that immediately find their way to social media to be seen by millions. There really aren't any equivalents of that in baseball. Basketball just resonates more with younger people now.
I agree with Bruin805, but would also add that basketball is more of a world market, where baseball is not.
Its sad to think that in the last 20-25 yrs there have been very few popular stars in MLB. Most people never even heard of Mike Trout.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
touched on this throughout various threads, but tons of reasons why.
few players per team equals fewer players to collect.
world wide market.
baseball has become "boring" to the younger generations.
basketball and it's marquee players have been marketed much better.
other countries have quality baseball programs of their own in place but not basketball. ie japan, korea, the dominican, etc.
mlb has terrible history of turning it's back on it's players both during the steroid era and lockout
getting back to the "boring" part, 4 hours at a baseball game in the middle of the summer can also be brutal, where as you can hit a basketball game on a friday night and still do something else.
but it really just boils down to popularity. after all, kim jong-un hates americans, but loves him some dennis rodman.
I'm right there with you. Baseball was my first sport I loved and first one I saw live. But basketball is my passion now. The fact that MLB and its pathetic media partners turned their backs on the greatest players I ever got to see live - Clemens, Bonds, McGwire - and then blamed players for MLB utter failures to promote their players.
I think market maturity - baseball being by far the most mature card market vs every other sport plays a role in volatility.
I also believe scarcity plays a role. Fans in the 80's/90's that have more disposable income to spend have their choice between baseball which they printed a billion cards of and basketball that's more rare. I think they own both a lot of times but supply/demand changes things for that whole era.
No question NBA (and NFL) are much better at marketing than MLB.
Not a news flash but the younger generation doesn't follow baseball nearly as much as basketball.
Good topic.
Mike Trout RC just sold for over 4 million dollars ... just a reminder fellas.... more than 4 times the 760 k Jordan just fetched.
Basketball gives individuals more of a chance to shine than baseball. Just given the fact that one guy, say Lebron, can completely control the success of his team, I think it’s natural that your going to have bigger starts in basketball. That said though, basketball is very top heavy. As in, the top 3-5 stars might be near-household names, but it drops off big after that.
As for the card industry, I don’t have any aggregate numbers to back it up but I’m certain that baseball brings in far more dollars than basketball on both the primary and secondary card markets. Sure, the 86 Jordan has skyrocketed but that’s just one guy and one card that is the biggest card in the history of the sport. I don’t see that as being reflective of a societal shift in terms of card preferences. That said though, baseball does have the misfortune of being a relatively slow and somewhat old fashioned sport. That will continue to present challenges in terms of connecting with the younger generation.
I enjoy collecting both baseball and basketball cards, and don’t see a need to separate them and classify one as better than the other. People collect what they like and what they enjoy, and baseball has some products out there - 2018 Topps Update is on fire with a ton of huge stars with appeal outside the US - Acuna, Torres, Soto, Ohtani. I think Mantle and Jordan will both continue to have broad appeal and do very well long term in regards to sales and pricing. Can’t go wrong with either one. Do your homework whether using VCP, 130point or other.
Reminder of what, exactly?
Jordan 1997 UD jersey/auto just sold for 1.5M. Multiple rookies selling in excess of 500k.
There's no comparison between these two.