What will keep card collecting from dying out like Stamp collecting did?

dtkk49a

Just like certain rare stamps, I don't see certain cards ever losing their value. But will the hobby eventually become irrelevant like the stamp hobby?

Dboneesq

More people can relate to Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams than they can to an upside down airplane.

WhiteTornado

We have more chances to view and discuss sports than ever before. Not to mention all of the advances in graphics and the card printing process.

Contrast with stamps, which are becoming used less and less frequently. In addition to the effect of online bill paying and emails/texts, even packages are often sent nowadays with the postage being paid for electronically. I have even printed postage at the kiosks at the local post offices. It is a generic-looking black and white stamp with a crude flag on it, and you can get them in several different denominations. Even though those are "stamps", no collector is going to care about those.

mtcards

I'm not a stamp collector, but I had heard that one of the more devastating things that happened to the stamp hobby was the ability for people to produce counterfeits that were virtually undetectable except by the most knowledgable

MooseDog

In a way, what happened to stamp collecting has already happened to card collecting. Common stamps are basically worthless. Take for example common US commemoratives. You'd be lucky to get 20-30% of face value for them, might as well just use them as postage. The parallel to that is the common sports card from the "overproduced era". No real $ value, most of us end up giving them away (or recycling). Kids who were born in this century are not collecting. As we collectors get older there are going to be fewer and fewer outlets for our "stuff".

MantleFan23

Its an interesting topic, and I actually had a conversation with my Dad about this a while go as we were talking about the "state of the hobby".

I'm 36, and am most passionate about cards from the 50,60,70, and early 80's. My dad had a tremendous influence on me with collecting vintage cards, and I collected cards in the 80's of my favorite players of the time. Now that I'm older and have some disposable income (of course, the argument can be made that now that I'm married, I have NONE ), I'm back in the game, with the focuses being a 56 topps set and unopened from the 70's and early 80's. I don't know how many other 36 year olds out there have my collecting focus or are interested in vintage cards (from setting up at a few shows, seeing who is looking at the vintage at bigger shows, I think I'm in the general minority). So it begs the question of will there be buyers of vintage in 20 or 30 years? While it's something that I'm not necessarily concerned with, it is a good thought. I would think that in 20/30 years, I don't think that it will become obsolete like stamps, but you could see a general decline in vintage cards and its interest. Who will the buyers be at that time? Are there enough of "me's" out there that appreciate baseball's past to keep this going? I don't know. The hobby has changed so much from when I was a kid. If someone 20 years ago, would have told me that someone would pay $20,000 for an ozzie smith rookie, I would have told you, you were crazy. So really, we don't know, but I think there are some signs that could point to a possible decline with some of the things that I have mentioned. Just my opinion..

Jeremy

jmaciu

I know talking to the owner of my LCS, kids and young adults that come into that shop are mostly looking for newer stuff. The prospect of hitting an autograph or relic card of one of the current stars is what attracts them. I think most kids just can't relate to the stars of the 50's. 60's, and 70's. My 5 year-old son talks about the "Great Bambino," but the only reason is because he is obsessed with the movie "The Sand Lot." So, I am in the camp that, like Jeremy, is worried that the vintage card collecting might fade over time. I know I will try to educate my son about the history of the game. He sees the stuff I have around the house and thinks it neat because it is old. But, I want him to understand how important baseball was to society in general, as it has been a nice distraction from tough times for Americans (depressions, wars, and other tragedies. Cards are a reminder of times gone by in baseball history.

mattyc_collection

Sports are and will ever be more in the cultural spotlight than stamps. Simple.

ndleo

The hobby is much smaller than it used to be, so the argument can be made that the decline has already happened. However because of the internet, on an individual basis, the hobby may actually have grown since now you have access to more collectors, products, and dealers that in the past. Before my hobby world was local fellow collectors, local stores, local shows, and the hobby magazines. Just about all of those have either gone away or are much smaller/infrequent. However my hobby participate has increased because I can now order product and have it delivered to my door, exchange thoughts with other collectors, and discover new items to collect.

The hobby has evolved and I think it will be here for a long time.

60sfan

<< <i>More people can relate to Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams than they can to an upside down airplane. >>

summerof68

The hobby will always be here it's just that the "percentage" of the general population who collect cards will decrease with each new generation.

mcolney1

I agree with ndleo just from my own experience. Started collecting in the 70's went strong until the 80's got married had kids and lost interest. It was the internet and ebay that brought me back. Don't know how many of me are out there?

As for vintage. I love the NFL of the 70's, but collect strong of cards produced of players who were long retired before I came along. HOFers I think will always have an interest among sports collectors to keep the hobby going.

jgrigali

Even with fewer people in the hobby, prices have been sky rocketing. What are some of the hot-iconic sets? 1933 goudey, T206, 1952 topps. Not a lot of people who collect those saw any of those guys play...baseball is americana. Just like people collect lincoln stuff like mad, i think people will collect the key vintage stuff for a long long time.

swish54

I agree that the hobby has evolved. I think that's a real good way of saying it. It's not dying, it's just changing with the times. Granted I don't collect stamps, but they seem so one dimensional to me. At least with baseball cards there's other outlets that relate to them. The biggest is that they are tied with sports, and sports aren't going anywhere. As long as there's sports, there's going to be people wanting autographs and getting autographs on cards. It's not just tied to collecting cards, but people also want to collect cards to get signed. I'm not trying to say that autograph hounds are going to save the card hobby, but unlike stamps, it's another way to keep them in the forefront.

With that said, two things that slightly worry me are the fact that kids these days are more interested in technology and the amount of kids coming into the hobby seem to be slowing down. The other thing that is worrisome is the fact that it's becoming a rich mans game...more so regarding new release stuff. If you want to get "the cool cards" with ridiculous swatches or low #'d, you have to buy $50+ packs.

I think the best thing that can and should happen to the hobby is for Topps to loose it's exclusive licensing and have more card companies. Anyone knows that competition is best for anything.

ndleo

Modern collecting can be expensive, let me submit that Topps Chrome is probably the best value in the hobby. With the refractors and on-card signatures, you can get a very nice card in a $65 box. I buy those $50+ pack products every now and them, most of the time the value is not there. That is a suckers product. It should be criminal for the card companies to put a 3rd round Linemen autos in those products.

Unknown

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mattyc_collection

<< <i>Even with fewer people in the hobby, prices have been sky rocketing. What are some of the hot-iconic sets? 1933 goudey, T206, 1952 topps. Not a lot of people who collect those saw any of those guys play...baseball is americana. Just like people collect lincoln stuff like mad, i think people will collect the key vintage stuff for a long long time. >>



Bullseye.

I never saw Shoeless Joe, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Cy Young, Roberto Clemente, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, or Sandy Koufax play.

And yet I want their cards. And so do many other guys who never saw them play.

And there will be more guys like us long after we are gone.

Stone193

As long as there's 10 people who post here about what they've collected?

The Hobby is not dead.

The "connotation" to your question is that collecting like a business could reach diminished returns.

This won't be popular but the "value" of a collection is in the personal enjoyment.

The minute value is assigned? IMO, the fun is sucked out.

I bought a vending case of 79T because that was the year I graduated and I had purchased a few packs at the Circle K to celebrate that year. I was just too busy back then to have a hobby. My purpose was to put a really nice set together and then dump the rest of the cards.

Beware - every thing we buy could go up in flames - one way or another.

lahmejoon

<< <i>Kids who were born in this century are not collecting. As we collectors get older there are going to be fewer and fewer outlets for our "stuff". >>



^^ This is what I worry about. I'm 35 and started collecting in 1987. Everyone was into baseball cards at that time. I worry that we don't have the next generation that spent a lot of time collecting when they were kids that would come back into the hobby like a lot of us in my age group has.

mattyc_collection

I think all it takes is to share the game of baseball with a kid, and then give a kid a pack of baseball cards. It's worked wit my kid

CocoaBeachDodgers

Of course, it is helpful as a collector that you collected or played with baseball cards as a kid, but it is certainly not a must. There are many collectors and there will be many collectors in the future, that did not have cards, or at least not very many cards, as a kid. The combination of the joy for baseball & wanting to not necessary invest in, but at least collect something that has the possibility of going up in value, will help maintain the industry in the future. I am not necessarily saying the hobby will grow or shrink, but I am saying I think it will always be strong.

The main difference between sports cards & stamps is "sports". For example, I own some stamps, but they are of baseball players. That is the only reason I have them.

LarkinCollector

<< <i>The main difference between sports cards & stamps is "sports". For example, I own some stamps, but they are of baseball players. That is the only reason I have them. >>


+1, though I have some favorite celebrity stamps as well like the 1997 Bogart sheet.

I see most posts here focusing on baseball, but with the rise of football's popularity, I think this may be where a lot of 'new' and future collector's money will go in addition to some sports outside of the big 3.

gemint

<< <i>

<< <i>Kids who were born in this century are not collecting. As we collectors get older there are going to be fewer and fewer outlets for our "stuff". >>



^^ This is what I worry about. I'm 35 and started collecting in 1987. Everyone was into baseball cards at that time. I worry that we don't have the next generation that spent a lot of time collecting when they were kids that would come back into the hobby like a lot of us in my age group has. >>



It's hard to say if this is a permanent trend or temporary. Each generation is different. In my day (grew up in late 70s/early 80s), everyone was addicted to video games but still found time to collect. With the disruptions caused by the internet evolving and smart phones, it's not surprising that kids are addicted to them these days. Eventually they'll just become appliances and the novelty will wear off. Maybe some new technology will replace it to attract the focus of kids or maybe future generations will go back to appreciated off-grid entertainment as a way to take a vacation from the virtual world.

PSASAP

I think you need to look at the bigger picture. For centuries, people have been collecting fine art, furniture, jewelry, etc. as much for the enjoyment of owning the item as having the expectation that the item will be sought after and valued in the future. For most people, owning those luxuries are all but unattainable, but there still is the desire to own something that is both fun and rewarding. Think of all the money that is spent on consumables (e.g. food, vacations, non-collectible cars), the avenues to invest your money are limited. Sports cards are a perfect collectible, in that storage is easy, no maintanence is involved (except for replacing plastic pages every so often), and they're easily sold and shipped. How many things can you say that about?

itzagoner

as long as collecting and the interest in chasing and acquiring things is a characteristic of our society, cards will live on. the fact that so much of what we appreciated as insiders has now gone mainstream pretty much assures us that there will be more folks jumping on the hobby bandwagon for long after that day when we are sucking worms and pushing daisies. the stuff we used to find in people's old piles of disposables is now regularly on TV & all over the Internet.

sports, the love of competition and choosing favorites will drive the need to hold something tangible as a reminder. wealthy investors, entertainment personalities, even the athletes themselves.......and guys like us.

stamps could use some help. if the Kardashian sisters started collecting or Sheldon dedicated himself to it for an entire season of Big Bang Theory, there might be increased excitement and a new dawn for those pesky counterfeiters.

IndianaJones

What will keep card collecting from dying out?

I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but one disturbing trend that I notice on the PSA message boards, as well as on the Net54 postwar forum, is a severe lack of discussion to threads. Even terrific topics die by the wayside with only 2-3 responses, if that. Ten years ago when I first became aware of the PSA message boards, there was much more rousing discussion and contributions. Much sharing. It is not completely gone, of course. However, in comparison to a decade ago, it seems the participation has dwindled.

One of the busiest threads going on right now on the PSA boards regards what else you collect besides sports trading cards. Of course, I must admit I would enjoy responding to that, but my display of what else I collect is not set up quite yet.

Back to the topic, the mass production of trading cards, combined with the emphasis on their surefire future monetary value, and then the kids who collected them being often rudely turned away when they offered to cash in and sell their collections, hurt this hobby more than anything else. What brought those hurting souls happiness, along with tens of millions of others-----you probably could guess right---playing video games. That's what brought the kids of the late 80s and onward the most happiness. Still does. What brings happiness to a child will be what he will collect later, in most instances.

I suppose that 's less competition for us vintage card collectors, but what happens when WE want to sell? There should be a nice group of potential buyers, but maybe not as big as we thought. ---Indiana Jones (Brian Powell)

mattyc_collection

Funny you mention games-- I spent a few hours last night slaughtering punks online in Call Of Duty; in between matches I was looking at cards

dberk12

It seems that if you take away the outlier years of the hobby, the bubble years of the late 80's and early 90s, the hobby has been steady. There was a huge spike when people outside the hobby temporarily jumped in when high end products like Upper Deck attracted people who viewed cards as stocks and stashed product hoping it would one day pay for their kid's college education. The domino effect overestimated demand and caused the card companies to overproduce. Most of the "new investors" were chased away once it became clear that the lack of scarcity made the cards worthless. It was never realistic to maintain the baseball card industry at $1 billion+ like it was reported in the early 90's. After the bubble burst the hobby returned back to the way it was in the 80's and has been steady ever since. The landscape has obviously changed as eBay and the internet have replaced card shops/shows which in my opinion is unfortunate but I don't think the hobby is going anywhere anytime soon.

MikeyP

Hollywood saved the comic book industry. Why not the sports card industry as well? Seriously, both hobbies have always been, and always will be, about kids. Even big kids like us.

dberk12

Seriously, both hobbies have always been, and always will be, about kids. Even big kids like us. >>



Exactly!!!

ClockworkAngel

Sports are cool and stamps are, um, postage

JustinsShoebox

I acquired my Uncles stamp collection when he passed earlier this year.

I take the stamps out now and again to check them out. Some of the stamps are actually really very cool. I can understand why some folks like to collect them. They aren't particularly my thing, but there are some rather old stamps which are very appealing and offer a small bit of historical value.

I'm not sure that I'd ever build upon my Uncle's collection, but it's one I'll probably be keeping.

Justin

Gemyanks10

<< <i>I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but one disturbing trend that I notice on the PSA message boards, as well as on the Net54 postwar forum, is a severe lack of discussion to threads. Even terrific topics die by the wayside with only 2-3 responses, if that. Ten years ago when I first became aware of the PSA message boards, there was much more rousing discussion and contributions. Much sharing. It is not completely gone, of course. However, in comparison to a decade ago, it seems the participation has dwindled.

One of the busiest threads going on right now on the PSA boards regards what else you collect besides sports trading cards. Of course, I must admit I would enjoy responding to that, but my display of what else I collect is not set up quite yet.

Back to the topic, the mass production of trading cards, combined with the emphasis on their surefire future monetary value, and then the kids who collected them being often rudely turned away when they offered to cash in and sell their collections, hurt this hobby more than anything else. What brought those hurting souls happiness, along with tens of millions of others-----you probably could guess right---playing video games. That's what brought the kids of the late 80s and onward the most happiness. Still does. What brings happiness to a child will be what he will collect later, in most instances.

I suppose that 's less competition for us vintage card collectors, but what happens when WE want to sell? There should be a nice group of potential buyers, but maybe not as big as we thought. ---Indiana Jones (Brian Powell) >>





Spot on if you ask me, and my favorite response of the thread so far.

Edited to add that most of the threads that have engaged in great discussion since I've been here, have derailed due to arguements.
This is a great topic, and one that I don't have all that much to add except for the fact that I often think cards are way too expensive for kids, and cards need to be about cards again, not "hits". I see the younger generation in my area buying blaster boxes and treating them as if they were a lottery ticket. Keep the relic or auto, and junk the rest. I blame this on the card companies, stating odds on the side of the box and such. Buying a box nowadays is like buying scratch off tickets.
My grandfather was a huge stamp collector, and still has his collection to this day, but he stopped collecting due to counterfeits and forgeries. He basically said that they have gotten so good at counterfeiting, that he doesn't feel comfortable with it anymore.

Stone193

<< <i>I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but one disturbing trend that I notice on the PSA message boards, as well as on the Net54 postwar forum, is a severe lack of discussion to threads. Even terrific topics die by the wayside with only 2-3 responses, if that. Ten years ago when I first became aware of the PSA message boards, there was much more rousing discussion and contributions. Much sharing. It is not completely gone, of course. However, in comparison to a decade ago, it seems the participation has dwindled. >>



Totally agree.

I didn't want to bring this up.

I was afraid I would appear to be whining.

I once posted on a piece of newspaper art about the "first roadtrip" in ML baseball. It fell on deaf ears.

I've been here for 10 years, and one can't estimate how many really good contributors have left - forever - I'm sure we know why.

Stone193

Also, maybe I read it different.

I don't think the OP necessarily was comparing "Cards" to "Stamps," as such.

CollectorAtWork

I think there is always the possibility of "irrational exuberance" in cards. Many of the folks who collect cards don't even watch much sports these days. They treat these cards as part of their investment portfolio, and like all investments, they can be subject to downturns if their isn't belief in the underlying value of the card or the "momentum" of the sector.

I think one of the benefits of cards, as opposed to coins, let say, is that the hobby is huge. There is an extremely large number of ways to collect, and collect affordability, and so you can collect in many different ways, and as long as you're conscientious with your buying, you should be able to roughly break even at worst if you decide to sell your collection in the future.

I've actually recently started collecting US stamps again since it's an affordable hobby. However, I've read that just about anyone who starts collecting stamps now should just expect to lose money hand over fist. It's very difficult to do well in stamps unless you are purchasing really high end items. Stamps have a lot of problems, I think. You would think it could be comparable to coins, which has been doing robustly well. However, the supply of practically all stamps is huge. It's like the 80's-90s overproduction issue in cards, but 100X more, and in practically all decades until before 1900. In addition, as someone stated before, there are many fakes out there, so the novice collector has issues buying more of the expensive stamps. Also, I think the TPG's for stamps like PSE are still too expensive. I don't think you see too many bulk specials for stamps like $4/stamps. I just looked at PSE's site, and the cheapest grading is a min of $10 fee for a stamps w/ a max declared value of $50 and after 1932. Sending stamps to get graded is a formula for losing more money.

I think if someone comes into collecting cards as an enjoyable hobby and doesn't depend on it to generate certain annual returns or as their nest egg, they should be just fine. As you constantly build your collection and talk to fellow hobbyists, that can be the most rewarding part of the hobby.

brian26

<< <i>I know talking to the owner of my LCS, kids and young adults that come into that shop are mostly looking for newer stuff. The prospect of hitting an autograph or relic card of one of the current stars is what attracts them. I think most kids just can't relate to the stars of the 50's. 60's, and 70's. My 5 year-old son talks about the "Great Bambino," but the only reason is because he is obsessed with the movie "The Sand Lot." So, I am in the camp that, like Jeremy, is worried that the vintage card collecting might fade over time. I know I will try to educate my son about the history of the game. He sees the stuff I have around the house and thinks it neat because it is old. But, I want him to understand how important baseball was to society in general, as it has been a nice distraction from tough times for Americans (depressions, wars, and other tragedies. Cards are a reminder of times gone by in baseball history. >>



Just as an aside, I saw that movie recently-- it is a GREAT movie. Loved it.

dberk12

I think that one way people currently use their time and money to connect with baseball, football, basketball, etc. is through fantasy sports instead of sports cards. It has become a billion dollar industry. Fantasy sports were just becoming popular in the late 80's and early 90's when baseball cards were a billion dollar industry. Since then the popularity of fantasy sports have increased annually while the interest in sports cards has decreased.

ScottA

The only way baseball card collecting will die is if soccer overtakes baseball in popularity. And if that happens I don't want to be around anyway.

What I'd love to see is a show like Antique Roadshow or Pawn Stars or American Pickers dedicated to just sports collectibles. It'd be great publicity for the hobby - look how well those shows do even with mainstream audiences, and I'd venture a guess that they've helped the antique market immensely. Who knew barbed wire was collectible?

And lower the damn prices on new stuff. Show me a 4th grader who can afford to buy new baseball cards and I'll show you a 4th grader who spends 2 weeks every summer at debate camp - and yes there really is such a thing as debate camp.

MikeyP

<< <i>I think that one way people currently use their time and money to connect with baseball, football, basketball, etc. is through fantasy sports instead of sports cards. It has become a billion dollar industry. Fantasy sports were just becoming popular in the late 80's and early 90's when baseball cards were a billion dollar industry. Since then the popularity of fantasy sports have increased annually while the interest in sports cards has decreased. >>



I find this statement interesting because I never collected football cards until I began to play fantasy football. I only collected baseball cards when I was younger. I wonder if other collectors have collected more or less sports cards as a result of fantasy sports.

LarkinCollector

<< <i>

<< <i>I think that one way people currently use their time and money to connect with baseball, football, basketball, etc. is through fantasy sports instead of sports cards. It has become a billion dollar industry. Fantasy sports were just becoming popular in the late 80's and early 90's when baseball cards were a billion dollar industry. Since then the popularity of fantasy sports have increased annually while the interest in sports cards has decreased. >>



I find this statement interesting because I never collected football cards until I began to play fantasy football. I only collected baseball cards when I was younger. I wonder if other collectors have collected more or less sports cards as a result of fantasy sports. >>


I know fantasy football has led me to collect a lot more football cards than I would have otherwise. I collected primarily baseball as well when I was a kid, except for a couple packs of 86T FB.

bigdcards

Video games were strong in the 80s when the market was climbing. There are lots of us 80s kids on the boards that know cards and gaming. I don't think the actual video games have much to do with it. BUT, the devices sure do. I know there is more to a card than info and a pic, but we can watch an entire set of highlights, no matter where we are, on any player, whenever we want to. That could change a kids perspective on base cards. Another thing that changes the perspective on base cards is when some adult burns $1,000 opening boxes with 10 cards. Several of which are memorabilia cards that the adult is disappointed in because he spent a grand on $40 worth of cards. So hits are everything and they aren't affordable.

WinPitcher

Stamp collecting is not dead, world wide it is still considered the number one hobby...

It's dead here, maybe....

CocoaBeachDodgers

Here is the biggest problem that us card collectors are facing:

NUMBER 1: We are nobodies!

A stamp collector is a philatelist!
A coin collector is a numismatic!
A book collector is a bibliophile!
Even a butterfly collector has a title, he is a lepidopteran.

We do not have a title

We are but wondering souls, looking to be acknowledged by our society!

We will never reach greatness until we are labeled!

ClockworkAngel

<< <i>Here is the biggest problem that us card collectors are facing:

NUMBER 1: We are nobodies!

A stamp collector is a philatelist!
A coin collector is a numismatic!
A book collector is a bibliophile!
Even a butterfly collector has a title, he is a lepidopteran.

We do not have a title

We are but wondering souls, looking to be acknowledged by our society!

We will never reach greatness until we are labeled! >>



We do have a title. It's called OCD

beagle25

Most disturbing trend is average tv age viewership of baseball is 48. This was mentioned on mlb network during one of their games past couple months on topic of getting the younger generation more interested in baseball.

BLUEJAYWAY

<< <i>

<< <i>More people can relate to Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams than they can to an upside down airplane. >>


>>

Wonder what an inverted 52 TOPPS Mantle would sell for?

RookieWax

<< <i>Most disturbing trend is average tv age viewership of baseball is 48. This was mentioned on mlb network during one of their games past couple months on topic of getting the younger generation more interested in baseball. >>



It's up to us. I have watched baseball with my son since he was 4 years old and have tried to explain things to him while doing so. After the Tigers acquired Jose Iglesias late last year, my son became hooked because of the senastional plays Iglesias would make almost nightly. My son just turned 7 years old and he'll now watch any game between any teams, and he'll watch reruns of "Quick Pitch" on MLB network for hours at a time. He even DVRs all the Tiger games and forwards through to the Tiger homeruns and great plays when his friends come over to play.

Dpeck100

Something that hasn't been mentioned is the surge in non sports cards.

If you look at the past 20 years cards like Pokemon and Magic The Gathering have exploded in popularity and value.

Humans love to collect and there will be changes to what people are interested in but I have a hard time seeing card collecting going away.

Allen

I think some of the ESPN 30 for 30's like Bo Jackson and the coverage of Hall of Fame inductions including retrospectives of players careers gets some young kids interested. I have seen many kids at shows asking for Bo Jackson cards since that aired. NFL network has the A Football Life documentaries, NBATV airs a lot of vintage games and NB80's stuff. I think this does get some kids interested. I told one of my basketball players about Pistol Pete and his outlet passes and he went home and watched a ton of Pistol Pete highlights on YouTube and found a few full games available. Maybe all of this will help to lead some of these kids to run across a card on eBay, at a mall show, flea market, one of your estate sales, etc. and begin a collection.

Also a note about the video games, at the last show I set up at a father and son (about 10 years old) stopped by and were looking through the vintage basketball cards. I asked if they were looking for anyone specific and the kid asked if I had any Lou Hudson. I did have a Sweet Lou rookie and the kid was all excited. I had to ask why he was collecting Hudson and he said he was his favorite player on the NBA Street video game.

swish54

<< <i>

<< <i>Most disturbing trend is average tv age viewership of baseball is 48. This was mentioned on mlb network during one of their games past couple months on topic of getting the younger generation more interested in baseball. >>



It's up to us. I have watched baseball with my son since he was 4 years old and have tried to explain things to him while doing so. After the Tigers acquired Jose Iglesias late last year, my son became hooked because of the senastional plays Iglesias would make almost nightly. My son just turned 7 years old and he'll now watch any game between any teams, and he'll watch reruns of "Quick Pitch" on MLB network for hours at a time. He even DVRs all the Tiger games and forwards through to the Tiger homeruns and great plays when his friends come over to play. >>



I don't intend to hijack this thread because it's a really good one with great info. But did you know that the Tigers (along with the Rockies...I believe they are the only two teams to do this to this extent) have a program called Autographs for a Cause. It's through the Tigers Foundation and a lot of the Tigers players will sign a card through the mail for a donation. I know ttm auto's are sketchy because you don't actually see said player sign the item, but I feel this has a better shot at being the real deal vs. just sending a random player something. Here's a link with all the info regarding who signs (stars like Cabrera and Scherzer participate) and how to go about sending in. I've done if for Cabrera on more than one occasion and the card comes back with a COA from the Detroit Tigers Foundation (another reason I think it's a pretty good chance it's the real deal) stating it was signed in front of a Tigers Foundation employee.

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/det/community/foundation.jsp