Player Autographs Are Trash

[Kovy]

Very true, especially the Crosby part.

I have someone in my family who now plays Professional hockey. So when it came to signing things for fans, at first his signature was less than appealing. We've joked around about it, and it has since gotten better (a little bit), but I'm not blaming him at all, as he never had the hindsight to develop a proper signature when it came time to signing contracts and memorabilia for fans, which is why I give a ton of slack to these player signatures nowadays. Once I saw it from the other side of things, it definitely changed you perspective. These kids have a lot more to worry about than "what will my autograph look like when I make it to The Show?". Keep in mind, a lot of them are still struggling to make their own mark, and signing cards and stuff are just a cool little 'bonus' for them that they will probably tell their grandkids about. They don't know what kind of scope their autograph has on a piece of cardboard. Frankly, I wouldn't either if I was in their shoes.

They just don't know it's important. Which, in reality, it isn't. I mean, once they sign the stick, card, photo, they've done their part. The pretty signature expectations are our doing.

I just can't blame these players, especially with the lack of cursive writing in elementary schools, little to no penmanship expectations day-to-day, and the fact that even some of our own 'autographs' wouldn't pass the hockey card test, either.

You don't get paid big bucks to sign your name, there is the difference. Yeah they sign their names a lot they also charge a lot so if you're charging fans $200 to sign a stick they should get more than scribbles for their money. Don't like to sign? Don't take the $$ and don't sign.

[30ranfordfan]

Rookies, in particular, I don't think are paid big bucks at all.... I'm not trying to excuse what they do, but I think this is also a symptom of the fact that the PA pressures players into signing for UD in their first year in the league (regardless if they want to or not) and they end up signing 100s, even 1000s, for a sum of cash they're told to take, despite wanting to or not.

I'll looked up Brayden Point.... a good, but not spectacular, rookie from this past season.

So far, he has 2,312 Signed cards that are serial numbered (if I add up the total print runs), and a handful of unnumbered cards:

FW Black Gold Ink
OPC Update Sigs
OPC Platinum (various sets)

There is still The Cup coming out... where he'll be /249, several parallels, and probably another auto'd set or two.

Looking at those numbers... I'd be willing to bet he ends up signing 3k cards for Upper Deck this year.

(This post has nothing to do with Brayden Point. I was just looking for rough numbers from a "typical" rookie that was not the main attraction in a set, but would be in all sets)

Assume that 3k is the right number - How many rookies this year took their $2-per-auto from Upper Deck because the PA told them they had to, and not because they wanted to... or because the extra $6k was going to do anything to enhance their lives? I bet a lot.

Again, not to excuse these guys for being lazy (they should show some pride in their names) but I'm better that if only the Rookies that actually wanted to sign were signing.... the checklists would be pretty shot.

You don't get paid big bucks to sign your name, there is the difference. Yeah they sign their names a lot they also charge a lot so if you're charging fans $200 to sign a stick they should get more than scribbles for their money. Don't like to sign? Don't take the $$ and don't sign.

[creasecollector]

You don't get paid big bucks to sign your name, there is the difference. Yeah they sign their names a lot they also charge a lot so if you're charging fans $200 to sign a stick they should get more than scribbles for their money. Don't like to sign? Don't take the $$ and don't sign.

For sure, I know I don't get paid for my auto, but the look of the autograph is also subjective from person-to-person, and you can't please everyone. Some fans are stoked that they got to meet their favourite players and to have their autograph means a lot to them, even it's "just a scribble". Others, maybe autograph enthusiasts, may want a little more effort to be put into the autographs they receive so it's worth that $200 or whatever they are paying. The athlete isn't a mind-reader, and they also need to do what they can to make autograph signing enjoyable for them, instead of a painstaking chore. So I understand why a lot don't sign their full name and things like that. For some, like it or not, it's just not practical or they don't have a full-name pretty autograph to use. That's just the way it is.

And the prices of their autographs may not always have anything to do with the player themselves, as they have agents who offer up their clients services (autographs for a signing session, in this case) for a fee that I'm sure is based on what other players make, the length of the session, etc. So the cost isn't just on the player, but the agency or exclusive they are in agreement with.

There is a lot of moving parts here. The athlete doesn't just pluck a number out of mid air. So to blame to athlete that is cost $x amount for their signature and it's not what the collector 'likes' is, in my opinion, a little shortsighted.

As for the "Don't take the $$ and don't sign" thing. I don't think it's as simple as that. If the players hates signing, then sure, maybe they shouldn't' sign. They'll be tons of pressure on them to sign though from fans, UD, potentially their agents trying to maximize their clients financial value, so at times they'll reluctantly do it, and offer a poor effort (or autograph) in return. I guess it's a "can't say I didn't warn you" type thing. Well at least they signed, right?

But there is also a flip side to this as well..

I'm sure there are a lot of players that are pleased to offer up an afternoon to sign for the fans, as they probably get some enjoyment from that aspect, too. So if they don't go, I'm sure they'll hear the other end of things like "I can't believe player A doesn't 'do' public or professional signings. What a jerk. What about the fans?". So they come out, sign for the fans, have fun, and go home. Then they have to hear how their autograph isn't 'good enough' for the money paid? I think at some point we need to agree that we can be too hard on players sometimes and the autograph expectations in this modern world. I get they are paid, I really do, but at some point we need to be happy with what we have: An authentic autograph from a professional athlete.

They aren't paid to have a pretty signature, they are paid to sign. And they do just that. What's so wrong with that?

Maybe I'm letting them off too easy, who knows. But I too grew up in an age where cursive writing was barely taught, all of which felt so weird and foreign to us, and I barely had to sign my name growing up. Seeing things from the other side also helps, too, as like I said earlier a close family member plays pro hockey and has needed to sign for fans. So for an 18-year-old kid who's known nothing but hockey growing up, who might get to sign some official NHL licensed hockey cards, I say good for him, and I'll let the ugly autograph thing slide. If they put some effort down, then that's still cool with me.

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but that's just my 2 cents. :)

[30ranfordfan]

I bolded the word age :)

I also think there's a very generational switch that's happened over the past 10(ish) years.

Hypothetically.... any of these players get to run into Wayne Gretzky on draft day. If not Gretzky, whomever their favorite player growing up was (players in this past draft were born in 1998. I'm assuming not many of them can actually relate to Gretzky the player - on the legend - since they were 1 when he retired. Someone else would have been their favorite player growing up).

Think they want an autograph from said player, or a selfie? I'm under the impression that selfie has replaced autograph in cases like that.

Really, I think the poor penmanship is a product of several things (have to do it, don't get paid much compared to NHL salaries, have to sign too many, don't know cursive, no connection to "the hobby", don't place any value of the idea of autographs)

Maybe I'm letting them off too easy, who knows. But I too grew up in an age where cursive writing was barely taught, all of which felt so weird and foreign to us, and I barely had to sign my name growing up. Seeing things from the other side also helps, too, as like I said earlier a close family member plays pro hockey and has needed to sign for fans. So for an 18-year-old kid who's known nothing but hockey growing up, who might get to sign some official NHL licensed hockey cards, I say good for him, and I'll let the ugly autograph thing slide. If they put some effort down, then that's still cool with me.

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but that's just my 2 cents. :)

[creasecollector]

I bolded the word age :)

I also think there's a very generational switch that's happened over the past 10(ish) years.

Hypothetically.... any of these players get to run into Wayne Gretzky on draft day. If not Gretzky, whomever their favorite player growing up was (players in this past draft were born in 1998. I'm assuming not many of them can actually relate to Gretzky the player - on the legend - since they were 1 when he retired. Someone else would have been their favorite player growing up).

Think they want an autograph from said player, or a selfie? I'm under the impression that selfie has replaced autograph in cases like that.

Really, I think the poor penmanship is a product of several things (have to do it, don't get paid much compared to NHL salaries, have to sign too many, don't know cursive, no connection to "the hobby", don't place any value of the idea of autographs)

Agreed! And very well put. I definitely think these scribbles autographs we see nowadays are a byproduct of a lot of things. Plus the only person who cares about perfect autographs are collectors, that's pretty much it.

[mortuus]

Yeah Malkin is crap, Jagr isnt that exciting either.. i dont know why they sign cards when it seems they dont care much for it anyways? they get paid eventho its small compared to what they earn in Nhl.... Crosby is really in the same league as Gretzky, Howe and the other Hall of famers. Ovechkin is a bit mixed it isnt the best but isnt the worst either..

[mq13]

This just makes it easier for me to decide what I want to buy. Today's players signatures are CRAP. Most players from the 80's and before have very legible Autos.

[Chromagguy]

Rookies, in particular, I don't think are paid big bucks at all.... I'm not trying to excuse what they do, but I think this is also a symptom of the fact that the PA pressures players into signing for UD in their first year in the league (regardless if they want to or not) and they end up signing 100s, even 1000s, for a sum of cash they're told to take, despite wanting to or not.

I'll looked up Brayden Point.... a good, but not spectacular, rookie from this past season.

So far, he has 2,312 Signed cards that are serial numbered (if I add up the total print runs), and a handful of unnumbered cards:

FW Black Gold Ink
OPC Update Sigs
OPC Platinum (various sets)

There is still The Cup coming out... where he'll be /249, several parallels, and probably another auto'd set or two.

Looking at those numbers... I'd be willing to bet he ends up signing 3k cards for Upper Deck this year.

(This post has nothing to do with Brayden Point. I was just looking for rough numbers from a "typical" rookie that was not the main attraction in a set, but would be in all sets)

Assume that 3k is the right number - How many rookies this year took their $2-per-auto from Upper Deck because the PA told them they had to, and not because they wanted to... or because the extra $6k was going to do anything to enhance their lives? I bet a lot.

Again, not to excuse these guys for being lazy (they should show some pride in their names) but I'm better that if only the Rookies that actually wanted to sign were signing.... the checklists would be pretty shot.

As a guy who collects Brayden Point I can confirm his Auto is consistently awful!

[Sharky94]

A lot of it is also the attitude of players these days. Older players lived in a day when they knew the fans were important, so they had to court fans to get them to the games to increase their pay. They grew up respecting the fans as much as anyone else and treated them accordingly. Most players these days would be classified as Millenials who grew up getting everything they wanted and thinking they are owed things. They see the money from TV and endorsements, and they view fans simply as occupational hazards and impediments to a good time, and they treat them accordingly. It is all about respect. If a player respects the fans, he will take the time to give them a good signature. If he doesn't, well, you see what we get today.

[creasecollector]

It is all about respect. If a player respects the fans, he will take the time to give them a good signature. If he doesn't, well, you see what we get today.

While I see what you're getting at, and some things can be true in some cases, I'm not sure respect can always be measured with a simple signature.

We've seen in the past a lot of players take the time to interact & bond with the fans (some more than others, for sure) and even start charities, do hospital visits, sign for fans for free sometimes and things like that. But can that level of care and respect for the fans be measured by their signatures that day? Of course not.

When looking at respect, I think we should look at the players actions off the ice, not the aftermath of a player holding a blue Sharpie.

I've heard a few great stories, but I'll share a quick story about Jhonas Enroth. I was talking to someone on FB, and they knew I collected his cards, and so he shared a neat story about him & his younger son's experience with Jhonas while in Buffalo.

I'll quote him below:

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"Jhonas was a great guy while here. My son, a goalie himself, loved the guy. Before Harbor Center was put up, they used to do their off-season training at Riverside's Bud Bakewell arena. I worked there part time.

I talked to him often and when I told him my son was a fanatic he loved it. I brought him the next day, and Jhonas talked to him for quite a while. The next day, school started and I went back to the rink.

One thing I did notice was he wasn't using a Reebok stick, he was using a Bauer, with more Swedish than Sabres yellow and blue.... After he came off the ice and showered and was leaving, he saw me and yelled "Where is your boy"? I told him school had started and he went, "Ahhh!! Damn!"

He said to me he was running low on Reebok sticksbut had this for him, and gave the stick he used in practice, personalized to Markie...

A class act, and from that point on, always made a point to hang with my son whenever he saw him.

I miss that guy."

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Forgive me for using one of the players I collect as an example, but I just think we (as a hobby community as a whole) need to take a bigger picture into consideration before judging a players attitude or respect level for the fans based on a signature.