Sports Autograph Signing Contracts

Some top athletes have a Sports Autograph Signing Contract with sports memoribilia dealers.  This type of agreement would generally state that a dealer is authorized and recognized by the player to sell sports merchandise with his authentic autograph. 

In return, the player will exclusively sign sporting memorabilia produced or sold by that dealer. This is to protect fans from purchasing fake sports autographs by knowing which certified stores to go to when buying authentic autographed sports memorabilia.

Michael Jordan has a contract with Upper Deck and he only grants autograph signing invitations from the company.  Tiger Woods, on the other hand, also signs for Upper Deck but he is not entirely prohibited to sign a few autographs on selected items such as on paper, tournament programs, or hats – items that are not sold by Upper Deck.

Public Sports Autograph Signings

A public sports autograph signing event is open to fans.  This is usually organized by sports collectibles dealers in collaboration with major sports teams under associations like the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Football Leagues, etc.  In a public signing event, a player or a team will be invited to sign autographs and you will have to buy tickets for entry.  Some event organizers impose the one ticket one autograph policy.

A public sports autograph signing may be organized for different purposes:

1. Promotion – sports memorabilia dealers make use of public sports autograph signing shows to promote their store and the merchandise they sell; on the other hand, the event may also be an avenue for players and teams to invite fans to support the team and keep watching their games.

2. Charity sports auctions – there are players who do not like their signatures to be paid for by the fans.  However, these athletes may agree to hand-sign autographs on memorabilia for charity sports auctions (fundraising activities for orphanages, schools, hospitals, etc.)

3. Commemoration of important events – sports autograph signings are also organized as a highlight in celebrating an important event such as team anniversary, victory party, sports convention, among others – a way of players to give back to avid supporters by giving these fans the opportunity to meet and greet their sports idols.

What you need to do:

1. Prepare a relevant item for the sports autograph

Since a public autograph signing is a prearranged event, prepare beforehand a relevant sports item that you want to be signed.  If the visiting athlete is a basketball player (say Kobe Bryant), then bring a jersey, a basketball, a basketball card, or a magazine with him on the cover to be signed on.

For a football player, you may consider bringing a mini helmet, full size replica helmet, a football, or football cards to be autographed.  Signed notebooks or white pieces of paper may not mean or not be worth anything.

Only bring one item to be signed.  Do not bring your friends’ collection and have these sports collectables signed for them.  It would take so much time, it is unfair to others who lined up, and it would not make your favorite player very happy as well.

2. Fall in line and wait for your turn.

 
To keep everything in order and to protect everyone’s safety, you are asked to fall in line and wait for your turn patiently.  Overtaking is a no-no because that could be the start of a mess.  If someone else does this, talk it over and do not pick a fight.  Remember this is a rare opportunity of meeting your sports idol, so make it memorable for you in a good way.

3. Prepare a message

There are certain circumstances that a player would ask what message you want him to write on your sports collectible.  Just before the signing day, consider noting down on a piece of paper the message that you want to be written (e.g. “To James, keep the passion alive and thanks for the support.  Regards, Allen Iverson”). When in case the athlete does ask you but you get “star-struck” and speechless, you would just have to hand in the paper.

Then again, it would be more meaningful if the message would come from the athlete himself.  I you could manage to talk, simply say he could write anything on it.

4. Be polite and friendly

Once you finally get to meet your favorite sports star, introduce your self briefly. A friendly way of saying, “Hi, I’m _____, your big fan” will do.  Thank him after he signs the autograph for you.  You can also opt to give him a short thank you letter (like a fan mail of some sort) which he can read later.  You may not have the time for a long talk, but by being polite and pleasant, you can make a good impression on him.

5. Find sports autograph signing updates

You are not a certified sports fan if you are content with one piece of autographed sports item.  Be a real sports enthusiast and collect more sports memorabilia.  Update yourself with upcoming sports autograph signings in your area by asking from memorabilia dealers near you. Also try visiting your favorite team’s website for their listed activities that may include live sports autograph appearances.

Largest Public Sports Autograph Signing Event

January 10, 2008 was a breakthrough in sports history when the world’s Largest Autograph Signing by Professional Athletes (as certified by the Guinness World Record) took place. It gathered 18 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and signed 4,500 footballs at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. This became an opportunity for football supporters to meet American Football superstars.

This signing event was organized by Samsung Electronics, Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Circuit City to launch the “HD Hero Days” promotion.

Private Sports Autograph Signing Event

A private sports signing is organized for a sports memoribilia dealer.  A player or a team of players are invited to sign new or unused sporting collectibles like replica helmets, miniatures, jerseys, etc.  These hand-signed items are meant to be for sale in stores with specific prices.

Sports autograph values are determined by factors such as the popularity of the player who signed the sports collectible and what is the item autographed.  Hand-signed sports cards are generally less expensive than autographed jerseys or helmets. While a signed piece of paper may not have any value at all.

Only a store representative or agent, the player or team to sign, team manager, and other few people are involved in private sports autograph signing events.  There are circumstances that dates of the signing are announced and you will only be allowed to send one sports collectable to be signed (through mail or by dropping it off in the sporting memorabilia store; you will be charged for the transaction accordingly).  You do not need to be present at the signing itself.

Michael Jordan would not and could not grant public autograph signings because fans get uncontrollable and safety is very much at risk.  As said earlier in this article, he would instead take part in private signings exclusively for Upper Deck.  At times, he would also sign autographs for fans during golf tournaments, such as the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Charity Golf Tournament, where there is no big crowd.

An Unusual Sports Autograph Signing Event

SportsBuy.com (an online sports store and auction firm) and other organizers set July 31, 2008 as the day for the World’s Strangest Autograph Signing Event to be held in Tristar Autograph Pavilion inside the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. An amount of $25,000 was offered to Steve Bartman for a single autograph.

Steve Bartman was the infamous Chicago Cubs fan who attempted to catch a foul ball during a baseball game (this was later referred to as the Steve Bartman incident).  By which he was blamed for the loss of the Chicago Cubs against Florida Marlins in the Game 6 of the National League Championship Series in 2003.

It was said that the money offered to Bartman would have been the biggest amount paid for a single sports autograph – even more expensive than Babe Ruth’s or Michael Jordan’s.  Steve Bartman, however, refused the offer and did not show up to the sports autograph show.

Related articles:

How to buy sports autographs – Learn what to do and not to do in purchasing autographed sports items.  Find out how to make the most of your money – buy valuable sports autographs and avoid the fake ones.