I have asked this question before on this board and while there will never be a clear answer, all of the above plays a role in football being the poor cousin to baseball in collecting.
I also think as adults we look back to our youth not only as card collectors but as budding athletes. I was never very good at either sport but I continued playing football through my freshman year in college. I walk with a distinct limp with two bad knees from five surgeries.
As a thirteen year old I ran with excitement to baseball practice at the Boys & Girls Club every day. Also as thirteen year old I started thinking about football practice about two hours beforehand but not always with joy. It depended in the mid-60's on what we would be doing that day.
Also tonight I sat back and watched the constant scroll across the bottom of the screen on the sports channels and 90 percent of the NFL news and often college football news contains legal content, much of it in a very negative light. The NFL has had to latch on to a VERY small handful of players they use as their front men. Every night the TV and NFL execs should fall on their knees and give thanks for the Manning family. Lets face it pro football is not a pretty game with nice people. We have not even touched on injuries (other than my knees) google five of your favorite players from the 1960's and see how many of them have died or are suffering from CTE, it is very sobering and sad.
I collect football cards, I've finished most of the 60's and 70's and have 80 percent of the 40's and 50's. I still have my heroes and Bart Starr is as classy a gentleman as there is in this world. There just are not as many of those guys as we would hope.
With all that said I will continue to collect football and hope for better days.
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