Quote:
Originally Posted by cfhofer
I always thought the athlete got paid a set fee, regardless of the volume signed. The athlete just establishes basic parameters for the signing. Promoters are the ones who typically set the individual prices. Am I wrong here?
I think with these private signings it is easier for a promoter to charge more with less volume than the other way around. They are catering to a different clientele.
Quick story: Back around 2005 I took my kid brother to a public signing for Joe Montana (JM). My brother asked JM to personalize the photo to him, which JM graciously did. However I did not purchase an additional inscription ticket. Inscription tickets are pretty common now but back then they weren't. The promoter escort sitting next to JM immediately took the photo and demanded I pay an inscription fee. I refused so he ripped up the photo and had JM sign another photo....without the personalization. JM shook his head in disgust and apologized.
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My understanding from chatting/emailing promoters over the years, there are a few ways athletes gets paid:
1) Set fee for a certain # of items. Rumor was Joe DiMaggio did not get out of bed for anything less than $100K. Back in the 90's at the Long Island show the fee was over $100 (I want to say $130) and he likely signed 800-1000 items. He sold out. In this day and age, players rarely sell-out, which is why promoters usually have a huge inventory. Most players usually have an agent/ friend sitting next to them counting tickets. Oh, trust me, the player or his aide knows the count. I was at a signing for Rickey Henderson and there was an issue over the color of tickets (tiered pricing). Henderson pushes himself away from the table until the color issue was resolved.
2) Set fee for set amount of time. Unusual for a show. Usually used for a promotional event.
3) Per piece deal.
4) Player sets up his/her own table.
The majority of sales are made behind the curtain (mail order/bulk sales).
Aaron is about the same fee, in person or private. Collectors know the going rate for any given player. The private signing better be inline or at least near a public signing fee or there won't be many sales.
Inscriptions. We collectors caused this fee. Brooks Robinson is one of the nicest players on the planet. He is friendly, engaging and always positive. At one show, the guy in front me had a gray Brooks jersey and asked for a stat shirt (16x gold gloves, hof, hits, ba etc. etc.. Of course Brooks obliges but I was shocked. Sure enough a year later, the first charges for inscriptions or limited inscriptions started to appear. Also, players or agents realized that certain inscriptions increased the value of the item signed.