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Al CrisafulliI have a different view on this, I think. Yes, I do think there are too many sets out there, but I think that's a result of the card companies trying to build in scarcity and stimulate sales from a smaller customer base than there was in the 1970s and 80s.
The reasons for this, in my opinion, are salary arbitration and video games.
Huh?
Yes. Every few years, the baseball teams have to prove to an independent arbitrator that their star players are not worth the money they're asking. Because of this, they don't spend a lot of time marketing their players, and neither does Major League Baseball. They can't. If Albert Pujols goes to arbitration and asks for $15 million, and the Cards only want to pay him $8 million, the Cards will make a case for why he doesn't deserve the money. If they were marketing him heavily, his people could just turn around and say "What are you talking about? You've been using him in all your marketing campaigns, talking about him like he's a superhero."
So the team ownership, and the game in general, need to be careful about how they market players.
This has trickled down to kids. When I was a kid, baseball players were superheros. Even marginal guys like Bucky Dent, Rick Cerone, Lee Mazzilli were heavily marketed all over New York in the late 70s and early 80s. They were matinee idols, and every kid in the NY area wanted to be Reggie, Nettles, Guidry, Munson. I have kids the same age right now, and aside from Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols, ballplayers just don't have that same level of superstardom.
So why would the casual young fan want to go out and collect baseball cards of guys they don't know, when they could sit in front of the Playstation instead? Playstation is more interactive, very realistic, and stimulates a kid's imagination. Pulling shiny Eric Milton cards out of packs just doesn't accomplish that.
-Al
09-03-2005, 12:53 PM
I'm glad I'm a vintage collector-Interesting article about hobby
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