Why aren't there more football card collectors?

[mickey7mantle7]

I love baseball first. .

However...

I wouldn't mind having a Jim Brown or Payton RC before other cards in most cases.

I think Fantasy Football has changed the hobby as well.

[Kurri17]

I posted earlier in this thread, but have a couple more thoughts on the topic. So here goes.

Collecting usually starts as a kid, and often has something to do with connection to the teams and players they like. Today, if kids want to, they can see games, video, and discussion seven days a week. With all of that available, something is missing that draws kids to cards. They just don't need them. For many of us, game broadcasts, magazines, and cards were the only way to get that connection. Just a thought.

Secondly, and I may get pounded for this, but think about what you hear during broadcasts and sports talk shows. That would be money, arrests, suspension for PEDs and other reasons, and lots of other stuff that has little to do with actual football. Seems like it might be hard to get excited about the game and have that desire to do things which provide connection to the teams and players. Football media is for adults, and does nothing to make kids excited about football.

[sthoemke]

I think there just isn't many supercollectors for football stars, as compared to other sports.

[frankbmd]

With 53 men on the active roster of each team, an opening day inclusive set of 32 teams would contain 1664 cards. Without short prints and five cards in a pack, there would be one Brady or Rodgers card in every 333 packs.

With injuries each week, an update set might be possible every two weeks during the season with highly coveted MRI Refractor inserts of your fallen heroes.

Sounds like a gold mine to me. And if you have never seen a refracted MRI, you are in for a treat.

[PowderedH2O]

If you went by NFL promotion, pro football started in 1966. When the most championships are discussed, Tom Brady is #1 and no mention is made of Starr or Graham. No stars from the 1960s or before hold any significant lifetime records. Guys like Matt Stafford have stats that make Unitas and Staubach look like losers. So, no NFL publicity plus no records plus little film footage means guys like Steve Van Buren and Ollie Matson are unknown to modern football fans. Ask a current NFL fan who Deacon Jones or Bronko Nagurski is and 99% would have no idea. Most baseball fans could recognize Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb or many others. So, I bought my Deacon Jones 1963 rookie in Ex Mint for $18 and my Pete Rose in VGEX cost me a few hundred. The Jones is probably rarer. I don't understand it, but I accept it and I don't complain. And I bought a second year Lee Alcindor in Ex Mint for $20 recently, so maybe basketball is even worse...

[Duluth Eskimo]

Have Matt Stafford show those guys his championship ring.

[PowderedH2O]

Exactly. Kerry Collins has better stats than Unitas. Unit as played in an era when headslaps and roughing up receivers was considered normal. Can you imagine what Roger Staubach would do in today's game? Ask most football fans about Joe Perry and they will talk to you about Aerosmith. You can get nice Excellent condition Perry cards for less than $10. Crazy!