Small rant on the state of signings nowadays

[Seven]

I want to preface this by saying I fully understand that people have the right to charge whatever they want for their signature, it's a free market economy after all.

For the life of me though, it's mind boggling how expensive getting a players autograph is now. Especially from most of the people in the upper echelon of the sport. Everyone seemingly has exclusive contracts with Tristar or Fanatics and charge an arm and leg for everything. I understand that "$10 in 1985 is X today" but even adjusting for inflation the prices are absurd. Never mind children being able to get something signed by their current favorite player or a legend of the game, I don't know how adults afford this.

There was an article in the LA Times in the 1980's detailing the prices of signings and how they were getting "out of hand," which I linked below:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...-92-story.html

But even then it states that:

"During a recent show at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, patrons paid $20 each for Mantle, Williams and Muhammad Ali autographs, $11 for ex-Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax and $10 for all-time hit leader Pete Rose"

Those five names alone are absolute legends of the sport, even adjusting for inflation, you're talking about 50 dollars a head for Ali, Mantle and Williams. Nowadays? If you want a Jersey signed by Tom Brady, you have to get it through Tri-Stars exclusive set up and it will run you at least 1K. If you want Joe Montana to sign something with Tom Brady's auto already on it he's charging $1500. I understand it's become a business but this isn't affordable at all. And sure some people will pay these prices but you feel for the masses out there that can't afford to drop a thousand dollars just so they can get something signed by their favorite athlete. Where do we go from here?

Rant over, slightly larger than I planned, but It needs to be said!