Comments on: Cam Newton takes some heat for charging for autographs

By: jacksprat57

jacksprat57 — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:15:08 +0000

beckzhere:

Here’s what you’re ignoring. Cam is going to spend 2-1/2 hours of his limited free time, plus travel and whatnot.

If there’s nothing in it for him, why ever would he do it? Would you? NO! You’d be out on the lake, dude, or hip deep in some fine young thing.

Admit it.

By: nepaseahawk

nepaseahawk — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:19:20 +0000

mr newton your my favorite player in the nfl im just so excited to get your autograph and meet you…….yeah whatever kid that’ll be 500,000 dollars please

By: krakyahead

krakyahead — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:16:46 +0000

Last time the super bowl came to Detroit me and about 40 kids waited patiently for Chad Johnson to finish his ESPN interview on his way in he told us “after the interview” so he walks up to us and keeps going i say cmon Chad you going to disappoint all these kids? He says sorry man Rosenhouse (his agent Drew Rosenhouse) wont allow me to sign anything for “free” i about spit in his face making us all believe he was going to sign then being a jerk .

By: richiebburg

richiebburg — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:05:59 +0000

The thing that makes me most mad everytime I hear these stories is the fact that these rich scumbags forget who actually are the ones paying their salaries to begin with. It’s all the fans paying to go to the game, paying for a 10 dollar beer, buying your ridiculously priced 100 dollar Nike jersey etc etc. Hope he is having a good time now because the Panthers are 8-8 this year at best.

By: jwreck

jwreck — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:00:16 +0000

Granted, I’m only expressing my opinion on this issue because it’s in the PFT “most commented” box, and if people were willing to pay 125 dollars for my autograph, I might do the same thing: I don’t know, I’ve never had to make that choice.

That said, consider this: Michael Phelps, who receives no money for being a professional athlete, has made enough money through endorsements to live comfortably for the rest of his life. Cam Newton appears in twice as many commercials as Phelps ever has, on top of receiving an enormous salary for being a professional athlete. Obviously, therefore, Newton does not need this autograph money, which makes it hard to justify extorting fans for the right to show their adoration of Newton and the Panthers.

By: steeltuff

steeltuff — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:32:30 +0000

The public perception is going to make him look bad. When you’re making so much money as a pro athlete, you don’t have to stoop so low, especially in an economy where many people are hurting. C’mon, man . . . make some kids happy without running all the way to the bank. You’re taken care of well . . . act like a professional.

By: goatlava

goatlava — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 19:42:20 +0000

I don’t understand why anyone would want this D-Bags autograph anyway. Some of you will say because he’s so great but noone is great after only their rookie year. I bet this guy charges his mother rent for the house he bought for her.

By: fdugrad

fdugrad — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 04:29:41 +0000

Of course he has a right to charge for his signature. That being said, the entire process is not very classy regardless which side of the table one stands/sits.

By: tweeter75

tweeter75 — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 02:02:09 +0000

“But that doesn’t sit well with everyone. Charlotte Observer columnist Scott Fowler takes Newton to task for charging for his signature, saying that it’s a false step for a guy who usually comes across as sincerely grateful for the position he’s in as a sports superstar, and happy to engage with his fans.”

==============================

The key phrase being “Comes across as”.

By: bayouboy2

bayouboy2 — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:08:40 +0000

I think people may be jumping to conclusions here. I saw nothing in the article that said Cam was the one charging for the autographs. Most times when athletes sign with sponsors they have to commit to a certain number of appearances like this one. The article also doesn’t mention where the money is headed. It may very well be headed to some one’s fat bank account. However it is equally possible that some of it is headed to a charity. I just don’t see if enough facts to justify all of the cunclusion jumping on here.

By: cmdrsmooth

cmdrsmooth — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:13:55 +0000

Personalized should be free, not more. Does it hurt his hand to write someone else’s name?

If instead of charging for an autograph, you can only get on if you purchase a jersey or other sports store items, that should be enough. Charging for just the autograph? Come on man! If some one wants more than one autograph or didn’t purchase something or came back in line a second time(kick him out) then at can see this charge.

By: maximusprime107

maximusprime107 — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:12:29 +0000

I get where Fowler is coming from, but I can’t agree. I wish we lived in a world where everyone asking for an autograph was an innocent kid who wanted a memento to savor the thrill of meeting his hero, and where every athlete was delighted to sign for every fan who asked. But the reality is we don’t live in that world. We live in a world where people who ask athletes for autographs turn around and sell them on eBay, and a world where famous athletes can’t go out in public without being mobbed by autograph hounds.

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I have no problem with it for this fact
There were going to be way more adults trying to get his autograph than kids trying to make some money off of him, so you want to do it it’ll cost you

By: yizudien

yizudien — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:03:42 +0000

Stuff like this is why the NFL and pro-sports in general is seeing a decline. Yes the point if valid that you can find this stuff on ebay all the time, but for those of us with kids that look up to these people to charge 125 bucks and advertise the event is putting parents in a bad spot. If you have three kids and they all want to meet and get an autograph thats 375 dollars, for get going to games and anything else at that point.

Put an age restriction on the event or accept that this comes with the territory. I like it when you goto a baseball game early and the players are lined up around the dugouts signing stuff for kids, thats the thing they remember. My daughter will be a Joe Mauer fan for the rest of her life because he signed her ball at the game. Vikiings do a great job with a fan meet and greet in mankato, she enjoys that.

As a result we buy Jerseys, team balls, and other merchandise and watch the games. (Twins, Wild, and Vikings). If they charged for autographs or to meet them, that wouldnt happen and they would miss out on that revenue.

By: metrocritical

metrocritical — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 18:48:06 +0000

Please, can somebody explain why anyone would make the effort, let alone the expenditure, to get someone’s signature on anything other than a check, contract, conveyance or deed? Do people really need to validate their own worth by obtaining token proof that a celebrity acknowledged their existence for a fleeting moment? And then we empower those very same celebrities to profit off this longing for validation? We live in a really odd society.

By: mjkelly77

mjkelly77 — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 18:14:40 +0000

newton is a spoiled, conceited, selfish wannabe.

By: Andre's Johnson

Andre's Johnson — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:55:46 +0000

If I were someone whose autograph was worth buying or selling, I’d be more interested in preserving the rarity of my signature rather than sharing the windfall.

This seems like a better idea:

Hold a lottery for charity. Five bucks per ticket. The first fifty names drawn in the raffle get the autograph for no extra charge. This preserves the specialness of the signature and assures that the funds go where they are needed.

By: grudenthediva

grudenthediva — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:47:53 +0000

“Tebow does the exact same thing but what a surprise the media don’t report on that”

Bull. They ran stories constantly when he was conducting similar shows in Jacksonville. $175-250 a pop, and this was just out of college. Nice try, though.

Also, I would love to know how many of these “Cam is a greedy ass; this should be free!” types are the same who worship at the altar of unfettered capitalism and decry those who want true economic fairness.

By: whateverhommie

whateverhommie — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:34:01 +0000

Wow…I’ve seen Hall of Famer’s charge $25-$50 for autographed lithographs or footballs. But dude is barely into his second year and has a losing record and he wants to charge THAT MUCH money?

Now watch his handlers backtrack and say that 100% of the money was for some charity.

By: rskills

rskills — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:26:19 +0000

You have to remember he’s doing this autograph signing on his own time, so I don’t blame the fees. I think they’re a little high, but charging in general, I am okay with. If this was a sanctioned NFL/Panther event, I’d be disappointed if they charged. Would people really expect him to go sit at a booth for a few hours and sign his name and get no compensation? Most people wouldn’t go do something related to their job in their free time without expecting some sort of compensation. I’m sure he’s getting an appearance fee just like he does many other times of the year.

By: vader7176

vader7176 — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:06:02 +0000

Newton should charge more for the non-personalized autos. Why? Once an autographed anything is personalized is immediately garners less on the market unless you find somebody with the same name as you and who REALLY wants it.

By: Slim Charles

Slim Charles — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:32:09 +0000

I’ll get mad at this when I see the teams giving away memorabilia for free.

By: jhtobias

jhtobias — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:29:25 +0000

Why rip on cam .. If you don’t want it don’t pay for it. Simple he is a business man and if the market dictates he gets 125.00 per autograph than kudos to him .. all you haters out there should look in the mirror unless you donate your time for free. When is the last time you were asked to represent your comapny without compensation? I don’t me mean a family picnic and even then your trying to get in good with the boss for a promotion hence more pay ! Get over yourselves for not having this mans talent and capacity to earn…

By: naanunaanu

naanunaanu — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:24:46 +0000

the only Autograph that i would pay handsomely for is to one day get Ray Lewis to sign his madden cover. i got the game for Xbox and PS and i dont even own those systems. it would never go on ebay. but i remeber when the Ravens just sign boldin, i was coming back from texas, and down in the baggage claim were some ravens officials and plenty of Autographs hounds. it is a shame, hate the Ravens but they started a 16 and under rule for player autographs at training camp and other events

By: raideralex99

raideralex99 — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:23:20 +0000

It’s sad but I do not blame the players one bit for charging that much for autographs. People will do any to make a buck including paying a kid to get an autograph from a player for them.
I’m sure if they made it illegal to sell autographs on the secondary market like ebay … players would have no problem signing for free.
What I don’t understand why would you want to buy an autograph from ANYONE if it is not signed in person … that’s the whole point of getting autographs is meeting the person.
And now for my good deed for the day … anyone who wants Cam Newton’s autograph for free lmk I know a Cam Newton down the street … he’s not the NFL star but what the heck it’s a Cam Newton autograph for free.

By: originalkingjames

originalkingjames — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:22:56 +0000

So what if the fan is making a few bucks from the autograph. Maybe he is using the proceeds so he can afford to go to a game.
Cam makes the money he makes because of the money fans pay to see the games. Giving back to the fans by scribbling your name on a piece of paper or his picture is the right thing to do.
On the other hand, if it is an object like a football, a helmet or even a player card, I beleive it is okay to charge whatever you want.
Fans don’t catch a break dealing with the NFL…..Neverending Finance League

By: steve3211

steve3211 — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:21:27 +0000

Garbage. Who in this economic day and age can pay that type of money for a signature. Also why would anyone bother. Paying for signatures incentivises it for the player and so they sign as many as they can at events like this. The ensuing signature has nowhere near the worth in the future because they are now common. What is $%$^ing signature worth for a kid anyway if the ahole has to be paid for it.

By: thingamajig

thingamajig — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:17:32 +0000

Greed, Its the American way.

By: pantherguy344

pantherguy344 — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:15:24 +0000

I cant believe this is “news”. Ive never been more ready for the preseason to start.

By: lionsdraftguy

lionsdraftguy — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:13:22 +0000

Heres an idea, maybe greedy Newton can take the money he earns from his autographs and get his goofy ears fixed with it.

By: sirhulka

sirhulka — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:05:20 +0000

Why is this surprising? Once naive fans stop believing that 90 percent of NFL players aren’t self-entitled d-bags, maybe stuff like this will stop being news. Just because they can run fast and jump high doesn’t mean they are good guys. The sad part is, without football, a majority of NFL players would be low-life losers.