View Single Post
Old 17 Oct 2017, 02:52 (Ref:3774589)   #57
HDTVKSS
Veteran
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 572
HDTVKSS should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
I think the double pay for meet and greet / signage is a double edged sword. its not unique to motorsports / sports as musicians also charge for meet and greets before / after concerts etc. would i pay it? perhaps in some rare cases.

These guys pretty much owe their careers to the public that supported them. Without the public there would have been no career and no one would be queuing for autographs now. The position they are in is a privilege.

Now, that does not mean that the public has free reign to exploit them for personal gain but it has to be within reason. These guys know who the habitual offenders are - they are the ones who should be targeted.

Even if someone does go and sell it on Ebay - is that such a bad thing? the option was certainly open for the driver to do the same but they have not. This is not the sellers worry. Again the fact that this is something that the public is willing to pay for is a credit to the drivers and the career that has been built over decades of public support. The fact that it is perceived to hold value in the first place is driven by the public support that has been given freely to that driver.

Personally, if Moff, Skaife, Lowndes, Whincup, Johnson, whoever asked for cash for an autograph id tell them to politely go and multiply. Note, i think that asking for an autograph in person is quite different to procuring one commercially. There is the meet the hero aspect - something that solidifies the mystique and support for that driver in the autograph seeker - which is something that can transcend generations when the old man talks about the time he met so and so. This is not something that an ebay transaction can get you.
HDTVKSS is offline  
Quote