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Is it "immoral" to ask fair market value for your possessions?

Is it morally reprehensible to ask fair market value from prof athletes for milestone items?


  • Total voters
    34

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sportscardtheory

Active member
Aug 16, 2008
8,461
2
Buffalo, New York
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10827288

I don't get why people are enlightened that this guy gave away so much money to appease a guy who will make $344+ MILLION dollars in his career? What is morally reprehensible about getting fair market value for your possessions? Albert got his fair market value when he signed his contracts, but when a fan gets a ball and wants what it's worth, all of a sudden his or her morals come into question? Give me a break.
 
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Topnotchsy

Featured Contributor, The best players in history?
Aug 7, 2008
9,446
170
I'm open to being convinced otherwise but I don't think so. It's a nice gesture, and the item is probably more valuable to Albert than anyone else, but it's an item that has great value on the open market, and I don't think there's any question that when baseball's are hit into the crowd they belong to the one who catches it (ignoring the scuffles in the crowd and that part of the story...)
 

gmarutiak

Active member
Jul 23, 2010
1,386
2
Baltimore, MD
If I told my wife that I legally gained ownership of something that was worth tens of thousands of dollars, then gave it away to a millionaire, she would either: A. Beat the heck out of me, B. Divorce me, or C. Super Glue one part of my body to another part of my body.

She would be justified in doing all three.
 

HPC

New member
Aug 12, 2008
6,709
0
Phoenix, AZ
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't MLB reserve the right to keep any foul boul or homerun ball hit in the park?

Couldn't they be jerks and confiscate the ball then have him banned from the park if they wanted to?

Obviously, they don't because they don't want to be looked at as Satan, but, I believe they could do this if they wanted to.

So, technically, MLB doesn't have to give him anything.

Does anyone know more about that?
 

sportscardtheory

Active member
Aug 16, 2008
8,461
2
Buffalo, New York
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't MLB reserve the right to keep any foul boul or homerun ball hit in the park?

Couldn't they be jerks and confiscate the ball then have him banned from the park if they wanted to?

Obviously, they don't because they don't want to be looked at as Satan, but, I believe they could do this if they wanted to.

So, technically, MLB doesn't have to give him anything.

Does anyone know more about that?

It's possible, but they regularly waive that right if they do, which would kill them in a court case.
 

Musial Collector

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
5,671
2
I catch either of those balls, they go to an auction house, I make sure Pujols is informed which one its at, and say good luck in bidding if you so choose.
He has countless millions, let him go and pay fair market value for it.
 

jeremy2

Member
Jan 7, 2013
210
2
If it was mine and albert offered me 10 milli i would tell him how dare you disrespect me and my family with such a low offer hahaha seriously F that guy
 

200lbhockeyplayer

Active member
Aug 10, 2008
11,049
2
All article/video commentators fall into three categories...

- Funny.
- Working from home making $7,000/week.
- Idiots.

If you're not trying to be funny...move on to the next topic.

As for the balls, in a case like Pujols, I'd ask for something for sure. In the case of a rookie...a handshake would probably suffice.
 

AmishDave

Featured Contributor, Collector Showcase, Senior M
Sep 19, 2009
12,383
37
Ely, MN
Either ball would be up for auction. Daughter would have college paid for and I could probably get a adequate house in the Philippines. I'd feel like a dick for a fleeting second, but realizing the players that would be hitting these monumental milestones (500th HR, 3000th hit) have millions of dollars, that feeling would pass pretty quickly.
 

Austin

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
5,706
41
Dallas, Texas
I hope the guy who caught the 500 ball didn't need the money, because I'd feel bad for him.
Right after he picked up the ball, security whisked him away.
He was taken up to the broadcast booth and was put on air with the Fox West Angels announcers, who said how cool it will be to meet Pujols and have his picture taken with him.

Most peoples' first instinct in that whirlwind situation would be to say the non-greedy thing, especially on live TV in front of millions of people.
The guy, a polite military man, didn't have time to think and probably didn't have dollar signs in his eyes as a casual fan and non-collector.

Like most of you, I'd want to sell the ball too, but you have to put yourself in his situation and mindset.

And maybe he's a genine nice guy and thought it was the right thing to do.
Not everybody's mind sees dollar signs during a fortunate event like most sports collectors.
 

Topnotchsy

Featured Contributor, The best players in history?
Aug 7, 2008
9,446
170
I hope the guy who caught the 500 ball didn't need the money, because I'd feel bad for him.
Right after he picked up the ball, security whisked him away.
He was taken up to the broadcast booth and was put on air with the Fox West Angels announcers, who said how cool it will be to meet Pujols and have his picture taken with him.

Most peoples' first instinct in that whirlwind situation would be to say the non-greedy thing, especially on live TV in front of millions of people.
The guy, a polite military man, didn't have time to think and probably didn't have dollar signs in his eyes as a casual fan and non-collector.

Like most of you, I'd want to sell the ball too, but you have to put yourself in his situation and mindset.

And maybe he's a genine nice guy and thought it was the right thing to do.
Not everybody's mind sees dollar signs during a fortunate event like most sports collectors.

+
 

jrinne

New member
Sep 25, 2008
1,890
0
I don't give away free money. A ball like that could be a life changer for the average Joe. I can always use more money.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Freedom Card Board mobile app
 

Super Mario

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2009
18,242
85
Mushroom Kingdom
Do I think it is immoral for a fan who catches a baseball to not give it back if it is meaningful for the player who hit it?

No, I don't think it's immoral.



Do I think that fan's an ******* if they hold the baseball ransom and demand something in return for it?

Yes, yes I do.


The fan didn't do anything. They were just lucky enough to be sitting in the right seat. They didn't earn it. They didn't do anything special. They were just 'there'. To hold the player/team up for whatever they may want, then that's ridiculous.

Just don't be an *******.

Give the ball back, and you'll obviously get some nice things in return.


Who wants to be known as that ******* fan who doesn't do the right thing?

I may not make $100K a year, but I'd much rather be known as the gracious fan who gave Albert Pujols his baseball back out of the good will of my heart, than the fan who told him to XXXX off and earned $15K or whatever it would go for on the open market.


Rule #1 on this board and in life. Don't be a ******.
 

Matsuicollector

New member
Aug 7, 2008
1,557
0
I don't think it's immoral to ask for fair market value. So many players, including Pujols himself, take the contract in line with market value. So why should the players be upset when a fan asks for fair market value for the item that is in their possession? The everyday guy who catches the ball even more so has to look out for the future of himself/family so they should have a right to capitalize. Giving it back for nothing would be like winning the jackpot at the casino, and giving it back. If your family doesn't need the money, by all means give the ball back. But if you have loans to pay back, mortgages to pay, kids to put through college, etc., then taking the opportunity to have a more financially secure future is only common sense.
 
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BBCgalaxee

Well-known member
Sep 9, 2011
6,475
59
XXXX that XXXX!

Offer to Albert for real money or tell him to bid on it eventually.

NO WAY WOULD I GIVE IT TO HIM!

I don't care if I'm on tv, get to meet him, whatever.

I don't care if it's Pujols, Jeter or anyone.

What's several thousand to these guys?
What's several thousand to YOU?



Sent from my HTCONE using Freedom Card Board mobile app
 
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sportscardtheory

Active member
Aug 16, 2008
8,461
2
Buffalo, New York
I hope the guy who caught the 500 ball didn't need the money, because I'd feel bad for him.
Right after he picked up the ball, security whisked him away.
He was taken up to the broadcast booth and was put on air with the Fox West Angels announcers, who said how cool it will be to meet Pujols and have his picture taken with him.

Most peoples' first instinct in that whirlwind situation would be to say the non-greedy thing, especially on live TV in front of millions of people.
The guy, a polite military man, didn't have time to think and probably didn't have dollar signs in his eyes as a casual fan and non-collector.

Like most of you, I'd want to sell the ball too, but you have to put yourself in his situation and mindset.

And maybe he's a genine nice guy and thought it was the right thing to do.
Not everybody's mind sees dollar signs during a fortunate event like most sports collectors.

That makes sense. I wonder if anyone told him that it may be worth a ton though. Like the people sitting around him.
 

Super Mario

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2009
18,242
85
Mushroom Kingdom
I don't think it's immoral to ask for fair market value. So many players, including Pujols himself, take the contract in line with market value. So why should the players be upset when a fan asks for fair market value for the item that is in their possession? The everyday guy who catches the ball even more so has to look out for the future of himself/family so they should have a right to capitalize. Giving it back for nothing would be like winning the jackpot at the casino, and giving it back. If your family doesn't need the money, by all means give the ball back. But if you have loans to pay back, mortgages to pay, kids to put through college, etc., then taking the opportunity to have a more financially secure future is only common sense.


I wouldn't think twice about giving it back, and my household only makes about 80K a year.
 

HPC

New member
Aug 12, 2008
6,709
0
Phoenix, AZ
How much do we think the ball is worth?

I dont think it's worth a million.

I think between 350-500k but I'm not a high end memorabilia expert
 

Super Mario

Well-known member
Mar 1, 2009
18,242
85
Mushroom Kingdom
How much do we think the ball is worth?

I dont think it's worth a million.

I think between 350-500k but I'm not a high end memorabilia expert


I don't think it would have went for more than 25K to be honest.

Why would it?

Nobody cared about this milestone leading up to it. Honestly, in the world we live in, 500 home runs isn't that big of a deal anymore.


I honestly don't think that it would have went for as much as some people around here seem to think.






Who's going to bid a huge number on this baseball? Not St. Louis fans. And Anaheim fans don't have much invested in Albert in this point. So who's going to be the buyer?
 

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