Why all the MLB and rookie baseball card rules?

A few years ago, why did the MLB enact all of the rules for baseball card companies to follow?
I don't remember their reasons behind them, but the ideas seem to have done more harm than good.

Why did MLB give Topps exclusive rights to player logos?
The lack of competition is killing the industry.
I miss the choice of multiple card companies producing Major League cards with team logos.

Why enact the rules for rookie cards, including "RC" designations?
What was wrong with having many licensed rookie/minor league products like UD Prospect Premieres and Donruss Elite Extra Edition?
Why limit how many and when rookie cards can come out?

My biggest problem is Topps monopoly.
Competition is good. It permits more creative products and variety.
I'd like to see what Leaf could do with a large licensed base set like Topps. And bring back Upper Deck. And Fleer and Donruss. And Pacific and Score.
Variety is good.

It just seems like all of the restrictive MLB rules are destroying the baseball card market and making it less fun to collect.

And for those of you who say there would be a glut of products and no one can collect them all, my answer is, who cares? Collect what you like. Isn't that the point of having a hobby?

Austin said:

A few years ago, why did the MLB enact all of the rules for baseball card companies to follow?
I don't remember their reasons behind them, but the ideas seem to have done more harm than good.

Why did MLB give Topps exclusive rights to player logos?
The lack of competition is killing the industry.
I miss the choice of multiple card companies producing Major League cards with team logos.

Why enact the rules for rookie cards, including "RC" designations?
What was wrong with having many licensed rookie/minor league products like UD Prospect Premieres and Donruss Elite Extra Edition?
Why limit how many and when rookie cards can come out?

My biggest problem is Topps monopoly.
Competition is good. It permits more creative products and variety.
I'd like to see what Leaf could do with a large licensed base set like Topps. And bring back Upper Deck. And Fleer and Donruss. And Pacific and Score.
Variety is good.

It just seems like all of the restrictive MLB rules are destroying the baseball card market and making it less fun to collect.

And for those of you who say there would be a glut of products and no one can collect them all, my answer is, who cares? Collect what you like. Isn't that the point of having a hobby?

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The hobby's absolutely fine the way it is and there's already more than enough out there to collect and enjoy.

I don't see how someone can write "collect what you like" but want to change everything for everyone.

Some people just expect way too much out of our simple cardboard hobby and need better balance; frankly most people who want more will never be satisfied with anything other than a different hobby to spend their time with.

I think some type of "prospect" designation/logo for cards of players who have yet to play a MLB inning would have been more logical. At least that way there could be prospect cards in base sets. The way it is now (all prospect cards can only be inserts) is just confusing to some collectors.

Austin said:

A few years ago, why did the MLB enact all of the rules for baseball card companies to follow?
I don't remember their reasons behind them, but the ideas seem to have done more harm than good.

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In 2006, the vaunted MLBPA claimed things were getting too confusing, and that the definition of a rookie card, from here on out, was not to mean a player who had yet to play in the Majors. Evidently, they didn't realize their rules would cause much more confusion after being enacted. The architect of these rules, Judy Heeter, has since resigned.

Judy's legacy:

Jaypers said:

In 2006, the vaunted MLBPA claimed things were getting too confusing, and that the definition of a rookie card, from here on out, was not to mean a player who had yet to play in the Majors. Evidently, they didn't realize their rules would cause much more confusion after being enacted. The architect of these rules, Judy Heeter, has since resigned.

Judy's legacy:

View attachment 8145

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The only way to remove ANY *remaining* confusion about rookie cards would be to get rid of Bowman's license to show minor league players as major league players.

Minor league players shouldn't be portrayed or masquerading as Major League Players. No other sport has this issue.

I wonder at this point, a half a dozen years later, if prospectors are the only ones who are "confused" with what a rookie card is.

Eh, no one gives a crap about the logo. The players first bowman Chrome card will always be lost desirable. I run into this all the time, with my Moustakas PC. People want 2007 Bowman Chrome prices for 2011 stupid logo cards.

uniquebaseballcards said:

The only way to remove ANY *remaining* confusion about rookie cards would be to get rid of Bowman's license to show minor league players as major league players.

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Jaypers said:

View attachment 8146

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eeeeeexactly

Jaypers said:

View attachment 8146

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Unable to find a pic of a minor league player in a real (non-photoshopped) MLB jersey? I thought so! Is the point that he's not wearing the jersey or that he isn't even deserving to wear it? If so, I'd agree.

Bowman needs a logo on the back of its card to show this guy in a MLB jersey on a card; for those guys that hate monopolies, they should hate the fact that Bowman is the only brand showing MiLB players allowed to have this logo.

If you don't like the RC logo, lobby for the removal of MLB logo on the cards of (Bowman) MiLB players... because you can't have it both ways to try to sell cards to those who don't know any better.

Here you go. No photoshop, just a minor leaguer in a Major league uniform.




http://www.caller.com/photos/galleries/2012/jun/08/astros-carlos-correa/65103/

My job is done here. Commence whining to yourself.

uniquebaseballcards said:

The hobby's absolutely fine the way it is and there's already more than enough out there to collect and enjoy.

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Yeah, sure the hobby's fine. That's why more and more people quit collecting every year.
If the hobby is fine, why are there hardly any children who collect anymore? There are lots of reasons (other "cooler" entertainment, high prices, etc.) but the bottom line is, kids don't collect anymore, which means the hobby will continue to wither away.

I understand that you prefer the new rookie card rules, but do you actually like that Topps has a monopoly?
Competition is what makes products better. Companies like Topps can't lazily churn out the same crap every year (even though they probably would anyway).

When there were several card companies in the '80s and '90s, that's when we saw the most innovation, and of course, the most kids collecting.
How is that a bad thing?

Flood the market! That's the answer!

I would guess kids spend all their money on gaming cards - it doesn't have anything to do with less competition with only Topps making baseball cards.

I don't like it when Topps butchers a Photoshop and some of the Bowman images comes out silly when they put the wrong MLB uniform on a particular player but I see prospects as an extension of what is coming.

I don't mind seeing minor leaguers and in particular top prospects in their parent team's uniforms, even if it is make believe for the moment.

uniquebaseballcards said:

Unable to find a pic of a minor league player in a real (non-photoshopped) MLB jersey? I thought so! Is the point that he's not wearing the jersey or that he isn't even deserving to wear it? If so, I'd agree.

Bowman needs a logo on the back of its card to show this guy in a MLB jersey on a card; for those guys that hate monopolies, they should hate the fact that Bowman is the only brand showing MiLB players allowed to have this logo.

If you don't like the RC logo, lobby for the removal of MLB logo on the cards of (Bowman) MiLB players... because you can't have it both ways to try to sell cards to those who don't know any better.

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allstars said:

Flood the market! That's the answer!

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No one's saying that. There can still be rules. But a monopoly is not the answer in any industry.

uniquebaseballcards said:

The hobby's absolutely fine the way it is and there's already more than enough out there to collect and enjoy.

I don't see how someone can write "collect what you like" but want to change everything for everyone.

Some people just expect way too much out of our simple cardboard hobby and need better balance; frankly most people who want more will never be satisfied with anything other than a different hobby to spend their time with.

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1. The hobby is NOT fine. Topps' monopoly has made them lazy and apathetic

2. Wanting more in this hobby isn't "changing" anything for anyone. People can just pretend that Topps is the only game in town. Your point makes 0.0 sense

3. Why is it so bad to ask for more of what you love? And is it asking too much to have something other than what you currently don't like in the hobby you love?

When I go to the store and see so many boxes of cereal, I just get upset because I don't know what to buy, Its too confusing..
too much fiber, no fiber, too much sugar, no prize in my cereal box, no marsh mellows, too cheap, too expensive,
Then you got different sizes for each, too much deciding, I need someone else to help me decide what I have to buy...

There should only be 1 kind of cereal, Cheerios! That's it...and like it!!!

uniquebaseballcards said:

Minor league players shouldn't be portrayed or masquerading as Major League Players. No other sport has this issue.

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No other sport has 6+ levels of minor leagues.
I think the RC logo is foolish, but at least pre-RC cards aren't XRC anymore...

It needs more cowbell.

Austin said:

Yeah, sure the hobby's fine. That's why more and more people quit collecting every year.
If the hobby is fine, why are there hardly any children who collect anymore? There are lots of reasons (other "cooler" entertainment, high prices, etc.) but the bottom line is, kids don't collect anymore, which means the hobby will continue to wither away.

I understand that you prefer the new rookie card rules, but do you actually like that Topps has a monopoly?
Competition is what makes products better. Companies like Topps can't lazily churn out the same crap every year (even though they probably would anyway).

When there were several card companies in the '80s and '90s, that's when we saw the most innovation, and of course, the most kids collecting.
How is that a bad thing?

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Its not that I like any rookie card 'rules' - I'd rather there be no rules, licenses or logos whatsoever in our simple hobby. Rules are completely unnecessary when there's transparency and common sense enough so that even a little kid could understand.

Children haven't been in the hobby the last fifteen or so years (when production REALLY started to SOAR in terms of manufacturers and releases) because they don't see adults having fun with it. Kids see it as a needlessly expensive business for adults who are complaining about it all the time - most of whom don't want kids in the hobby at all because their 'hobby' is their "business" a kid shouldn't or couldn't understand (LOL). Kids see too many adults interested in selling cards rather than collecting them... which is no good for kids because most kids can't sell online anyway. Sounds like you want production to SOAR again in terms of manufacturers and releases and re-start this cycle again.

Further, it turns out the hobby back then wasn't able to support the vast production you're referring to anyway. Manufacturers went ethically and financially bankrupt and many collectors (many of whom were really investors) lost a lot of money themselves - and left the hobby within several years. Who really wants to revisit this?

Today's cards are just as collectible as yesterday's and even if you don't happen to like today's cards (?) even with all of today's choices others do and people will be collecting them tomorrow. Hopefully by then the hobby would've restored itself to a better balance/cleansed itself between selling and collecting.

There's no reason to think you or anyone else would be happier in the hobby with more releases or more vendors; you haven't indicated - even in a general sense, never mind a specific one - more of what you want to see with regard to innovation because you probably don't even know (IDK, glitter?). There's only so much one can do with cards... the main focus and excitement will always be with the game of baseball, design, player selection and collecting. To enjoy baseball cards its fair to say one has to be able to appreciate its little things because nobody thinks baseball cards are complicated.