Men and boys and the price of their toys: Race and the value football cards

• Published in: The Social science journal (Fort Collins) Vol. 44; no. 3; pp. 563 - 571
• Main Authors: Regoli, Robert M., Primm, Eric, Hewitt, John D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Fort Collins Elsevier Inc 01.01.2007; Taylor & Francis; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Athletes; Careers; Cultural studies; Fame; Football; Games; Gender studies; Men; Perceptions; Professional football; Professional Sports; Race; Scarcity; Social research; Social sciences; Sports Teams; Value; Value (Economics); Whites
• ISSN: 0362-3319; 1873-5355
• DOI: 10.1016/j.soscij.2007.07.014

This paper examines the effect of the race of football players on the value of their “rookie” football cards. While several studies have examined the impact of race and the value of baseball cards, to date, little research has investigated the role of race on card values in football. Data were derived from 148 black and white football players who are members of the Pro-Football Hall of Fame. All players in the sample started their careers after professional football became racially integrated. Data for each player's race, value of their rookie card, card availability (scarcity), card vintage, performance, and position were obtained from secondary sources. The principal findings include that when controlling for other factors, a player's race has no effect on the value of the rookie cards of Hall of Fame members. Card vintage exerted the most influence on the value of players’ cards. Speculations on the absence of a race effect, limitations related to the sample, and suggestions for future research are offered.