Ethics of buying from a kid

[Copa]

This situation happened to me just a couple of weeks ago.

I was at an NAHL (junior) hockey game and had a puck come flying over the boards into my section...there was a group of three kids, probably between 10-12 years old, that ended up running over to pick it up...as they were walking back to their seats, I held up my hand, signaling that I would pay $5 for the puck...he ran right over and gladly made the exchange...a couple of minutes later, he came back with a pizza and pop, and seemed genuinely happy he made the deal...I looked at it as the puck meant more to me than the $5, and the $5 meant more to him than the puck...I think as long as you're not trying to pull a fast one on the kid, there shouldn't be an issue with it.

[3arod13]

Article from a 2008 Tuff Stuff Sports Collectors magazine.

[sox83cubs84]

Another tale of a not-so-innocent kid.

Four or five adults, plus myself, plus 2 kids, a girl about 11 and a boy about 9, were present at the Wrigley Field visitors' entrance in 1984, when Dave Parker emerged from a cab. The Cobra was notorious as a "kids only" signer, so the adults (including me) approached with ione or two items, while the kids, no dummies, were bold: the boy had 6 cards and the girl had 8. Parker knelt on the ground and patiently signed every card both kids presented him, all the while lecturing the gathered adults about how it was so terrible for greedy adults like us to make money off the players, ad nauseum.

Parker finished signing for the kids, and went inside he park. The moment he was out of sight, the boy turned to me and said "Here...20 bucks and you can have all these".

So much for youthful innocence.

Dave Miedema

[gingi79]

No such thing as an innocent child today. I worked at travel camps and have been around kids for over a decade in baseball parks every summer.

They know this stuff is worth money and better yet, they all feel entitled to it for free. Parents don't teach manners anymore and frankly, they deserve less than nothing.

Fans who pay for tickets every year, buy overpriced hats and jerseys, hot dogs and beer are the ones who deserve baseballs and broken bats not self-important spoiled brats.

The phrase "It's for the kids" is no longer rational. Children need to learn they deserve nothing until they earn it. Spending 25 years at ball games and finally catching a ball? You earned it. When I was a kid, I was taught to appreciate things and that I am owed nothing. Now when I get something, it means something and I am appreciative.

[STLHAMMER32]

No such thing as an innocent child today. I worked at travel camps and have been around kids for over a decade in baseball parks every summer.

They know this stuff is worth money and better yet, they all feel entitled to it for free. Parents don't teach manners anymore and frankly, they deserve less than nothing.

Fans who pay for tickets every year, buy overpriced hats and jerseys, hot dogs and beer are the ones who deserve baseballs and broken bats not self-important spoiled brats.

The phrase "It's for the kids" is no longer rational. Children need to learn they deserve nothing until they earn it. Spending 25 years at ball games and finally catching a ball? You earned it. When I was a kid, I was taught to appreciate things and that I am owed nothing. Now when I get something, it means something and I am appreciative.

I also work with youth programs every summer....yes there are some kids that make you shake your head but to say there are no innocent kids who or "spoiled brats" left is just dead wrong. Many of the kids I have worked with are from broken homes and have little to nothing at home. This past weekend we got a donation of cheap rubber basketballs that the kids got to keep and their reaction would compare to an adult winning a new car. There are plenty of kids that are disrespectful but there also some good kids out there as well that make the experience of giving worthwhile.

[Chris78]

It really comes down to the intent of what you are doing, which kinda relates to what I said when responding to this before. If you are paying $5 for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle or the 1909 Honus Wagner then what you are doing is totally wrong and unethical -- especially with a kid. If my child just got a Ryan Howard cracked bat from the player and an adult offered $10 or $20 for it, I would be really upset with the adult.

If you are paying $10 for a foul ball that has no significant meaning or $15 for a pro stock cracked bat of a single-A player, and you can explain your reasoning on why you want the ball or bat, I probably would not have a problem with it. However, if the parent decides it is a bad deal then you would have to do the exchange back. The parent is most likely going to want to know where/how the child got the money.

I think it really comes down to the case that is involved and what the intent is of the adult. As I said before, the item may mean nothing to the kid and they might rather have the money instead. If I were the parent, I would say yes or no before the transaction takes place. I might even pay my child the money that was offered to keep the item as with the Ryan Howard example.

Chris

[Klattsy]

No such thing as an innocent child today.

They know this stuff is worth money and better yet, they all feel entitled to it for free. Parents don't teach manners anymore and frankly, they deserve less than nothing.

Children need to learn they deserve nothing until they earn it. Spending 25 years at ball games and finally catching a ball? You earned it. When I was a kid, I was taught to appreciate things and that I am owed nothing. Now when I get something, it means something and I am appreciative.

+1 to that.

Our National baseball league started up again this year. About half way through the season kids had cottoned on to how foul balls work, and for every game over the second half of the season there would have been about 15 kids at each dugout leaning over saying "Gimmie a ball" "Throw it here" or even "Yep yep yep" expecting something for nothing.

Was I jealous that they where getting GU items, not at all, but it certainly disgusted me that none of these kids had enough manors to patiently ask for a ball or wait for it to be offered to them.

Maybe i'm just getting old and bitter.

Mark.

[shaunharr]

No such thing as an innocent child today. I worked at travel camps and have been around kids for over a decade in baseball parks every summer.

They know this stuff is worth money and better yet, they all feel entitled to it for free. Parents don't teach manners anymore and frankly, they deserve less than nothing.

Fans who pay for tickets every year, buy overpriced hats and jerseys, hot dogs and beer are the ones who deserve baseballs and broken bats not self-important spoiled brats.

The phrase "It's for the kids" is no longer rational. Children need to learn they deserve nothing until they earn it. Spending 25 years at ball games and finally catching a ball? You earned it. When I was a kid, I was taught to appreciate things and that I am owed nothing. Now when I get something, it means something and I am appreciative.

As a 16 year old myself, I can honestly say I am not one who feels I am entitled to a player's broken bat, or even an uncracked bat. I know teenagers who ask literally every single ball player who comes out of the clubhouse if they can have a bat after the game if it's cracked, even if they do not know the player's name. I have purchased more than half of my game used bats, because I do not expect a player to give me his bat just because I ask.

Kids described by gingi are kids that I try to avoid when graphing at games.

[jppopma]

I've seen all angles of this topic. There are bad kids, and there are also bad adults. I often sit in the front row of the bullpen for my boys to be able to see and intact with the players. It is a good life lesson for them to get turned down by players and not get balls; not get mad and also be respectful to the players when asking for a ball, autograph, or simple high five. It's amazing how rude kids and adults alike are when it comes to asking for things. I've had people push me out of the way to stand right in front of my seat, push my wife carrying a baby, or just get downright obnoxious whining to get something or anything....and yes, it's both kids and adults the same.

Count me in the group that has gone to games for 30+ years and never got myself a foul ball. When I finally did get one, the pleasure of handing it to my son far far outweighed any joy of getting it for myself.

When it comes to someone approaching kids to buy something, let me put it in the terms of a protective father and cop. If I see some stranger walk up to my son at a ballgame, he better expect to see me in his face very quickly. Maybe my opinion will change when my sons get older, but for now I don't care what your wants are or how much you are offering him.....

[coxfan]

Remember that value doesn't always have a price tag. I have a housing letter from UGA in the 1960's that I misunderstood, with the result that I missed out on my preferred dorm. As A result, I lived elsewhere, and that change of location led directly to my meeting my future wife, with whom I've had 40 yerars. Thus, that letter (which I still have) has infinite value to us and our six (so far) descendants because it changed our lives, though it has no monetary value at all.

And that's a problem with kids, who usually have no sense of what artifact may be of value to them 20 years down the road as a memory, regardless of its price tag.