Why did meeting sports or any other celebrities start going downhill?

[DodgerGirl]

When I was into racing for a time as a teenager I used to adore the meet and greets that the race car drivers used to have but now I've noticed that celebrity meet and greets started to go downhill especially sports star meet and greets and I would like to know why did they do this to celebrity meet and greets now? Take for example when I attended a meet and greet to meet some Indy Car drivers once me and some other fans were very excited to meet the drivers but before we could meet them the TV news crew very rudely told the fans in line "Me and the other people" that they were gonna interview the drivers before they could meet and greet with fans and it was shocking to me that they would do this to sports stars. It used to be that after meet and greets the news would interview celebrities and when I saw this I was shocked myself. I mean doesn't the news know that this is meet and greet time not interview time? Another thing I noticed that got me started disliking celebrity meet and greets is that they would promise celebrity meet and greets at stores but the meet and greets never existed or would happen. I witnessed this type of meet and greet when a Target store promoted a race car driver meet and greet and I was planning to take my aunt her boyfriend and my cousin to meet the drivers with me. We got to Target and found it deserted and the only indication that there was gonna be a meet and greet with the race car drivers was a tent full of souvenirs and posters and a model car. I then went inside Target and the only thing that was inside was a podium full of autograph pens and chairs for the drivers and I then searched the store to see if the drivers were shopping and no luck and I asked an employee when the meet and greet would start and the employee told me Target cancelled the meet and greet because their race cars had car troubles and could not meet their fans and I told him he was lying and then he started calling me names and bullying me and he called me a liar and I left Target angry and mad. I mean HOW DARE Target promises something and then lies about it. Another thing that I noticed about celebrity meet and greets is that they now want to charge people to meet them. When I would visit Walmart they always had NFL players and charged fans a dollar to meet them and I can't figure out when celebrities especially NFL players want to charge people money to meet them and I saw this as the new style of celebrity and greets of the future. I can't believe that this is the style of celebrity meet and greets and they should always be free to people in my eyes. The only type of meet and greets I enjoy are Disney character meet and greets but why people go crazy over celebrity meet and greets i'll never know

 

[lynxstch]

I went to a country music concert last week. The last 2 of the 3 performers charged for meet and greets, Scotty McCreery one was $100 a person! The first act did them free in the lobby after the show ended.

 

[Nayan]

I take it the OP has never been to a Comic-Con or any of those type of things. You can easily spend hundreds (or a couple thousand, depending on who all is there) on autographs/photos. Yes it's insane but that's the way it is now.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

OP - if you went to Target for the meet-and-greet, and it was 'deserted', it seems you might have been one of the few that didn't figure out it had been canceled?

And yes, sports celebrities and music celebrities and movie celebrities have been charging for meet/greet/autographs for decades....... Some of quite expensive!

 

[Dznypal]

I always liked Peter noone of Herman hermits
Before Covid he always did a meet and greet. No extra charge or special seats.
He also woukd stay until everyone Thst wanted an autograph woukd get it
Whe shows started up again he stopped the M&G
But recently he started doing that again
He’s always been there for his fans

 

[Dan Murphy]

When I was into racing for a time as a teenager I used to adore the meet and greets that the race car drivers used to have but now I've noticed that celebrity meet and greets started to go downhill especially sports star meet and greets and I would like to know why did they do this to celebrity meet and greets now? Take for example when I attended a meet and greet to meet some Indy Car drivers once me and some other fans were very excited to meet the drivers but before we could meet them the TV news crew very rudely told the fans in line "Me and the other people" that they were gonna interview the drivers before they could meet and greet with fans and it was shocking to me that they would do this to sports stars. It used to be that after meet and greets the news would interview celebrities and when I saw this I was shocked myself. I mean doesn't the news know that this is meet and greet time not interview time? Another thing I noticed that got me started disliking celebrity meet and greets is that they would promise celebrity meet and greets at stores but the meet and greets never existed or would happen. I witnessed this type of meet and greet when a Target store promoted a race car driver meet and greet and I was planning to take my aunt her boyfriend and my cousin to meet the drivers with me. We got to Target and found it deserted and the only indication that there was gonna be a meet and greet with the race car drivers was a tent full of souvenirs and posters and a model car. I then went inside Target and the only thing that was inside was a podium full of autograph pens and chairs for the drivers and I then searched the store to see if the drivers were shopping and no luck and I asked an employee when the meet and greet would start and the employee told me Target cancelled the meet and greet because their race cars had car troubles and could not meet their fans and I told him he was lying and then he started calling me names and bullying me and he called me a liar and I left Target angry and mad. I mean HOW DARE Target promises something and then lies about it. Another thing that I noticed about celebrity meet and greets is that they now want to charge people to meet them. When I would visit Walmart they always had NFL players and charged fans a dollar to meet them and I can't figure out when celebrities especially NFL players want to charge people money to meet them and I saw this as the new style of celebrity and greets of the future. I can't believe that this is the style of celebrity meet and greets and they should always be free to people in my eyes. The only type of meet and greets I enjoy are Disney character meet and greets but why people go crazy over celebrity meet and greets i'll never know

If you go to NHRA Drag races, DG, you can meet and get pictures and autographs of any and all the drivers. Every ticket is also a full pit pass and you are encouraged and reminded often during the race days to visit the pits and say hello to the drivers.

https://www.nhra.com/nhra-101/day-drags

Often they have autograph areas setup to say hello and get autographs from multiple drivers at the same time. Here is last week at the season's first race in Florida, the Gatornationsls. In the foreground are two of the most famous and winningest drivers of all time, John Force and Don Garlits. I have pictures and autographs from both from previous years




https://www.nhra.com/news/2024/lineup-set-gatornationals-fanfest-burnyzz-speed-shop-wednesday

As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite drivers, and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food, and fun.



Here is a picture of my group, son Vince, daughter Natalie, and 3 of the grandkids, Griffin, Jeremy and Christopher, at the Rt 66 Nationals in Illinois, last May. We're all set to go to this year's race in about 7 weeks or so.




Christopher and Griffin with autographed poster cards from another top driver, John Force's daughter, Brittany Force. The kids love it. I do too.




Quick race, about 4 seconds, 330 MPH.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/66jVVfw4WLdY8ZnY6

 

[rangerxenos]

I take it the OP has never been to a Comic-Con or any of those type of things. You can easily spend hundreds (or a couple thousand, depending on who all is there) on autographs/photos. Yes it's insane but that's the way it is now.

Oh how I miss the days where you just stood in line for a couple of hours at a convention to get a photo with an actor for free, not for $300 or more...

 

[Kennywood]

I stopped getting celebrity autographs when these people who earn 6 or 7 figure annual salaries were charging hundreds of dollars for an autograph and/or picture. These are millionaires who are exploiting their fanbase.

And their so-called "autograph" is usually just some incoherent squiggle.

 

[hertamaniac]

I have met many IndyCar drivers over the years. But most of the time, it was in the paddock or pit lane. Almost all of them were very accommodating. I did find the scheduled drivers' sit down at a table and line-up for autographs/pictures to be more of a cattle call and not really engaging.

I would never pay a penny for an IndyCar drivers' signature as the price of admission via paddock/pit passes to the race itself should already factor that in.

 

[fly girl]

Over time I am becoming more disillusioned with paid meet and greet for any type of celebrity. I have only really wanted them with musicians, so I am more inclined to share my thoughts on those because that's all I truly know.

I have purchased a VIP package which had the meet and greet as part of the deal back in the early 2000's. Honestly, it was well worth it for the merchandise, cocktail hour, premium seats, and of course the meet and greet. (Back then it was relatively cheap, I think it was only $90 more.)

Now, it is getting insane. J Lo charging over $4K for her next tour. $4000? That is IN-SANE. J Lo, you have enough money!! Good gravy. IMHO, that is grotesque.

I actually agree with Matty Healy (I know he is controversial) on this issue. I wanted to link the interview but the language isn't Dis approved. But if you YouTube: The 1975: ‘Being Funny In a Foreign Language’ Interview from Apple Music and fast forward until the very end at 1:06:20 you will see his thoughts on monetizing meet and greets. Agree 100% with his viewpoint, if you want to do them have the artist take the cash directly from the fan at the actual meet and greet. Then you will see how skeevy it is.

 

[RedAngie]

There is NO celebrity, actor, musician, sports star, etc. that is worth paying for the privilege of receiving their autograph.

 

[tony67]

There is NO celebrity, actor, musician, sports star, etc. that is worth paying for the privilege of receiving their autograph.

Agreed. The only times I've ever paid was when it was for a charity auction and was a shirt or item - not a photo.
So for example I have a video camera autographed by Steve Irwin. I also have numerous Jerseys autographed by various Soccer Players - but all were for charity so I don't mind.

For a lot of though - people were profiting off their autographs - maybe based on TV shows they didn't even get residuals for. So I don't blame them for charging - how many people in that line to get a signature from some famous person is doing it to then go and resell on eBay or wait for them to die to sell at a higher price?

I've met more than my fair share of famous musicians and most are pretty good people. Honestly some of the worst were the people you would not expect.
That said I rarely saw one turn down an autograph for a fan - they might only do a few - they only have so much time - but most are pretty good about it.

When they are sitting at a con or event and autographing all day long - I have no issue with them charging.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

There is NO celebrity, actor, musician, sports star, etc. that is worth paying for the privilege of receiving their autograph.

I don't disagree with you. But on the other side of it, I can recall decades ago when MLB players would sign autographs after ball games - and then the people getting the signatures would go out and make a lot of money on the signed balls and hats and baseball cards. After while, I can understand why players would decide it would be better for them to make money on their signatures than a 3rd party.

I can still see in my mind the one night in the 70s when a guy had a bucket of baseballs, off to the side, and had 4 or 5 little 'cute' kids taking a ball, getting an autograph, and giving them to the guy - and getting another baseball to have signed!

 

[tony67]

I can still see in my mind the one night in the 70s when a guy had a bucket of baseballs, off to the side, and had 4 or 5 little 'cute' kids taking a ball, getting an autograph, and giving them to the guy - and getting another baseball to have signed!

Yup - and honestly many of these players did not make the money players make today.

 

[sam_gordon]

Take for example when I attended a meet and greet to meet some Indy Car drivers once me and some other fans were very excited to meet the drivers but before we could meet them the TV news crew very rudely told the fans in line "Me and the other people" that they were gonna interview the drivers before they could meet and greet with fans and it was shocking to me that they would do this to sports stars. It used to be that after meet and greets the news would interview celebrities and when I saw this I was shocked myself. I mean doesn't the news know that this is meet and greet time not interview time?

News crews are generally under a deadline. I mean the people for the autographs might be too, but if you had to leave because you didn't have time to stick around, you don't get the autograph. The celebrity might lose a few bucks.

If the news crews don't get the interview, then the celebrity loses out on some more face time, that's probably getting seen by hundreds of thousands of people. Obviously, it's a choice the celebrity makes.

 

[tvguy]

During the writers strike, I saw an interview with an actor who kind of summed up his situation honesty. He was well paid for the roles he did, but residual checks soon fall to very small levels and then stop. He charges for public appearance and "Cameo" personal messages because he has to ensure he and his wife have an income stream.

 

[tvguy]

News crews are generally under a deadline. I mean the people for the autographs might be too, but if you had to leave because you didn't have time to stick around, you don't get the autograph. The celebrity might lose a few bucks.

If the news crews don't get the interview, then the celebrity loses out on some more face time, that's probably getting seen by hundreds of thousands of people. Obviously, it's a choice the celebrity makes.

Can't speak to Indy racing, but media usually get their interviews before a performance with comedians and musicians. Shot an interview with Shaun Cassidy before a concert. He wasn't really into it but clearly knew he had to do it. On the flip side, I shot an interview with Juliet Prowse and she requested we come to the dress rehearsal and she played her entire act right to my camera. She got it.

 

[sam_gordon]

Can't speak to Indy racing, but media usually get their interviews before a performance with comedians and musicians. Shot an interview with Shaun Cassidy before a concert. He wasn't really into it but clearly knew he had to do it. On the flip side, I shot an interview with Juliet Prowse and she requested we come to the dress rehearsal and she played her entire act right to my camera. She got it.

Well, there are all kinds of "meet and greets". I was speaking in general.

 

[White Cat]

There is NO celebrity, actor, musician, sports star, etc. that is worth paying for the privilege of receiving their autograph.

I agree. My last house I had 2 pro hockey players, an NBA player and a TV personality across and next to me. They take out the garbage and clean up the dog poop like the rest of us.

 

[DodgerGirl]

I was so surprised when I got a meet and greet with Michael Andretti and Paul Newman but I only got Michael Andretti's autograph because Paul Newman did not give autographs but my mom wishes she had gotten Paul Newman's autograph because it would've been a collector's item. But I think when it comes to celebrity meet and greets I think people mainly do them so they can get autographs of certain celebrities because as I said people hold on to them as collector's items because they think it will become more pricey in collector books in the future. But I think this new charging system for celebrity meet and greets is the new trend. Because it used to be that celebrity meet and greets were always free but looking at celebrity meet and greets today this new style is the future for years to come