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For resourceful fans around the world it has become a welcome line of business to sell signed pictures of popular UFC fighters via the internet. UFC bantamweight and former title challenger Miesha Tate is very down on this new business model and from now on will stop providing her fans with autograph cards, at least by mail, she announced on her Twitter yesterday:
Will no longer be accepting return fan mail, too many trying to sell the signed photos, thanks for understanding!
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) January 26, 2015
After a few of her followers responded wondering, Tate explained that she doesn't want anybody else to earn money off her back and that she would prefer to rather "give the money to charity". See the Tweets here:
@MMASPORTSCARDS if any1 is going to sell the photos I sign it should be me, I'm the 1 fighting & signing. Id rather give the money 2 charity
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) January 26, 2015
@MMASPORTSCARDS Y should any1 make a dime off what I worked my a** off to build & I get nothing? I sign 4 fans not sellers
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) January 26, 2015
@MMASPORTSCARDS WHY should i be expected to do that for free it makes no sense it's still work for me, I dont have repect 4....
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) January 26, 2015
@MMASPORTSCARDS ....those who make money of other ppls hard work
— Miesha Tate (@MieshaTate) January 26, 2015
Well, she might have a point there. However, featherweight superstar Conor McGregor also has an interesting take on the situation. While Tate is completely against fans selling autographs, McGregor even encourages them to do so, as seen two weeks ago in the first episode of UFC Boston Embedded. After someone of his entourage told him later, she finds the whole concept of collecting autographs just to sell them "bizarre", he responded:
"Yeah, but then you collect the money, and then it's not so bizarre. [...] They are not collecting autographs, they are collecting cash."
The women later playfully asked, if she could give him a pack of autographs to sign them, so she could make a lot of money, he answered:
"Sure, but expect me to come back for a percentage (laughs). They get through the hustle of standing out there in the cold, getting the pictures printed, showing up. At the end of the day, they are fans of the show. They understand the fighters, they understand the pictures, they understand everything. So they're fans. Let them make a few (dollars)."
What is your opinion? Should fans sell autographs on the internet? Are you buying or even selling them yourself? Discuss this in the comment section.
For a closer look at Miesha, here's Esther Lin's excellent Focus piece:
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