Twelfth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Sports cards are photographs with symbols, printed out for mass distribution on a global scale. What makes each card valuable to each person depends on the photograph used, the symbols throughout the image, the material the card is printed on, and the condition of that material. A single sports card has sold for $5.2 Million recently. Why would someone spend millions of dollars on a photograph when they could print one out to the same effect? What is it about these items that draws collectors, fans, and entrepreneurs? There must be meaning within the card. This meaning is likely conveyed through imagery. Sports cards are photographs that convey a narrative of an event and/or a subject. They are distributed on a massive scale, which allows it to be considered mass media or mass communication. Images are signs, and the communication of signs is semiotics. We attach mythology to signs that weave history and story into the meaning of those images. Being able to attach oneself emotionally to an image fosters meaning through narration. We tell stories and connect to stories from other people through a narrative paradigm. A textual analysis is used to identify the core of what cards represent, and opens the doors to similar items being examined. This is an underrepresented field of research.