Would an Openly Gay Baseball Player's Card Be Worth Less?

As of this writing, to my knowledge, there has never been an openly gay major league baseball player. Two baseball players have been acknowledged for coming out of the closet after their careers, but never during. As someone who dabbles in baseball card collecting, and someone seeing all of the steps forward and backwards for gay rights in the past few years of news coverage, I began to ponder what sort of impact being openly gay might have on a baseball player's baseball card value. I went to the official website and message boards of Beckett, the go-to source for collectors who want to know the value of their baseball cards, and posed my question in their main hobby talk forum: What sort of impact would or would it not have on a baseball player's cards if he were to come out as being homosexual?

It became clear within five to ten minutes of my topic thread being posted, that baseball fans are not ready for an openly gay baseball player. In a forum mostly consisting of adult collectors the subject mater was apparently too mature for the audience and moderators quickly deleted it from existence. The few answers that I saw pile in were along the lines of: nothing would change, to I'd like to think it would not have a negative impact, but I think it might, to I would be using that players cards to light fires in my fireplace. The last comment was probably the one that killed the thread because I think some were then answering to that response instead of staying on the actual topic and question. So, there you have it: according to Beckett's website forum, talking about openly gay baseball players is too touchy a topic.

In my own opinion there are too many variables to sort through to answer about whether or not ones sexuality may or may not affect their baseball card value or collecting fanbase. Well, I assume to some degree it would if they were gay, but other factors would potentially determine the extent in terms of actual dollar figures. An openly gay baseball player could attract a niche market of fans, some of whom never even paid attention to baseball before. He could especially capitalize on this I think if he were to make sure a little rainbow landed in his baseball card pictures. On the flip side though he could alienate former fans who do not agree with or are judgmental about things such as sexuality as it pertain to their own tastes or religious interests. The guy wanting to burn his cards of the theoretical gay baseball player was a quick example. But what about talent? If a mediocre baseball player came out of the closet and the media made it a huge story would his baseball cards see a jump in value even though he is not a statistical phenomenon? Ultimately, what a player does on the field is what keeps them in the game and gives them a shot at becoming a legend. So, there is a good chance such a player would be a flash in the pan collectible and the prices would not rise substantially after the initial press blitz if he could not perform with the bats and balls. But what if one of the game's major superstars came out and played the game as an openly gay man? Perhaps talent would outweigh the haters if they are fans that have invested a lot into him already, would they give up on their sports hero so easily? I could then see being gay as not being much of a swaying factor when it comes to the player's baseball card value, though he would be potentially adding some new power to his legacy. Reality and Internet message boards though, seem to lean towards the fanbase taking a substantial hit. If Derek Jeter (Congrats on the 3,000 hits!) came out as being homosexual many baseball fans and card collectors might forget his enormous achievements and label his cards with the same taint that steroid users such as Mark McGwire have received.

Are there any gay baseball players currently active in major league baseball? If so, they need to come forward to give us the real answer to this pondering, not to mention to break down a thick barrier surrounding the sport. I am sure that there are many heterosexual collectors, like myself, who won't even think twice about a player's sexuality when it comes to their baseball card; I could care less. Likewise I bet there are homosexual collectors who feel the same way. I think the world is warming up a little more to homosexuality each day, though I think baseball fans may end up being a little more of a segregated community than we realize. Or perhaps I am led to believe this due to Beckett price guide website users being unable to handle the topic without veering too far off into hate and argument. I guess time will or will not tell on this one.