Yes. I am heartbroken by Teddy’s freak injury. One that seems just completely unlikely, and might take away the prime of his abilities if it doesnt heal the way it should. That is a scary thought for many football collectors, as this sport is prone to situations where injuries can make things go horribly wrong.
Although Baseball and Basketball have injuries too, career longevity in MLB especially makes for less of an impact on things. In football, making it 10 years is beating the odds and then some. Players can play for a long time, but with the cheaper contracts for draft picks, we have seen teams decide to rip and replace much more often. When injuries take away a full year, especially ones like this, it can change the whole trajectory of a player’s future, even if he comes back full strength.
As a Vikings fan, I bought Teddy because I collect Vikings. Having met him a few times, I also collected him because he was nice to the fans and a great guy off the field. It seems like he has a great head on his shoulders, so I definitely bought in. He was going to be the face of the team with Peterson having so many issues, and I was fine with that. My collection hasnt gone to waste, and im definitely not selling, but its hard to go through this year long absence for the second time in a few years. Peterson’s situation was self imposed, and much more of a detriment to my fandom, but the fact that the Vikings were supposed to be so good makes this even more difficult.
Every year, there is at least one player that gets bit by the injury bug, and this year it was the Vikings’ turn. Collectors feel the pain too, with values dropping amid uncertainty, and its clear that the market doesnt sustain these types of disruptions well. We already see the football market and values dropping as more people leave the hobby, and its just crazy to me that people still “invest” in cards.
Seeing that careers can be over in an instant highlights that poor investment quality even further, and I am curious to see what happens when collectors really start to see career shelf life shorten even further. Players like Calvin Johnson retired much earlier than expected because of injury concern, and I dont think he will be the last big name to do so. Collectors need to be more and more wary of what is going on in the game, and take notice of the value trends before dropping huge dough on something that isnt just for “fun.”
I hope Teddy returns and has the career that we all hope he will have. Even if you arent a VIkings fans, bad injuries are never something you like to see.