The fraud plaguing professional sports
TSN correspondent Rick Westhead orchestrated a documentary mini series titled Faking It, airing over three episodes on Sportscentre. Faking It offers a closer look at the fraudulent industries surrounding professional sports. Counterfeit autographs, jerseys, and tickets each lay claim to one of the episodes in the three-part mini series.
The first episode shows the plaguing issues in autographed merchandise industries. It is estimated that around 80 per cent of autographed sports memorabilia for sale online is counterfeit. The lack of legitimacy in the autographed memorabilia industry and lack of qualifications required for authenticating signatures poses a major threat to the industry’s longevity. Professionals in the film also suggested that many of the fraudulent signatures are made by machines, which are programmed to replicate the autographs of many popular athletes. When purchasing signed memorabilia, it is important to research prices and reputations of merchandise authenticators to avoid regret of spending a large lump sum.
The episode aired on Feb. 7 focused on the growth of counterfeit ticket sales. It is noted that many sports teams have migrated to an electronic ticket platform to gain information on the consumer. This switch has paved way for the sale of duplicate and counterfeit tickets to sporting events. A representative from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment highlighted the thousands of fans who are escorted out of the Air Canada Centre with bogus tickets each year.
With tickets in high demand for Toronto sports teams specifically, alongside the ease-of-sale associated with online markets such as Kijiji and Craigslist, it is now more appealing than ever before to counterfeiters to sell their products. Illegitimate tickets are now something to be on watch for as a sports fan, and a healthy amount of research when buying tickets from a secondary source will help save money and prevent misfortunate events. Toronto police detectives have made it clear that it is difficult to prosecute distributors for these tickets.
The concluding episode entitled “Jersey Ploys” was expectedly the most high-profile of the three. Counterfeit sports jerseys from China were highlighted as the focal point of this segment. Authentic NHL jerseys cost anywhere from $150 to $400 with Chinese-made fakes often priced below $40. $13 billion was spent last year on sports merchandise in North America, and Toronto police estimate that there are millions of fake jerseys available for sale. The fraudulent jersey industry has exploded with online shopping, and China has been highlighted as the main culprit.
“Jersey Ploys” offered inside looks at the factories and small-scale manufacturers of these jerseys. One supplier claimed that with just 15 factory employees, it was common to sell 1,000 of their NHL jerseys in a week. Being unanimously renown as a hockey nation, Canadians are naturally one of the largest target markets.
Consumers will want to be informed that buying counterfeits supports an illegal, untaxed industry in which profits often aid organized crime. It is also quite common for manufacturers to see higher economic potential in the industry than they would with drug trafficking.
Contrasting views may first highlight the skyrocketing prices for many sports memorabilia and tickets. In a Canadian market, demand has made certain sporting events blatantly unaffordable, especially for student NHL fans – a common trait for any attendant at the University of Guelph. Jerseys are no different, with counterfeited jerseys selling for around seven times less than their authentic counterparts; it is difficult to blame a consumer who purchases in the fraudulent direction. Differences between real and fake jerseys are extremely minor, many of which can only be seen if you are looking from inches away – increasing emphasis on the lopsided difference in price.
Leafs fans can purchase a jersey of their seven favourite players from China for the same price of just one authentic jersey from official NHL shop sites. It appears that anti-counterfeiting industry will continue to play second-fiddle to the highest growing sports industry, counterfeiting.