I spent a couple of days at the NFL Experience last week, the annual fan event that takes place in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. The Topps Super Bowl Card Show is part of the NFL Experience each year, and one of the most popular elements of the show are the free autographs signed by current and former players over the course of the weekend.

Prior to going on stage to sign for the fans, many of the players spend some time backstage signing various items for the NFL and NFL Players Association that end up in charity auctions. I looked at many of the signatures on those items, and for the life of me I could not decipher the majority of the signatures. Some of the players put their uniform number next to their autographs, which was the best way for distinguishing some of the names. Had it not been for the jersey numbers, the vast majority of the names would have been unreadable.

I can't imagine how many times an athlete is asked for their signature over the course of a given day or week, and I'm sure they want to sign their names as quickly as possible. But what good is an autograph if it isn't legible?