The Weekly Rip 4.28.24 [Fandom]
We take a look at the balance of fandom and patience when collecting our favorite players and teams
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I love the NFL Draft.
I can confidently say that I spend way too much time consuming content in the build up to the NFL Draft. The more that I’ve matured as a football fan, the more I’ve enjoyed digging into the details of a player’s measurables, scheme match, style, and hundreds of other ingredients that are evaluated by teams. The NFL Combine is hosted in Indianapolis every year and that adds an additional layer to my interest. When I was growing up it was Mel Kiper’s, Sporting News NFL Draft Preview, Lindy’s, and that was about it. Today, there’s podcasts like The Athletic NFL Podcast that create daily shows about every possible detail that any football degen could imagine going into the NFL Draft. I’m a massive fan of The Athletic platform especially when it comes to football content. I’d consider Dane Brugler the brightest mind in NFL Draft coverage. Brugler puts out his annual draft report, The Beast, which covers 1,900 prospects. It’s the holy grail of draft content and feels like Christmas for me every year when it drops. It’s built and designed for true NFL Draft junkies and is a beautiful thing.
I make the NFL Draft an event every year. On Thursday, I hosted a party at SSP HQ and invited my friends in Indianapolis who are draft degenerates like me. We ordered wings and pizza (Shout out Chatham Tap) and spent the entire night talking football. After the Colts picked the first defensive player off the board, UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu I instantly started digging back through my pile of resources to learn every possible thing about him. I wanted to understand his strengths, weaknesses, and was waiting to hear from the Colts to understand why Latu. After I OD’d on Latu content I started reflecting on last year’s draft, which was likely the most important draft of this decade for the Colts. I recalled the exact moment when Roger Goddell said, “With Pick #4 the Indianapolis Colts select quarterback from The University of Florida, Anthony Richardson”. That moment was a catalyst for the entire organization and it’s fans. While we were dunking our wings in blue cheese and crushing slices of pizza my friends and I spent about 45 minutes talking about all of the things that we loved seeing from Richardson in the brief time we got him last season. We reflected on his 2 rushing TDs in a matter of moments in Houston. I brought up his absurd passes over the middle with Aaron Donald wrapped around his legs. We talked about how impressive Richardson has been off the field. A young kid who has immediately integrated himself in the Indianapolis community. The one word that I think was brought up the most was special. The environment and discussion couldn’t have got me more excited about the season ahead and then I did what I always do. I started to think about his cards.
I want to collect Anthony Richardson.
I want to collect Anthony Richardson really bad.
But, I just can’t bring myself to do it.
I’ve built a collection dedicated to the lineage and legacy of the QB position for the Indianapolis Colts. Collecting Colts QBs is my Northstar. We haven’t had a more exciting and collectible QB in my city since the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck, but just I can’t bring myself to buy his cards. The Hobby mainstream will call Richardson a “can’t miss opportunity”. My reluctance to buy Richardson’s cards right now is a maturation point in my collecting.
Have you seen his prices?
The highest recorded public sale for Anthony Richardson is his 2023 Prizm Gold Vinyl /5 PSA 10 for $18,976 via Alt on March 28, 2024. The more I spend time on cards the more I’m selective about the types of cards that I want in my collection. I’m unequivocally a shiny card simp and Prizm is my brand. The Gold Vinyl is a parallel that would fit perfectly inside my collection, but at a nearly $20k asking price that’s enough for me to run for the hills. How am I supposed to reach this deep into my hobby pockets to buy a card of a player who started four games last season and got hurt? Sure, the Colts were 9th in explosive runs and 10th in explosive passes per Pro Football Focus during those starts, but it’s just not enough. The greatest challenge to buying Richardson cards is that he fits perfectly into the criteria of what the mainstream hobby hype machine feeds its users.
Richardson is a young, unproven QB
Richardson showed several flashy plays over his 4 starts to be reshared on a IG reel
Outside of his injury he’s shown way more promise than was expected
You can just look at him and see a future where he’s not only one of the most exciting players, but also winning playoff games with the perfect-fit Head Coach Shane Steichen
I’m not alone either.
There’s collectors who are probably reading this newsletter who face the same dilemma. I think a lot about the Houston Texans collector who was captivated by CJ Stroud’s rookie season. How about the San Antonio Spurs collector who is trying to buy Wemby cards? Hell, I’m going to be starting down in the exact same situation when WNBA Prizm is released featuring my new favorite basketball player Caitlin Clark. It sucks to not buy cards of the players you enjoy out of the gates, but possessing the ability to be patient can be transformational for your hobby experience.
I’m one of the world’s most impatient people. It’s my flaw and is something I work on every day. It’s taken me nearly 5 years back into cards to understand the art of being patient. If you can learn to be patient and not get sucked into the hobby hype cycle you’ll be better for it.
I’m passionate about football. I’m a draft junkie. I love buying football cards.
For you, it could be something completely different, but the forces remain in whatever segment that you collect in.
There’s always something to collect.
There’s always the right time to collect it, too.
Auction Talk is for The People
I love all of the DMs, story posts, and overall feedback for Auction Talk with Nic (@thewharfsportscards). I knew that I was going to enjoy adding this weekly show to the mix, but didn’t consider it becoming one of the favorite parts of my week. We try to be organized and create a conversation that hits on a lot of different topics. Of course, auctions are at the forefront, but we get to talk about old players, sports, and so much in between. I appreciate all of the passion that you’ve shared about Auction Talk and look forward to creating more episodes.
During this week’s conversation we dug into the results of PWCC’s Premier Auction. I didn’t want to dive in and talk about each individual monster sale because quite frankly only about 1% of the audience listening to my show participates in that category. I wanted to have a conversation around how the rest of the 99% of us should consider what the sale of a Barry Sanders Gem Masters 1/1 should mean to us instead.
I’m always left thinking differently about what’s happening with cards after each recording and hope you feel the same way. If there’s ever an angle that you’d like for us to explore feel free to shoot me a note. I’m easy to find!
If you’re interested in consigning your cards with The Wharf Sports Cards Nic dropped a new promotion. Use promo code “stacking93” to get a 93% payout on your next consignment.
Joining the Stacking Slabs Patreon is The Best Way to Show Your Support
Collectors are joining Stacking Slabs Patreon to consume exclusive content, connect with other collectors, and promote their cards. I’m putting out new collector focused content in the group on a daily basis and it’s the hub for all of SSP’s video content. If you’re enjoying what I’m putting out on the main feeds check out what the group has to offer. I appreciate your attention and commitment to helping grow the damn brand. Join Today
I got super nerdy this week. I dug into shiny football cards from 2000-2010 to investigate how many parallels existed that were 10 copies or fewer. The results were alarming compared to ultra modern contemporaries. I had a blast putting this together and it’s something you can expect as a regular member of the Patreon group.
A Collector To Follow
I love following passionate team collector accounts. It’s fun to see collectors in this space care so deeply for their teams as I do for mine. Also, I gain inspiration from the way that I see team collectors approach their massive category. If you’re not following @saints_cardcollector do yourself a favor and join the party. I love how he approaches his collection and shares his passion along the way.
Being a fan is about connection. It’s a connection with your favorite players and teams.
I felt no stronger connection with my team than walking into Gainbridge Fieldhouse early Friday evening. The arena was draped in gold. The pageantry was on full display as Caitlin Clark was in the building “reving” up the crowd before the game….and THAT GAME. On Friday night I saw one of the most exciting basketball games that I’ve ever been to live. After I had OD’d on all of the social posts I turned to my Haliburton collection. It had not even been a year into it and I was being rewarded with a moment. It was the ultimate intersection of fandom, sports, and cards.
When we can bring that connection to cardboard amazing things happen.
Be kind. Be well.
Take care,
Brett