Why Doesn’t Anyone CARE About your Favorite Player’s Sports Cards?
Why Doesn't Anyone Care Above Your Favorite Player?
Born in the PNW, raised in Middle Ohio, and growing up in Orlando, going to sporting events was better than visiting Mickey at the Magic Kingdom. The 2000's Orlando Magic's 'Heart and Hustle' team led by Darrell Armstrong was when collecting cards got real to me. Sure, there were games, players and wax packs ripped before that, but I'm 13, a teenager, and stoked on life! Going to games with my Pops and waiting for autographs in the parking lot was just as exciting as seeing the team (most likely) lose. It didn't matter the Magic were a middling club, the players were tearing it up the best they could, and that's all we wanted. Armstrong led to the McGrady years, and a progression of guys who showed out through the thick and thin. Players like Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon have led to the current crop of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, but everyone in-between had a story.
When you follow a team (especially in a small market), every little thing matters. A player handing out turkeys for Thanksgiving, playing flag football with the Boys and Girls Club or helping a local non-profit means something more than the box score can provide. Being connected to your team year round, you pick up on these things, and next time you see them on the court, diamond, pitch or field you see them differently. They're more than stats, they're people involved in your community. Or maybe you ripped some wax, joined a break or won an auction and hit a player you normally don't follow. You're going to be invested, you're going to do research and see what's up. You'll see them differently, follow their trajectory, and buy their cards along the way, welcome to being a Player Collector!
It's those personal connections you see and experience that's most important. Others may measure a player's value on win shares, exit velo, def. +/- or YAC, and those matter, but those metrics aren't paramount to a collector. There's obviously nothing wrong with SaberMetrics, box scores and game logs, but how about that hilarious post game presser?! For the first 12 years of my life I grew up in Middle Ohio, just 20 miles from LeBron James's hometown of Akron, Ohio, so naturally I loved the Browns, Indians (Guardians) and Cavs. Once I moved to Orlando, I didn't stop rooting for those teams, reading articles and watching ESPN highlights, so once Lebron-mania started, I was hooked. We're around the same age, grew up in the same area and he plays for my childhood team? Like sticky stuff on a stamp, red on a strawberry, I'm all aboard the LeBron train, ride till the wheels fall off!
How did you come to collect your favorite player? Well, it's almost certainly not because of stats. Be it Juan Soto, Derrick Henry, Irchiro or Devin Booker to Mike Alstott, Andrei Kirilenko, Xavier Isaac or Rogue and Gambit (not omega mutants btw, don't @ me), the initial reasons are probably not because you saw eBay comps, last night's box score or YouTube game highlights. Maybe your older bro liked them as a kid, you saw them play at a ballgame, you listen to a player podcast driving to work, or have a comic book subscription. Whatever the reason, it's transcended stats, it's personal. That's why it feels like nobody appreciates or respects your favorite player like you do. But you know about the local beat writer's article showcasing the new guy. You watched live that time a teammate got hit by a pitch, and your guy was the first out of the dugout. And who can forget that one epic IG post slamming a troll looking for clout, it was so funny you sent it to your hobby buddy! These are the things that matter, that form your collecting journey, and why nobody cares about your favorite player like you do. Welcome to collecting cards!
Author: Nick Owen (Shore Break Cards)
