Chasing the Rookie Card: Why Sports Cards Became Sports Biggest Gamble.
Written By: Kekoa O’Neil
Contributor | Sideline Society Media
For many sports fans they grew up idolizing trading cards and it became a hobby for many. The idea of having their favorite players’ card, opening packs and trading with friends were all part of what made the experience so special. In today’s world, sports card culture has turned into something much bigger than just a childhood hobby. It’s become a culture of its own that is driven by nostalgia, community and investment. Nowadays if you walk into any card show or store that sells sports collectibles, you will see people spending hundreds, thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars on cards. What makes this so unique is the fact that many times the top priced cards that are selling are of athletes that barely even have played a game.
You may be asking yourself why? Well from the investors standpoint they are betting the potential this particular player has. Rookie cards have become the talk of the town when it comes to card collectors. Every year you will see people chasing cards of highly touted athletes hoping they become the next Lebron James, Michael Jordan or Tom Brady. If that particular player pans out then the value of their rookie card will increase by a great fortune resulting in major profit for the original buyer. The flip side of course is if the player does not pan out, it makes it feel as if you made a major investment all for nothing.
Tom Brady recently made an appearance at CardVault in the American Dream Mall to go card shopping himself. He had emphasized how growing up card collecting and trading was something he loved and enjoyed. As Brady continued to speak on iconic cards of legendary athletes you start to get the sense that these cards are not just collectibles, but they represent sports history and opportunities for investment. Even with all he has accomplished, Tom Brady is still on the hunt for a card that he can add to his collection as a rare piece of sports history. The rise of social media has helped accelerate the card culture like we’ve never seen before.
There are more platforms than ever that you can use to monitor prices in real time, track market trends and you now have the ability to purchase cards from anywhere in the world. As with every investment opportunity there comes risks as those can be losing thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars investing in player cards that never pan out. Injuries, poor performance, and changing market trends can cause card values to fall just as quickly as they rise.
The uncertainty is what many people who are into card collecting crave. They enjoy the possibility of hitting big even if the downside is a major loss. Sports cards combine the emotional high of being a fan while coupling that with the strategic thinking of being an investor. Every purchase that’s made is a risk/reward type purchase and that is what keeps people coming back to repeat the process over and over again. As long as fans continue to dream about finding the next superstar before others, sports card culture will remain strong for years to come.
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