Y’all, I’ve got a bit of a conundrum on my hands.
For months I’ve been preaching the need for card companies to get their subjects involved in the collectors market in the marketing side and as hobby enthusiasts just like you and me. An article from The Athletic’s Michael Waterloo went into great detail about how Major Leaguers Bobby Witt Jr. and Corbin Carrol are keeping cards on their person during games and having them graded by PSA afterwards.
I see the value, especially in the world where paper tickets aren’t issued for games anymore, but this new card collecting phenomenon isn’t for me.
I’d be lying if I didn’t appreciate what Witt and Carroll are doing. They’ve found a way to keep themselves entertained during games (a difficult thing to do over a 162 game season) and created a new collectibles market that I’d expect more players to participate in going forward. Players will be able to “create” new products as much or as little as they’d like and collectors will want anything that has game-used significance.
Have I said enough nice things about this new idea? Yes? Okay, good. Now onto my real issue with these new cards.
Bobby Witt Jr. told The Athletic that he puts his “game-used” cards in his back left pocket because he slides on his right leg. He then mentioned that he knew the cards wouldn’t get good grades from PSA because they had sweat marks all over them.
Why would anyone want to buy a Bobby Witt Jr. card with a side of ass sweat? Is this being sold on OnlyFans?
There’s a loser and a winner in this whole game-used card ordeal.
The obvious winner is PSA. I wouldn’t touch any of these game-used cards with a ten-foot pole knowing how sweaty they must be, so partnering with a company that puts them in a case is essential for any buyer. It’s disgusting if you want these cards outside of the PSA cases, seriously.
The big loser in all of this is Jason Giambi of all people. Think about it. If Giambi had caught onto this craze during his “rally thong” days with the Yankees, he would’ve been literally sitting on a goldmine.
So what should we take from this new, albeit disgusting, trend in the baseball collectibles market?
It’s fabulous to see players actively participating in the hobby. Witt Jr. and Carroll are collectors and they’ve now found a way to get more involved while creating a partnership with PSA. It’s also a good talking point for post-game interviews and media availabilities because it provides reporters the opportunity to ask about that game’s card.
Is this trend for me? Hell no. I would require a hazmat suit before going near one of these cards regardless of whether it was in a PSA case. But I am loving the innovation from the players and PSA in this venture.
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