The Hobby Needs a Reset — Let’s Talk About What Needs to Change

Before we dive in, I want to start with a thank you.

Substack reached out to let me know that we’re now ranked among the Top 50 fastest-growing (rising) sports newsletters. And looking at the names ahead of us… none appear to focus on the sports cards hobby. So does that make us the #1 riser in the hobby? Hmm…Just saying.

But in all seriousness, this is because of you. Your support, curiosity, and passion are pushing this little corner of the sports card world into a fiercely competitive space with real sports reporters like Geoff Shackelford and Marc Stein. I’m grateful.

Now, on to today’s article.

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The Hobby’s Crossroads: Fix It, Don’t Burn It

I’ve been in the card game long enough to remember when collecting was simple.

Walk into the local shop, slap a buck on the counter for a pack of 1989 Upper Deck, pray for a Griffey Jr. rookie, flip through the latest Beckett, and ride your bike home.

That was it.

No Discord panic sales. No redemption limbo. No 17-tier parallel charts requiring sites like ChasingMajors.com just to make sense of them.

Now? Welcome to 2025: redemption codes, breaker lingo, slab economics, exclusive licenses, and repacks that pay you back 90% of the value before you’ve even decided if you like what you pulled.

There’s still a lot to love about this hobby, but there’s a lot that needs fixing.

So instead of torching the whole thing like a bitter Rockies fan demanding Dick Monfort to sell the team, let’s talk about how to actually fix it.

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1. Trust From the Top

If I’m running Topps or Panini, and trust me, I’d be wearing a tie, not a hoodie, my first priority wouldn’t be market share, “innovation,” or selling $1,500 FOTL boxes in six minutes.

It’d be trust.

Every real relationship requires trust. And if you want to keep collectors, flippers, dealers, and investors engaged, you build that trust with clear, consistent, and honest communication.

Not teasers. Not countdown hype. Transparency reports. Hobby updates. Real-time issue tracking. And maybe, just maybe, a Hobby Ombudsman. Someone who talks to collectors, not at them.

Real-world concerns:

• PSA: You floated the idea of a “card cleaning service” in a survey like it was a new soda flavor, then walked it back when collectors raised hell. This isn’t the way. Explain the intent. Show the value. Own the process. And for the love of 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle’s, proofread your messages before you make everyone guess what you really meant.

• Topps: You claim reps are present during autograph signings. Great. Then the Messi auto scandal hits and whispers start back up about ghost-signers and brother-in-laws. Your answer? A quiet announcement that you’re replacing Messi Dynasty cards. Not good enough. If you promise authenticity and say you’re in the room, prove it. Photos. Logs. Receipts. Accountability. Plus are you claiming it’s only the Dynasty autos that are fake?

Collectors don’t expect perfection. They expect honesty. Be upfront, even when it’s ugly.

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2. Quality Control: Are We Even Trying?

You drop $300 on a box. Rip it open with your kid. Cards are bricked. Chrome surfaces scratched. The “hit” is so off-center it looks like a drunken three-point attempt.

It’s 2025. We can’t center cards?

This isn’t vintage charm. It’s a billion-dollar industry pretending it’s still 1981. Grading isn’t for added value or authenticity anymore, it’s to confirm your pack-fresh card isn’t already damaged.

And grading? What started as niche authentication for vintage Mantles has become a tollbooth. You want resale value? Pay the slab tax.

If I’m Topps or Panini, I’m not blaming printers. I’m in the darn print shop, clipboard in hand, like Ari Gold in Season 5.

• Tighter tolerances.

• Public accountability for bad runs.

• Transparent QC practices.

Cards are printed like grocery receipts, then graded like fine art. Make it make sense.

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3. Grading Roulette: PSA 10… or Just Got Lucky?

Let’s address the slabbed elephant in the room.

You submit ten identical cards. Five PSA 10s. Three 9s. Two 8s. You bust out the loupe, shine a light, ask your dog for a second opinion, and you still can’t see why.

This isn’t grading. This is Vegas.

Worse? Inconsistency fuels demand. The unpredictability drives more submissions, more re-slabs, more cash spent chasing better grades.

But long-term? It kills trust.

Grading should be like the SAT: boring, predictable, measurable. Not a vibe-driven hot-take factory where the grader’s mood swings affect your outcome.

Collectors deserve to know what they’re paying for. Right now, it feels like roulette. And don’t get me started on changing grading standards without broad industry-wide communication.

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4. Breaker Culture: Hobby or Casino?

I get it. Breaks are fun. The rush of a Gold Vinyl rookie hit? Electric. The silence after pulling a Tyler Stephenson patch auto? Awkward.

But breaking has gone full casino.

Kids are Venmo’ing into late-night razzes for teams they don’t even collect. Breakers are carnival barkers. And manufacturers? They’re building products just for this ecosystem.

If I’m running things, I’d release a few non-breaker products every year:

• Full checklists.

• Full base sets.

• Reasonable pricing.

• High Quality inserts.

• A sane parallel list. (Super, Red, Black, Gold, Green, & Blue - True colors only)

• A real shot at on-card autographs.

• Not intentionally sold to breakers, instead a retail/hobby release that doesn’t have “dynamic” pricing.

As someone who lives and breathes checklists, I struggle to name a set like this today. Even Topps Flagship had creeped into “hit chase” territory.

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5. Exclusive Licenses = Collectors Lose

When Fanatics locked down MLB, NBA, and NFL rights for what feels like forever, two thoughts hit me:

1. Maybe we’ll see real innovation.

2. Maybe we’re totally screwed.

So far? Mostly the same. Just louder.

• More parallels.

• More $500 boxes filled with $80 singles.

• More “limited” products that feel unlimited.

With no real competition:

• There are fewer new ideas.

• Less pressure to improve.

• And mediocrity sets in.

We don’t need five companies making identical cards. But we do need at least some competition to keep them honest.

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Final Thoughts (For Now…)

I could rant about overprinting, shady print runs, endless redemptions, sticker autos, slab repacks, and secondary market nonsense…

But that’s for another article.

For now? Just pause. Think.

Because this hobby isn’t dead. It’s not all doom and gloom. But it is at a crossroads.

We can keep chasing the quick flip, or we can build something that lasts another ten-twenty years.

Your move, hobby world.

– CM