Nonsense Newsletter No. 106: Tough sledding for the football hobby, the problem with being "the man," and more!
In this week’s superb edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley spends some time talking about the football hobby this year, which has been… well… you know. I jump on the Bedard/Webby bandwagon and bring the rain, and we have another Quick Hits section for the ages! So, let’s make a deal here — I offer this superb edition of the Nonsense Newsletter to you, and then you enjoy the crap out of it! Deal? Good!
Contributor: John Dudley
The 2023 NFL season has landed with a sickeningly wet thump on the hobby. I’ve seen almost no optimism and very little in terms of people being actually excited about a player. Instead, a malaise has settled into the collectorate and one wonders what it will take to snap us out of our doldrums. With the exception of Mr. Taylor Swift catching TDs, almost every major player seems to be in worse hobby shape than at the start of the season. The question then is if this is just a dud season or if market conditions are just keeping things depressed?
The Dud Season Theory
Injuries, disappointing performances, and unrealistic hobby expectations have all put a dark shadow over the 2023 season. Seemingly just as someone looks poised to break out, they have a horrible stretch of games or get injured. There have been a lot of good offensive performances this year, but even the great ones have their detractors and are less heralded than normal. Maybe there just aren’t any truly great players this year and the hobby realizes this. Dud seasons happen and even dud stretches can take over for a few years.
Contributor: John McTaggart
I’ve been doing this job for a long time, written many articles and spun many tales about sports and the trading card hobby.
Some topics, however, require a little extra attention — this is one of them.
Within the hobby as a whole we are in an interesting time — and I can say that with some level of certainty because I’ve seen quite a few days in this game.
Not often do we have true generational talents come along in the exact same year.
Connor Bedard and Victor Webanyama are changing the games of hockey and basketball respectively.
Both are barely older than my black leather dress shoes (Bedard is 18 years old and Webanyama is the veteran of the bunch at 19 years old), and both are exceeding expectations placed upon them years ago by pundits of their respective games.
Webanyama is doing things that few players have done, and Bedard appears to be a talent that simply does’t come too often in the NHL.
But, tell me, from a hobby perspective, are these two generational talents good for the hobby?
Of course, they’re great for the games of basketball and hockey, and wonderful for both the NBA and NHL.
But are they good for the hobby?
Quick Hits
Hobby News- Topps is offering White Glove VIP Redemption service with free grading directly from BGS, CGC, or SGC. You redeem the card and Topps arranges the grading and gets the card shipped directly to you. This is for the new hyped 1/1 RC Debut Patch Autos, but expect to see this service expand.
Vintage- Listen, my love for hockey cards is no secret, but this article on the 1980-81 Winnipeg Jets will bend your mind. Check it out by clicking here.
Pop Culture News- Game of Thrones returns to cardboard form with Rittenhouse’s upcoming Arts & Images box. Each box will contain five autos and a variety of parallels. The first five collectors to finish the rare Dragonglass parallel set will each receive a Lena Headey auto /5.
Hobby News- It’s almost time to redeem those 2023 Topps Chrome cards of the MVP winners (expected to be Ohtani and Acuna Jr.). Check out the participating shops and get your ducks in a row by checking out the details here.
The Sports Card Nonsense newsletters reflect the opinions of only the authors and contributors. They are for informational purposes only and are not a recommendation for purchases or of an investment strategy or to buy or sell any assets.