I’m an optimist.
Really, I am.
One of my strengths throughout my career has been my ability to see the big picture, to be adaptable, and to embrace change. I’ve been able to look beyond the short term impacts of less than ideal circumstances to see the long term opportunities that still exist.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t get frustrated from time to time. There are things that happen that get me down, that annoy me, or that cause an immediate reaction of disappointment and negativity.
This happens in my day job, in my personal life, and also in the hobby.
The most recent example is this whole situation with Josh Luber partnering with BackYard Breaks to do a big promotional break of Prizm basketball. Yes, that Josh Luber, the Chief Vision Officer of Fanatics Sportscards/Topps and yes, that BackYard Breaks. The same clown show of an operation who backed out of a promotional giveaway after hitting a big card during the promo break, and who have been featured in videos highlighting other questionable practices in their video streams.
Luber and Fanatics have expressed a desire to grow the industry via growing the collecting base. That messaging had me excited. I think there is still a lot of potential growth out there and if they can continue to expand the worldwide number of people interested in sports cards, the future of the hobby is bright.
Up to this point, I was under the impression they were interested in doing this by partnering with local card shops, breakers, and other companies who were focused on data driven decisions, who knew their customers, and were creating welcoming, fun, friendly, clean, and professional environments.
Enter BackYard Breaks. With their crop tops, loud and obnoxious yelling, and “frat boy” style antics, they would seem to be the opposite of an ideal partner for Luber and Fanatics.
Except for one thing.
Money.
It seems that a short term burst of attention and the potential for a quick boost in sales trumps integrity, reputation, professionalism, and class.
While this breaking outfit lacks all those things, what they don’t lack is eyeballs and followers. They have 231k followers on TikTok, almost 13k on YouTube, and 41k on Instagram.
Insert facepalm emoji here.
Despite being called out for unethical practices, their following has only grown over the last several weeks. That following and their ability to sell through product seems to be the only things that matter to Luber and team when it comes to their desire to be associated with Backyard.
A popular Instagram account outlines some of the complaints against Backyard, and with Luber and WhatNot’s continuing to associate with them.
Historically, I have been welcoming and have embraced new entrants to the hobby community. But if the new entrants we are talking about are individuals who embrace the BackYard style of doing things, then I have concerns. Or maybe I should say I’m disappointed. If this is the customer base and the distribution channel future products are going to be designed for, then I can see my interest in supporting the modern hobby decreasing significantly.
I have no interest in promoting or engaging with that type of behavior, company, or the individuals who embrace it.
And maybe this is really at the heart of what has me down. With so many reputable shops and breakers out there who are honest, hard working, and who give back to their communities, it’s the clown shows who are being rewarded.
At least in the short term.
The great thing about the market is that customers ultimately get to decide who wins and loses.
If customers don’t like a product or the way a company does business, we get the opportunity to speak with our wallets. We don’t have to buy from them. They need us more than we need them. If Fanatics is going to throw their weight behind the type of collecting base who supports money grabs, high school antics, and stealing from customers, then they deserve the pain that will come when that segment eventually leaves or when their reputation is damaged by their partners.
If customers stop buying, changes will be made.
The optimist in me says that in the long run the good guys will win.
Don’t get me wrong, I fully anticipate that it may take years, or even decades for this to play out as the current cycle we are in ebbs and flows. It may be ten years before some of these consequences will be felt from alienating a base of lifelong collectors. But if those that are frustrated speak with their wallets, then eventually we can get their attention.
So what does this mean for my hobby activity?
Fortunately, we have over 100 years worth of cards I can buy, sell, and collect. I could never buy another new pack and still not run out of cards to learn about and focus on!
Initially, this is where my hobby attention will be going. Honestly, this shift for me started back in 2020. As the price of new wax rose to 2 -3x the price I paid from 2016-2019, my interesting in opening wax declined. I started to shift to buying and selling collections and my own pc began to focus more on vintage and cards which came out when I was a young collector in the 80s and 90s. Sure, I’ll still buy the occasional presale wax box directly from Topps or some other products from the other manufacturers here and there. However, for now, new products are not going to be my primary focus. They will only be a tiny percentage of my annual spend.
I’m going to keep supporting the card shops, and websites like COMC, eBay, and Sportlots where I can pick up singles for my PC. I will never have to support platforms like WhatNot which embrace breakers and sellers like Backyard. I’m free to ignore content creators who promote unethical, short sighted, and negative approaches to the hobby.
So while disappointments like the Luber/Fanatics decision to support a clown show might get me down for a few days, it won’t keep me down. I’m having more fun than ever creating content to educate and share the experiences I’ve had creating a self sustaining hobby. My passion for the hobby grows every time I get the opportunity to help collectors find cards they love.
As I said before, in the long run I believe the good guys are going to win.
But even if they don’t, it’s not going to keep me from finding ways to enjoy this hobby I love.