State of the hobby/State of the forum thoughts and question

[SPauthentic84]

So its been a little over a month since my Nationals trip and still feeling good over what a great experience it was. It was literally the most fun Ive ever had in the hobby. It was great meeting all these great people who were truly passionate about the hobby, but also great people to just be around. If you were there, it was pretty obvious the hobby is currently in a good state. Three different dealers who have been doing this a while said what a great show it was in terms of both buying and selling. There were plenty of kids walking around looking to make trades. Now there are definitely flaws as discussed here, but overall I got the impression the hobby is holding strong.

So it made me wonder, why doesnt it seem to be reflected here? Ive been on blowout for quite a number of years now and it seems to have changed quite a bit since even a few years ago. It is not just me either. Talking to both real life friends and people who were sometimes active on BO, there doesnt seem to be as much genuine hobby talk/show off/constructive talk as a few years ago. When I look back to my feedback over the years, how many members I genuinely liked talking to and dealing with are no longer active here. However some of them are still very active in the hobby and IG.

Why is that?

Obviously it varies from person to person, but a few said trolls who have no real interest in being "good members" here. One person said the forum turned into nothing but Lebron haters/lovers in every thread, doesnt matter the topic.

My point of making this thread is trying to be a bit proactive to get this board not to go the ways of SCF and HK and back to a really great community. Looking maybe to get some discussion and some own experiences and points of view as well as some solutions to get the forum to reflect the strong state of the hobby.

[SteveO21]

I honestly do think that part of the reason for the current vibe of the basketball hobby talk forum is because of the constant "debate" threads about what players are better, who sucks, etc. These are the threads that have 50 pages of replies, but if you bring up a discussion about actual cards you might get 2 pages most times. I am in agreement with whoever initially said that there should be a "League Talk" sub-forum and anything that isn't actually hobby related should get moved there. Those "debate" threads almost exclusively house all of the negativity on the board. Sure, you'll always have some level of negativity about Panini vs. UD/Topps and PSA vs. BGS but most of the really personal negative stuff is in the threads that would fall into "League Talk" category.

[Jpayne7787]

It was good to finally put a face to ya! I've noticed blowout b/s/t getting weaker and Facebook groups getting much stronger, I feel like it's bc it's much easier to use espicially with uploading scans and the various different groups and razzes and whatever else people prefer. I like to use both but maybe people prefer the like buttons on social media more

[bmp8878]

Great post and I completely agree with you. I have been seeing the same thing and try to just move on from certain threads/posts that really has nothing to do with the hobby or mail days. There are many great members here that provide fantastic advice and I try to focus on those posts/threads. Looking forward to other responses here.

[Jin]

I agree that the National was amazing - not sure of other sports but the basketball collecting world is probably the strongest it's been since Panini took over.

As for the forums, I noticed that collectors are starting to venture out into Facebook and Instagram. There are infinitely more avenues to showcase, sell, buy, and simply talk about the hobby than before. Few years ago it was just a couple of the bigger forums and Youtube, but with social media I think the collectors are being spread thin (especially the younger guys), leaving Blowout to become a platform for more niche high-end/investor sort of forum.

Edit: Also, there just isn't much to talk about in terms of the basketball hobby these days. When we do get new/exciting updates there definitely is a strong response here (like recently when Panini signed Reggie and Dame), but those are too far and between.

[minnesotachill]

The lack of quality Panini products being released on a timely basis is driving the prices of everything up!

I agree that the market is probably stronger than it has ever been.

[ThoseBackPages]

sadly, i feel that there are less and less collectors in the hobby as we near 2018

i see many mailday and break threads that state "all available" and the like. Never made much sense to me.

i get it, the hobby is expensive, but so is everything else really

[bmp8878]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

sadly, i feel that there are less and less collectors in the hobby as we near 2018

i see many mailday and break threads that state "all available" and the like. Never made much sense to me.

i get it, the hobby is expensive, but so is everything else really

So true. I always wondered the same thing with some maildays and if it is all about the flip. Either way I love to collect and hope the hobby stays strong.

[I only pull for]

2016-17 was a weak rookie class and Panini has dragged their feet releasing products this year. I look for this season to have little more excitement.

I also joined some facebook groups recently and noticed that certain groups are very active.

[yankeesfan24]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

sadly, i feel that there are less and less collectors in the hobby as we near 2018

i see many mailday and break threads that state "all available" and the like. Never made much sense to me.

i get it, the hobby is expensive, but so is everything else really

This is the sentiment that I have as well.

I see more people involved, but also more people trying to make a quick buck on a flip or attempting to create hype around a player.

For me, this is purely a hobby where I sell cards to put the funds back into my collection. Unfortunately, I am seeing less and less of that.

I would hate to see what the secondary market looks like in the event of an economic recession, as there seems to be less emotional attachment to cards. Could see a massive surplus for sale on eBay causing prices to tank.

[rogermaris]

Originally Posted by yankeesfan24

For me, this is purely a hobby where I sell cards to put the funds back into my collection. Unfortunately, I am seeing less and less of that.

Are you me?

[daxwills]

I try to stay positive, joke around, I really like the poverty mail day thread so I have someplace to put my mail days compared to y'all getting mj autos and logo man every week lol. But yeah the super negative argumentative members are annoying as is the "I'm only in this for the flip/money" types.

[biggieruth]

What was the Michael Jordan card manuilipation story.I never heard about it I just got back in the hobby.

[AbraCalabro]

Originally Posted by toxicboy27

(truncated for space)

Honestly I think there's potential for some cards to go much higher if there was greater trust in the market. If cards could not be counterfeited or tampered with. If there was a way to validate a piece of memorabilia's authenticity with absolute certainty. The answer might actually be found if you consider that in the cryptokitty auction mentioned before, because there you have a collectible, though digital, which solves many of the issues that sports cards currently deal with. With the cryptokitty, ownership can be exchanged seamlessly and with perfect verifiable history; it cannot be counterfeited nor tampered with without majority consensus agreement of the network (this is very difficult to achieve if acted upon fraudently); and there's no doubt about its authenticity.

How does this link back to cards, one might ask? Upper Deck tried to do something like this when they added a hologram trademark to their cards. Panini says they have a way of verifying that their patch cards are untampered with and are genuine. Game-worn NBA auctions have serial #'s on their tags which are now sometimes entered into a database that anyone can use to confirm that the jersey was game-used at a specific date. I think these are all steps which are moving towards a direction that can instill trust for the collector. The current system has many flaws still, but if card producers can take a hint from the cryptokitty and create a blockchain record system that might record vital information (have a scan of the card, provide relevant info about the memorabilia in the card, etc.) and enable any collector to verify that information matches their card at any time, then people might really start becoming comfortable investing more into their cards.

What's so hard about creating a card that has a high-tech hologram with a code that can be seen in it but does not show up when scanned? That code could link to the blockchain record of the card. Scammers would not know the code unless they had the card in their possession before. Tamperers would not bother touching a card like this either! To me that would solve a huge problem in this industry today!

It seems like common sense that card manufacturers should and would do something about protecting their customers, but for some reason such a thing has never really been established. I'd imagine that even a simple photographic database that clearly displays the autograph/jersey/patch as applicable with the matching serial number would work wonders, but they can't even do that. I get it, they make tons and tons of cards, but they surely have the money to do it, they just don't want to. Once the cards are out and they've taken in money from the consumer, they don't care.

However, going along with what you brought up, if it were a security measure that was included in the production process then it would serve both parties. Security for customers means happier customers means more business, but the reality is people are going to buy even if Panini, or any other company for that matter includes a letter in each box / case telling customers to go F themselves. I like your idea a lot, but we both know Panini is not concerned, they've got the monopoly and it's either their way, or the highway.

Originally Posted by Harper

Inflation is no where near the increase that cards have seen. That’s why many call it a bubble. Card prices are increasing much faster than disposable income. One caveat is a bunch of 90s kids are hitting the market now with renewed interest and better salaries.... and Asia jumped in on the fun. In 3-5 years Asia will get bored and 90s kids will worry more about mortgage and 401k... and I predict bubble will pop

You put that into perspective in as an astute way as possible, wow. As a collector, I'm not worried, that's a hopeful outlook for collectors all around.

Originally Posted by biggieruth

What was the Michael Jordan card manuilipation story.I never heard about it I just got back in the hobby.

Do you want the short and sweet version, or do you have a lot of time on your hands?

[duron]

I mean the comparison is a bit off in the first place - can't expect a physical hobby venue to be comparable to a site that admits will never separate the league talk from the hobby talk.

I've probably said "#leaguetalksubforumsmatter" (lul) 100 times. They're concerned it would negatively impact traffic. I doubt it would have as drastic an effect as they've claimed, but hey, if they're concerned about that possible 1% dropoff, that's their prerogative.

The secondary issue is how skewed the ratio is becoming between collectors and "investors."
It's so, so painfully easy to tell who here is truly passionate about cards, and who's just going through the motions. Pretending, even.

[WillC]

I still enjoy this message board. I haven't noticed it changing much over recent years. I've complained for years that there should be a separate league talk forum, as I mostly come here to discuss cards in particular. But I guess the league talk brings extra traffic and is often good fun and informative.

I stay out of the arguments though. Life's too short to be arguing on the Internet.

I'd definitely like to see more mailday threads, top 10 card show off threads, etc. Those are always my favourite threads.

I must admit, the B/S/T forum has got a lot worse, but that's nobody's fault other than Panini's. It's difficult to find non-Panini cards for sale. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd love a pre-2009 and post-2009 B/S/T section for basketball cards, so I don't have to trawl through hundreds of threads selling only Panini cards which I have no interest in.

[cjmccann23]

Originally Posted by WillC

I'd definitely like to see more mailday threads, top 10 card show off threads, etc. Those are always my favourite threads.

I must admit, the B/S/T forum has got a lot worse, but that's nobody's fault other than Panini's. It's difficult to find non-Panini cards for sale. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd love a pre-2009 and post-2009 B/S/T section for basketball cards, so I don't have to trawl through hundreds of threads selling only Panini cards which I have no interest in.

Agree with this

[Starman101]

Originally Posted by WillC

I'd definitely like to see more mailday threads, top 10 card show off threads, etc. Those are always my favourite threads.

I must admit, the B/S/T forum has got a lot worse, but that's nobody's fault other than Panini's. It's difficult to find non-Panini cards for sale. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'd love a pre-2009 and post-2009 B/S/T section for basketball cards, so I don't have to trawl through hundreds of threads selling only Panini cards which I have no interest in.

Agree with this as well

Well said

[I only pull for]

just to make this thread seem a little more like blowoutish... Jordan>Lebron..

[Scottish Punk]

Originally Posted by I only pull for

just to make this thread seem a little more like blowoutish... Jordan>Lebron..

Ha, I was waiting for this. My biggest gripe about blowout forums (and it is probably in all forums) is the endless "GOAT" threads. If there was one term I could wipe from the sports vernacular is that one. Kobe v Jordan, Lebron V Jordan, Brady v Montana ,etc. It all so tiring and pointless. The problem is that as soon as somebody mentions any of those name, the thread derails.

I wonder if some people are intimidated on some of the actual card threads. There seems to be a handful of dealers and big spenders that dominate the show off threads. If you don't come strong with a super mojo crazy $500 hit or high grade PSA vintage, than you feel inferior.
I don't spend nearly as much as others and am an SGC guy, so I welcome any other collectors still "slumming" it.

[WaiverWire]

I like the hobby. So goes the strength of the NBA, so goes the basketball collecting hobby. The NBA has never been better or more popular, so the hobby is strong.

I think most of the people that post on BO forums view the hobby as a business, or mostly as a business. Given the prices of cards, group-breaks, etc., it's easy to understand why. I think the board is good tool and resource. There are always a few rotten apples trying to spoil things, but for the most part the community is fun and interesting. Good threads, good times.

[IronMonkey415]

Oh you want basketball related thread?
YOU GOT IT

[JayConley]

The lack of competition has made us jaded. Now, Panini churns out 20+ products a year and only 4-5 of them end up mattering/good. That obviously ends up in disappointment and reflects on the morale of the boards, which are our most accessible vehicles of expression.

Also, we have moved to being a culture obsessed with hot-takes and some people just can't help but play devil's advocate. Your favorite player sucks and my favorite player is better. Your favorite card set from the 90s sucks and my favorite is better literally only because I was lucky enough to pull one from a pack when I was 11 years old. Were you even alive, nerdy neckbeard? Those types of comments are becoming the norm here and every other corner of social media (not limited to just cards).

We're all guilty of it, bad days happen. We really shouldn't take this hobby as seriously as we do. It used to be fun. Now, it just feels like gambling. Gambling mixed with schadenfreude. The Germans have such great words.

[SPauthentic84]

Agree to disagree on the separate forum for league talk. I dont think there are enough new threads where it takes away from hobby section. I also dont think there is enough "hobby talk" to fill up its own forum. Also, I always hated all the forums on SCF. It really made it not as fun in my opinion. Made it seem a lot more dead.

I think for me, there is a huge difference in debating something and arguing something.

...Perfect example is kyrie thread...95 pages. Its a select few literally arguing about things not relative to topic. Some people say "if you dont like it, dont read it" The problem is I do want to debate Kyrie trade, not argue about other things.

[BestRCs]

Whiny, nasty or negative people. People don't talk on the forums like they do in person.

A lot of times people just come on the forums to complain. I've seen waaaaay too many threads where people just come on to complain. Whether its about a service they received, a company (panini, PWCC), a card, the way a person lists a card, the way a person wrote a thread, about the topic of the thread while they verbally berate the OP, or poo poo on a way a person collects of what they collect. Tell people off because they don't know something, just to cry "shill!!"....etc... always complaining and sometimes all snarky too.

Hard to be "feeling good" when you keep running into "short for richard" heads on the forums crying being snarky.

Not to mention what has been mentioned above with the league talk arguments.... so silly.... It's brutal. Its like Lord of the Flies.