I’m not a sports buff

Actually, I’m not even a good bandwagon sports fan. I had little interest in major sports teams growing up -mostly due to a misunderstanding at a young age. No, my misunderstanding wasn’t me wanting to play with dolls vs. footballs…it was a strike. It was the summer of 1981 when the strike happened, I was 3 (3 and 3/4s!!) and an budding collector of baseball cards.

In the 80’s I would sit on the floor with a very small collection of cards with my dad asking what ERA meant and why it was so hard to get a .300 batting average. I would remember the ERA explanation for a week and have to ask again. He could always explain, because he was once a little league coach for my older brother -and like most people, my dad taught me how to play catch. I remember my first Tigers game, I remember the program I had where I tried to keep score -I kept it for years.

In 1984 the Detroit Tigers won the World Series…but I was only partially excited. I remember the team jumping on the field for one game and me asking if they one the series and being told “no not yet they have more games to play.” I was disinterested in the game: I hated baseball. I hated baseball players. Why? Because I could never understand the strike and why they needed more money. I hated them for wanting more money.

Between the years of 1981-1984 with the strike and it becoming common talk with the public, the value of baseball cards decreased and public interest in all collectibles has never recovered from the baseball strike of 1981 -or any strike by any major sports discipline since. Additionally the interest in sports cards (and comic books/comic book character cards) has also decreased…thanks to the numerous strikes in professional sports, recession, 9/11 and a million other things.

I’m sure a few people would like to disagree, but the truth is that in general kids do not trade baseball cards -the play Pokemon or some other game that trades cards. Sports memorabilia trading is mostly for big boys (and girls) with the money to spend on pieces of painted cardboard that will sit behind plastic, never to be touched. They’ll be appreciated, but they won’t be carried around in the back pockets of kids who want to talk stats with their other friends.

After years of waiting for the market to bounce back, I am throwing in the towel. I am selling all of my baseball cards, basketball cards, comic books, comic cards and a few other collectibles. It’s time to invest my money into something profitable…or something yummy like candy. :)