Derek Jeter and Brian Lee Talk Arena Club Insights
In an industry built on tradition and rooted in analog practices, Arena Club is paving the way for innovation to advance the collecting experience.
“We listen to the consumer, and the consumer is me,” Brian Lee, the co-founder and CEO of Arena Club, shared in a video call.
Lee has personally felt the frustration of an unexplained grade on a card, the confusion of repack valuations, and the disappointment of receiving an inauthentic card.
“The most important things to us are technology, innovation, and transparency,” Lee shared. “We use AI and humans to provide transparency in the grading process. We utilize blockchain in our marketplace. We’re bringing innovation and having fun with it.”
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After Lee decided he had the insight, know-how, and resources to make the experience he desired as a collector, he approached longtime acquaintance Derek Jeter.
Jeter, a 14-time MLB All-Star, 5-time World Series Champion, and a beacon for the modern New York Yankees dynasty, had known Lee for about ten years.
“I was well aware of Brian’s success, and we reconnected a few years ago. He explained to me his idea for Arena Club,” Jeter shared.
When Arena Club launched in the fall of 2022, many voices from the collectibles community were immediately resistant. There was a growing tally of grading companies popping up ready to cash in on the rapid growth, and skepticism was high.
Initial perceptions that Arena Club was just another grader and a vanity project for one of the most famous athletes in the world quickly began to thaw. Much of what Arena Club offers emerged from problems the founders experienced, and the collecting community embraced that.
“All of my personal cards, cards that I collected, memorabilia, and old school videos from high school, my parents kept it all at their house. We had a flood in Michigan and it all got ruined,” Jeter said. “So when Brian was explaining [Arena Club] to me, it really hit home. I couldn’t be more excited about the idea, but then also working alongside Brian.”
Their other co-founder, Jesse Glass, also lost his own collection in a fire. The safety and security of vaulting their collections was born not only out of an innovative practice, but personal experience from devastation and loss.
“I’m not just some endorser, we are partners. We looked at it as ‘this is a void in the space, what would we do to make our own experience better?’ You can only win and be successful because it’s organic and authentic to who you are,” Jeter said.
The Showroom feature of Arena Club is a way for collectors to have their cards housed safely, while also having them on display and available for community interaction. Both Lee and Jeter have Showrooms where other collectors can admire other’s collections and even make offers, all with the assurance of a digitally tracked provenance.
As a company bridging the traditional aspects of collecting with modern technological advances, Lee and Jeter both look to their roles as fathers to enhance the hobby experience for future generations.
“My son is one of the main reasons I started Arena Club. He’s a passionate collector. He’s deeply into baseball: Soto, Sasaki, Skenes, Judge. I’m hoping he is successful enough to pay for his college tuition,” Lee shared with a laugh.
“My oldest is 7, and she just started trading Pokémon cards. She’s running her own little business and teaching her sister,” Jeter said.
As collectors themselves, both Lee and Jeter remain in pursuit of personal grails. Lee loves to collect the greats, like a recently acquired gem mint 10 Sports Illustrated card of Michael Phelps. He also collects Norman “Normie” Kwong, a Canadian born football player that paved the way for Asian professional athletes.
“I collect amazing athletes,” Lee said in summation of his collecting style.
Jeter lost a mint Mickey Mantle rookie card in the flood, but he emphasized that he has cards of one of his favorite players, Dave Winfield, that may not have much monetary value but are extremely valuable to him.
“The great thing about card collecting, people go for what they think is the most valuable card, but also what is the most valuable card to YOU.”
As an Asian-American, Lee also mentioned he collects Shohei Ohtani, the inaugural member of the MLB 50/50 club and a leading force in a World Series defeat of Jeter’s Yankees. After they jested about Lee’s bragging rights as a Dodgers fan, we segued into discussing inclusivity and how Arena Club contributes.
“We’re definitely bringing that forward, but we focus just on the players themselves. There are no color barriers to greatness. Ohtani speaks to that…I can't think of a better hobby to be in, truthfully. I just love watching, following, and collecting,” Lee said.
“Also, the re-emergence of women's sports. I have three daughters and I’ll sit down to watch, say, a basketball tournament, and my youngest will ask ‘Where’s the girls? Turn on the girls!’” Jeter shared. “Like Brian said, greatness comes from all walks of life. That’s the great thing about the card industry.”
When asked about the recent introduction of Instant Rips, a repack product on the Fanatics Live platform, both Jeter and Lee were happy to see their repack product, Slab Packs, had been an inspiration.
“We feel great about it!” Lee exclaimed. “We are super excited that others are making the industry stronger through innovation.We like competition, it keeps us on our toes.”
“Even though [Arena Club is] very young, we are trendsetters, and being a trendsetter is a good thing,” Jeter concluded.
Lauren is a writer, collector, Orlando Magic basketball fan, and artist. Her writing can also be found on Hobby News Daily. You can follow her at instagram.com/laurengoeshere.