Follow the Advice of Hobby Influencers?
Influencers and media personalities play a large role in the sports card ecosystem. The hobby influencer industry exploded during the COVID-19 lockdowns when people turned inwards, and used podcasts and streaming software to communicate with the greater card community.
Anyone with a public forum to talk or write about the card hobby is an influencer. The author of this article, to some degree, is an influencer (though admittedly not influential) because they have an opportunity to publish stories, opinions, and profiles of others.
But should you listen to any of them? Sometimes you should, but many times you shouldn't. It's hard to discern when to do one and not the other.
But the best way to go about deciding is by judging an opinion or viewpoint for yourself and keeping an open mind. But most important is keeping a healthy dose of skepticism with anything you hear or see.
Here are some things to consider:
1. Lend an Ear to Skepticism
It's not always sunshine and rainbows out there. People that constantly keep from criticizing companies or other people that are not doing the right things should be kept at an arm's distance. The Hobby is such a tight-knit community. You'd be surprised how many times individuals get together to deliver coordinated messages across different media platforms.
2. Beware of Pump and Dumps
When you see a certain player or a type of card gaining steam on social media, you can bet it's an organized campaign to pump up the value of a card. The goal is to create and target "marks." A mark is someone that will fall for the message, giving the pumper an opportunity to dump their cards on them at an inflated value,
3. Even Watchdogs Need Watchdogs
One of the most popular influencers was a man named Juan Garcia who went by the name, Cardporn. His account would provide entertaining memes and posts, but he would also call out other accounts for what seemed like improper business practices. It turns out Cardporn was one of the biggest frauds in the entire space - ever. He created a fake charity to help authenticate a fake photo of a Michael Jordan jersey so he could make money. Garcia erased all his social media accounts and hasn't been heard from since. But it's almost certain he's out there lurking somewhere.
4. Beware of Celebrities
Antoine Griezmann pulls 1 of 1 Jackie Robinson with Fanatics CEO @michaelrubin #TheHobby do you enjoy watching famous athletes rip cards? pic.twitter.com/siqzVDTipy
— The Hobby 24/7 (@TheHobby247) June 6, 2023
Disclaimer: I think Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin has a lot of good ideas. But watching soccer star Antoine Griezmann pull a 1-of-1 Jackie Robinson cut autograph on camera makes you go, hmmmm. It's possible it was a legitimate pull by Griezmann, but as stated before, always keep a healthy dose of skepticism. The video above received a lot of views and I guess we all learned that even French soccer players are really into collecting baseball cards, right?
5. The Media
Remember that every media company depends on its investors. Sometimes these investors have motives or an agenda. Don't forget that. Even the writer of this article has an agenda. They want as many people as possible to read the article, they want to educate some people in the hobby, and they posted videos of some influencers they like to listen to.
Should you follow the advice of hobby influencers? It's always good to listen to different viewpoints and to learn from others. Just remember to proceed cautiously, make your own determinations, and keep an open mind.
