Sports Cards Live
These are the audio tracks from Sports Cards Live (on YouTube). Host and lifelong collector Jeremy Lee is joined by passionate collectors, industry insiders, hobbypreneurs, content creators to educate, inform, entertain, and inspire hobbyists of all genres and experience. Sports Cards Live is an interactive livestream video podcast where you are part of the show as your comments and questions are in play.
Episodes
For the final episode of the Road to the National series, we welcome the team behind the show itself: Joe Drelich, Brian Coppola, Jim Ryan, and Communications Director Shane Winn, for a wide-ranging conversation just weeks before the 2025 National in Chicago.
We go behind the curtain with the people running the hobby’s biggest event and dive into what’s new, what’s improved, and what the future holds. This is a can’t-miss episode ...
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July 17, 2025 • 43 mins
In Part 4 of episode 275 the discussion with Evan Parker Mantel continues discussing the role of technology in the hobby—and how his team is approaching AI. From there, the conversation expands into a broader panel discussion with Chris McGill (HOJ), Josh Adams, and Jeremy Lee around hobby fatigue, content pressure, and the emotional toll of always trying to “keep up.”
The group unpacks what causes collectors and creators to lose ...
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July 16, 2025 • 41 mins
Part 3 of Episode 275 continues the conversation with Gordy Bonker as he shares his philosophy on content creation and community-building in the hobby. From storytelling to education, Gordy explains why he avoids gimmicks and trend-chasing, choosing instead to focus on authenticity, baseball history, and showing the cards with care.
Then, Evan Parker from Mantel joins the conversation, adding insight into how platforms like Mantel...
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July 15, 2025 • 38 mins
In Part 2 of Episode 275, Jeremy Lee, Josh Adams, and guest Gordy Bonker dig deep into what makes vintage cards the true backbone of the hobby. Gordy outlines why nostalgia, cultural relevance, and long-term stability make vintage more than just a niche—and why modern collecting often lacks the same staying power.
We also explore the evolution of Gordy's monthly vintage set breaks, including the mechanics, emotional complexity, an...
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July 13, 2025 • 43 mins
Why collecting with intention matters—and how one collector turned a 1954 Mays into a full-time brand.
We kick off Episode 275 of Sports Cards Live with Jeremy Lee welcoming Josh Adams (Midwest Vintage) as guest co-host in place of the off-gallivanting Joe Poirot. After event previews, including the Road to the National finale, HobbyPalooza, and the Vintage Trade Night at the National we dive into a viral Instagram post that stirr...
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In Part 5 of Episode 274 of Sports Cards Live, the conversation takes a reflective and at times fiery turn. The panel closes out with thoughts on when it’s okay to voice negative opinions in the hobby and how to separate emotional reactions from honest critiques.
Then, the discussion shifts to the rapid growth of Pokémon and other non-sport cards dominating sports card shows like the National. Jeremy, Chris, Josh, and Joe explore...
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July 10, 2025 • 48 mins
In Part 4 of Episode 274 of Sports Cards Live, we dive into the complex world of card breaking, gambling behaviors, and whether formal regulation should exist in the hobby. Chris HOJ, Josh Adams, Joe Poirot, and Jeremy Lee explore the risks of “regulatory capture,” the unintended consequences of legislation, and the emerging role of peer-led support groups like CollectorsMD. The conversation then shifts to a nuanced debate: is it o...
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July 9, 2025 • 45 mins
In Part 3 of Episode 274 of Sports Cards Live, Jeremy Lee and Joe Poirot continue the powerful conversation with Alyx Efron of CollectorsMD, pulling back the curtain on the hobby’s hidden addiction.
They explore how seemingly normal behaviors—cracking slabs, grading flips, chasing PSA 10s, even scrolling Instagram—can spiral into spending loops and emotional highs. Alyx breaks down the psychology behind the “hobby high,” how platf...
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July 8, 2025 • 52 mins
In Part 2 of Episode 274 of Sports Cards Live, Jeremy Lee and Joe Poirot welcome Alyx Efron of CollectorsMD for a candid and important conversation about gambling, addiction, and the darker side of sports card collecting.
Alyx shares powerful stories from real collectors including those facing six and even seven-figure losses, and explains how platforms like Whatnot, eBay, and even traditional wax ripping are engineered to keep us...
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July 6, 2025 • 47 mins
In Part 1 of Episode 274 of Sports Cards Live, Jeremy Lee and co-host Joe Poirot welcome Mike from Junk Wax Hero for a deep dive into grading philosophies, card aesthetics, and the growing “slabnostic” movement. Mike shares why he’s done submitting to PSA, how CGC’s partnership with JSA is shifting autograph value perceptions, and why collectors may be waking up from the “PSA spell.”
Mike breaks down his views on grading Hall of ...
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What if you can’t make it to the National — but still feel its pull?
In this special bonus episode of Road to the National, we’re joined by Dave Spinrad, better known on Instagram as @ratedrabbi. Dave has attended several Nationals, but this year, life, family, and a new calling in California are keeping him home. Still, he remains deeply connected to the rhythm of the hobby.
We discuss how the National serves as a spiritual high...
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July 3, 2025 • 63 mins
In the final segment of Episode 273, Chris McGill, Josh Adams, and Ben Burrows join Jeremy for a fast-paced discussion packed with sharp insights and hobby laughs.
Ben shares behind-the-scenes details on the ballooning scale of Fanatics Fest, including the event’s planned expansion to the full 3.3 million sq. ft. of the Javits Center—raising big questions about its future vs. the National. Chris and Jeremy unpack why these shows c...
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In Part 3 of this week's Sports Cards Live, Theo Rebottini (@clementecollector) makes the bold claim that player collecting is the best way to collect—and Jeremy pushes back. What follows is a passionate and nuanced debate about the pros and cons of collecting your GOAT, the emotional risk of collecting modern players, and the limitations of a narrow player PC.
Jeremy shares his multi-focused approach and personal player PCs (incl...
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July 1, 2025 • 34 mins
In Part 2 of Episode 273, the conversation turns toward one of the most personal and hotly debated concepts in the hobby: what exactly is a grail card?
Jeremy is joined by Josh Adams (@midwestvintagecards) and, for the first time on Sports Cards Live, Theo from the Clemente Collector YouTube channel. Together they unpack the evolving meaning of the word “grail” — is it about price, scarcity, personal meaning, provenance, or all of...
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June 29, 2025 • 56 mins
In Part 1 of Episode 273, Jeremy Lee welcomes Arena Club founder and serial entrepreneur Brian Lee for a deep-dive conversation into the origins and future of Arena Club—a company that’s trying to do grading, marketplace, and repacks differently.
Brian shares the story of how a frustrating conversation at the 2022 National with a vague repack seller sparked the idea for Arena Club’s “Slab Packs,” and how Derek Jeter—yes, that Dere...
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Chris McGill shares why the National is the hobby’s spiritual center — and how it recharges his passion every year.
In Episode 6 of our Road to the National series, we’re joined by Chris McGill, cofounder of Card Ladder and a passionate collector. Chris reflects on his past National experiences, including the unforgettable moment he tracked down a true PC unicorn: the 2017 Select Black 1/1 Christian McCaffrey.
We dive into what h...
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June 27, 2025 • 51 mins
In the final segment of Episode 272, Ben Hossler (Rolling Insights) and Chris McGill (Card Ladder / House of Jordans) return for a wide-ranging discussion that blends hobby analytics with collecting philosophy. Using updated Young Guns hockey data, we explore which players’ cards rose or fell in value and why — tying in performance metrics, PSA 10 populations, and even Instagram follower counts.
We go deeper, debating whether card...
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June 26, 2025 • 35 mins
Ben Hossler of Rolling Insights returns with updated analytics on PSA 10 Young Guns hockey cards, comparing mid-season values to end-of-season prices. He joins Chris McGill (aka Chris_HOJ) and host Jeremy Lee to break down which players saw price movement, what Instagram follower counts reveal about popularity, and how tools like Rolling Insights and Card Ladder can give collectors a potential edge.
They explore the concept of “ho...
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June 25, 2025 • 40 mins
In Part 3 of Episode 271, Chris McGill (aka Chris_HOJ) joins Joe Poirot, Leighton Sheldon, and Jeremy to explore the nuances of card value in today’s hobby. The conversation kicks off with the rising PSA 10 premiums and questions whether today’s multipliers — often 5x, 10x, or more — are truly justified by the cards themselves.
The panel dives into the psychology behind paying up for a label, how investor-driven logic has reshaped...
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June 24, 2025 • 42 mins
In Part 2 of Episode 271, Leighton Sheldon shares a real-life story from the front lines of buying vintage collections — a high-value deal that nearly fell apart over a PSA 8 card with visible debris trapped inside the slab. Hear how Layton kept his cool, navigated the seller’s emotions, and helped turn a tense situation into a productive outcome.
Then the panel dives into a deep and at times philosophical conversation about quali...
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