Watching Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2026 felt slightly surreal. Not because she lost—that was almost the least interesting part—but because it reminded you how quickly elite sport moves on. Serena is 44 years old, a mother and one of the greatest tennis players the sport has ever produced. There was a time when the entire … Read more
There are very few athletes who completely change the economics of their sport. Michael Jordan did it for basketball. Muhammad Ali did it for boxing. Tom Brady turned the NFL quarterback into a global commercial brand. In golf, that player is unquestionably Tiger Woods. Before Tiger, golf was already successful, particularly in the United States, … Read more
There was a time when the final whistle almost automatically led to the same scene. Two players met somewhere near the centre circle, pulled their jerseys over their heads, exchanged them with a smile and walked back to the dressing room wearing somebody else’s colours. It never felt organised. Nobody announced it. Nobody asked where … Read more
One thing I keep coming back to is what actually happens after a player’s career is over. We spend so much time talking about Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Munetaka Murakami or the next rookie that we almost forget the hobby has already answered this question several times. Retirement is almost like a second draft. Suddenly … Read more
The Japan hype in MLB cards is real, although I would not say Shohei Ohtani created it from nothing. That would be too easy. Ichiro was already there. Hideki Matsui was already there. Japanese baseball had already sent serious stars to the United States long before Ohtani became the face of the modern hobby. But … Read more
Fourteen million. That number alone is enough to make me stop for a second. PSA reportedly had around 14 million cards waiting to be graded, temporarily paused parts of its Value service and still collectors kept sending more cards. If somebody described almost any other business like that, you would immediately assume competitors were making … Read more
Whenever people talk about Scottish football, the conversation usually ends up in exactly the same place. Celtic or Rangers? For well over a century the rivalry has dominated football in Scotland, and there are very few derbies anywhere in the world that carry so much history, identity and emotion. If you have ever been to … Read more
There is something about Neymar that I simply cannot reconcile with the memorabilia market. Watching the 2026 World Cup, you can already feel that Brazil has entered another era. VinÃcius Júnior has become the player around whom expectations revolve, younger players are taking over and Neymar suddenly looks like a veteran trying to squeeze one … Read more
Fanatics is one of those companies where I keep noticing another piece of the puzzle only after it is already in place. First it was merchandise. Then Topps. Then Fanatics Authentic. Then SportsMemorabilia.com sitting inside the same universe of authenticated jerseys, balls, photos and framed pieces. At some point the question is no longer whether … Read more
Every World Cup creates players who suddenly look much bigger than they looked three weeks earlier. A goal in the group stage, two good games, a dramatic celebration, a few highlight clips, and suddenly the market starts treating a player like he has entered football history. With cards that is already dangerous. With jerseys, signed … Read more