Why would anyone pay for cardboard photos of strangers? Sports card collectors on Reddit gave seven answers, ranging from learning about the game and bonding with family to escaping stress, chasing profit and, for some, something close to addiction.
The study is by Scott Parrott of the University of Alabama. It was published online on January 15, 2025 in the journal Communication & Sport.
The hobby boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when fans could not watch live sports. US trading card sales on eBay grew 142% between 2020 and 2021, and more than 100,000 people attended the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland in July 2024. Yet researchers have paid little attention to why fans collect.
Reading the hobby’s own explanations
Parrott searched Reddit for posts with the phrase “why collect” in the r/baseballcards, r/basketballcards and r/sportscards communities. Six original threads yielded more than 320 comments, covering sports from baseball to Formula 1. Posts about gaming cards such as Pokemon were left out.
Using the Uses and Gratifications approach, which treats media users as choosing content to meet specific needs, Parrott and a research assistant independently coded a tenth of the comments and reached the same conclusions. The rest were then coded and grouped into themes.
Seven reasons to collect
Education. Cards carry biographies and statistics, and older cards open a window on past teams. One collector called them “like holding history.”
Identifying with athletes. Many collectors tied cards to childhood heroes such as Michael Jordan or Ken Griffey Jr., or to following a career from start to finish. Some even collect cards of friends who reached the pros.
Entertainment. “Ripping packs” feels like opening gifts, collectors said, with the thrill of finding a rare autograph or jersey swatch. Others simply enjoy sorting their collections and admiring card designs.
Social connection. Local card shops and online communities provide kindred spirits. Cards also link generations: a father described packs as “a gateway drug for both of us,” and a mother said collecting was the one thing that brought her and her teenage daughter together.
Escape. Nostalgia came up often, framed as a break from work and stress. Several people returned to the hobby at the height of the pandemic, and one called hobbies “therapy.”
Investment. Some collectors resell for profit. One bought a $25 box and sold two cards from it to the shop owner for $1,000. Other commenters warned that the odds are stacked against investors.
Addiction. Beyond joking about “an addiction,” several commenters sincerely described cards as dopamine hits, and some said they had replaced drinking or drugs with the hobby. Others warned of people who had ruined relationships because they could not stop buying.
Cardboard as sacred object
Parrott suggests parasocial relationships, the one-sided bonds fans form with stars they have never met, may explain why people treasure photos of strangers. He also points to the reverence collectors show their cards, which are sleeved, sealed in hard plastic “slabs” and then wrapped in further protective covers.
He cautions that Reddit users skew toward young, middle class men in urban and suburban America, so the themes may not represent all collectors, and people may not always know their own motives. The next step he proposes is concrete: surveys at card shows and experiments on how handling cards affects fans.
Study Details:
- Title: Why Do People Collect Sportscards? Fan Motivations for Collecting Miniature Sports Media
- Authors: Scott Parrott
- Journal: Communication & Sport
- Publication Date: January 15, 2025
- DOI: 10.1177/21674795241309844