Monday, August 3, 2009

My Take On The National

There have been a ton of posts on all the blogs already about what happened at the national, lack of foot traffic, dealers not giving two shits about it, etc. And though Beckett seems to think this National was "teh best natty con EVAR," its become undeniable that something just wasnt the same. It could have been the city, it could have been the economy, it could have been all of that or none of it. One thing remains, however, the national card show has a few problems and they arent going away.

The main thing that I believe is the reason the national attendance has been going downhill is because its a card show. That is one reason that no one seems to get. Who wants to pay $250 for plane fare, 100 bucks for hotel, 8 bucks for parking, 20 bucks for admission, and all sorts of money for food, just for a card show? Yes, there are a lot of people there, but in all reality, there is now a free card show that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in ebay. In any economy where people arent scrounging for money, it wouldnt be too much of a factor. However, when disposable income is at a complete minimum, why even make an effort?

Add in the fact that you have mediocre autograph guests charging hundreds, and there is an even bigger problem than before. When you have someone at the show like Barry Sanders, thats all great and everything, but when he charges as much as he does, it loses appeal for collectors who normally would pay under 100 bucks for a great photo and or football on eBay. The same prices were true for last year, but the economy was different.

Then, when you have hundreds of dealers all competing for the dollars of the few consumers who live in the area or made the trek, you would expect that it would be a buyer's market. From the many reports I got through email and on the boards, however, the dealers were not able to make it a buyer's market due to the fact that they were having trouble making rent for the show. Also, they had such poor service that people were turned off by their actions and went elsewhere. Its been quoted on a few places that the dealers' biggest customers were other dealers, im guessing because so many people needed stuff to sell to the dwindling customer base.

My thought is that even though the economy will rebound, events like this will not. People are starting to wise up on the best places to get deals, and will go to these events more to be around other collectors and to see their favorite card company's booth. They will not go to buy cards from a dirty old man who charges high book. Beckett wants you to think that the national is the best thing since sliced bread, because they know its the one place where they can do more than average bloggers, and because book value is everywhere there. It makes them seem relevant in the hobby more than they really are. The fact is, many bloggers dont need to go to the event because of the lack of interest to most readers, and because there is already enough communication with the manufacturers outside of the show. Bloggers WANT to go to the show to meet people in person, but I guarantee you that none of them spent more than a hundred bucks or so, give or take.

Under that assumption, I would encourage the bloggers to make a trip next year to Baltimore, but not with the idea of providing the "OMG, we are everywherez!" coverage that Beckett did. I think it should be more about educating the public, showcasing our talents as hobby media personnel, and getting to know the reader base. If you want to do interviews, why wait for a once a year event? Its your responsibility to seek them out for your readers the whole year long. Use the national the way it should be used, as a gathering of the populace, not as a place to show readers that you can get interviews with Scotty Prusha and Tracy Hackler. These are people who would normally scoff at your attempt at providing news as a "cesspool of misinformation," and shouldnt be the people that get the stage at any time, let alone at a card show.

Bloggers and message boards are the new number one source for hobby commentary and news. Everything else is stale and outdated. Its time to show what we got 24/7/365 instead of just for one weekend.

27 comments:

  1. I think the problem is a combination of a lot of the same things that you talk about, mainly eBay. People just don't need to leave the house anymore to get the cards that they want. But, they would if it was worth it.

    It probably isn't worth it to fly in and get a hotel room just to get a card show. But, it is worth it if you live within driving distance. I think people are even prepared to pay a little more than they would on eBay just to talk to and buy from a living human being and hold the card in their hands. Not book value, though.

    Since I doubt that many people traveled far to go there, the show relies on locals to come out. First of all, it seems like the entrance fee was a lot ($20 to get in + $8 parking I heard). Second, nobody knew but serious collectors or idiots like me who spend their free time reading blogs. There was absolutely no marketing. None. Nobody in Cleveland knew it was going on. I didn't hear or see a single add on TV or in the paper.

    I think that it would have interested some people who aren't currently collecting, if only they had known about it.

    Just a terrible job.

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  2. I think we found a preview of what it could be like with the right innovation. FCB did some great things with contest, streaming video/audio, contest etc. Reading the twitter updates that a lot people brought to the table made it pretty cool too. But you're right, this will only work if organizers move this forward and embrace some of the change in the hobby.

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  3. Forgot to mention: VOTC did an awesome job with the tweets and pictures. Very cool!

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  4. Your take? Laughable. You weren't even there.

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  5. Maybe you should have your own thoughts and experiences, instead of living vicariously through a bunch of dim-witted, jaded "collectors".

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  6. Pfff. The jackball still has not addressed my point about having a take on some event one did not attend.

    Potshots at Gellmans wife...sad. Published in Beckett...laughable.

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  7. He's a troll, and thats what trolls do. They try to get a rise out of as many people as possible to get off. The funny thing is, that the only person who is all hot and bothered is Ryan.

    Im guessing that the peak of Ryan's life was winning that contest, so he needs to drum up excitement any way he can just to pass the time in his miserable existence. Why else would he come here looking for a fight?

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  8. See you in Baltimore next year. Start rubbing your pennies together. Hopefully, they'll mate and you'll be able to by a plane ticket. Plus Maryland is an expensive place so good luck. It would be a shame though, if you spent all that money and then, for some reason, weren't allowed in the show. That would be dreadful.

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  9. Insert Set Spotlight. Awesome. Which issue are you submitting to Pulitzer? I'd love to read that one.

    Summary of Insert Set Spotlight:

    Hello fellow Beckettrons! Back with another edition. There is a new Insert set in this years Topps. It's awesome. Also looks like SP's are back in A&G this year. Back by popular demand in my opinion! Awesome! See ya next month!

    Let's face it, if Beckett could sell more ads, you wouldn't have a spot.

    Hey, look! I have a comment on SCU! Consider me a 'published author'!

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  10. Put a lid on her Turkish before she gets bit. You don't wanna get bit, do ya sweetheart?

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  11. Lets go to Ryan, who is on location with a special report. Ryan?

    Hello!

    My name is Ryan Schear. You may remember me from such SP set reports as, "Topps Mayo: Is It As Good As Hellman's?" and "Upper Deck Series 1: SP stands for Super Popular!"

    Today I am here at the national card show with the SP report for the show. From what I can tell, there are quite a few SPs at the show.

    Back to you!

    Thanks...Ryan...umm... that was...umm informative.

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  12. I guess I'm just another person that you're envious of. See you in Baltimore, betcha won't make it (Something will come up).

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  13. SMG - Ryan is too dumb to make a point, so he acts like most trolls. If he was smart enough, he would post actual responses instead of just sticking up for people who sent him some NFL tickets.

    Also, his life is so empty, that he regularly visits a site which he obviously has no reason to, just to leave comments with the idea of getting some form of human interaction that he has missed. I mean look, he constantly posts a resume everytime he feels insecure, threatens violence, takes personal shots instead of addressing the points. Its all very similar to someone who only uses the internet to fill a void, or someone with a really, really tiny penis.

    I mean, people have sent me emails wondering if he is special or something. I even got sent his facebook page a while back. Trust me, he is a sad, sad little man. Its just fun toying with him.

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  14. I'm done with this for now. See you in Baltimore, we can settle it then.

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  15. Settle what? You want to fight me? What are you, 10 years old?

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  16. I like how you chose what and what not to post, makes you look stronger. This sure is an uncensored site. No, I'm not going to fight you. Losing my great job, house, car, salary is not worth you. We can hash it out. You can express your feelings, talk to Hackler, see if you can back up what you spew on this site. I doubt you'll say anything else because you're a coward. We'll see exactly what type of person you are when you come face-to-face with the people you bash on a constant basis. My guess it you won't say shit, but who am I? See you in Baltimore.

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  17. I guarantee this jackball would be one of the stars of "Hot Cicks with Douchebags" if we had an image of him at the bar. Very full of himself and oblivious to his own douchieness.

    I don't think Gellman needs to talk to Hackler. Hack knows the root of this blog and chooses to ignore it.

    Job, car, house, salary...blah blah...moron.

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  18. Seriously, what the fuck just happened here? All I can figure out is that some guy named Ryan, who apparently considers writing for something called Insert Set Spotlight as being "published", came here (for not apparent reason) to swear at Gellman and drop "we'll settle this later" threats like he's a 10 year old.

    Then, also for no apparent reason and concerning nothing in particular, he drops a semi-obscure line from a 10 year old Guy Ritchie movie. I guess in the hopes that someone will recognize it and think that he's cool.

    I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

    This is one of the most entertaining threads I've come across in a long time.

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  19. Hackler used to post until he was banned by Mr. Uncensored. And for those of you who didn't get the Snatch reference. SMG is obviously Tubbo's girlfriend. That was a hint that he might want to shut his girlfriend up. Obviously you like what I have to say otherwise I would've been banned as well.

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  20. I cant "ban" anyone, it doesnt work that way.

    Plus, I have never prevented anyone at beckett from posting on here. They havent even tried for months, even though they visit every day - just like you.

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  21. But you can prevent posting what he says. Mr Uncensored likes to censor people. I've written more, where is it Mr Uncensored? I thought this was Sports Cards UNCENSORED?

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  22. Sorry, you going on a paragraph long tirade about my wife is not going to make it on here.

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  23. I didn't write about her (so you're a liar on top of it all) but I do want to see a pic of her. You show me yours, I'll show you mine. I want to see what someone in your physical condition marries.

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  24. Ryan, what's in it for Gellman? He's not in to anime.

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  25. Seriously Ryan, are you in middle school or something? What the fuck is wrong with you?

    And you don't need to explain the Snatch reference. We got it. It just wasn't very funny or interesting.

    You, however, are a laugh riot.

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  26. Yeah, Scratcher, I think its reached a point where we have to ask ourselves if Ryan isnt fucked up in some way. Im not really sure why he is so interested in my wife? Its like when you are having a fight with someone, you know they are right, so to swing things in the wrong direction, you make momma jokes. Since Ryan obviously hasnt graduated from elementary school, he doesnt see that we are above that.

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