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HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.
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Welcome back to The Hobby Handbook with Alex, aka Clever Cuban Cards! In this solo episode, we’re dusting off the crystal ball to look ahead at what 2026 holds for the sports card market. But before we get to the future, we have to look back at the wild ride that was 2025.
From Fanatics' total takeover and the explosion of the high-end market to the "Rise of the Repack" and the unfortunate stumble of SGC, 2025 changed the game. We break down the biggest storylines of the year, including the mainstreaming of collecting and the controversial rise of the "corporate" local card shop.
Then, Alex drops 12 Major Predictions for 2026, covering everything from the race for NIL dominance to the future of Topps Chrome Football pricing. Will we finally see a true competitor to PSA? Is regulation coming to live selling? And who will be The Hobby Handbook's new co-host? Plus, we react to your hottest takes and predictions from social media!
0:00 - Intro & Welcome 0:22 - 2025 in Review 2:10 - The Fanatics Takeover & High-End Market Explosion 3:15 - The Non-Sports Boom: Pokemon, SpongeBob & Disney 4:40 - The Rise of Repacks 5:30 - Corporatization of the Local Card Shop 6:33 - The Shill Bidding Problem 7:02 - The Rise & Fall of SGC 7:47 - Monopolization: PSA & Fanatics 9:33 - Rising Costs Across the Board 10:00 - Prediction 1: The Race for NIL & College Cards 11:56 - Prediction 2: Topps Leaning into 1st Bowman 12:35 - Prediction 3: Regulation is Coming to Live Selling 15:42 - Prediction 4: Case Hit Clarity 17:15 - Prediction 5: Panini Pivots to Entertainment IP? 19:23 - Prediction 6: Live Selling Continues to Grow 21:15 - Prediction 7: No Clear #2 Grading Company Emerges 23:09 - Prediction 8: Serious Product Delays from Topps 23:52 - Prediction 9: Topps Chrome Football Hobby Box Pricing 24:39 - Prediction 10: Doubling Revenue in 2026 25:43 - Prediction 11: Pokemon’s 30th Anniversary Boom 26:25 - Prediction 12: The Search for a Co-Host! 27:50 - Fan Prediction: Topps Football Prices Skyrocket? 29:10 - Fan Prediction: Is Soccer Undervalued? 30:30 - Fan Prediction: Will PSA Volume Decline? 31:34 - Fan Prediction: Mass Boycotts Coming? 36:35 - Fan Prediction: Can BGS Make a Comeback? 37:39 - Fan Prediction: Baseball Market Heats Up 39:56 - Fan Prediction: Losing Trust in Grading Companies 41:53 - Fan Prediction: "The Hobby" vs. The Business 44:38 - Final Thoughts
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