By: Josh Bern

The Cardboard Crash

Everyone is down at least five percent. 

As the National Football League has just six weeks left, excitement is at an all-time high for a few teams and their fans. 

Other teams and fan bases are looking forward to the NFL Draft on April 25th.

In recent years, this is when the football card market has spiked drastically. However, this year, the market looks a little different.

Players on the teams with good Super Bowl chances usually see an upward tick in their card values, but this year, we have not seen the same results. For example, one of the most liquid cards in the hobby is the Prizm Silver, a card that features a glossy finish. The 2017 Patrick Mahomes Prizm Silver PSA 10 is around $3,000. At this time last year, this card was around $4,000. 

Mahomes added another Super Bowl ring to his collection last year, so one would expect this card to be over $ 4,000, but it is not.

Top Quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, and others are either down or have stalled. So, what is going on with the sports card market? 

Jon Eck, who runs the monthly Sioux Falls Sports Card Show and has been in the sports card industry for nearly four decades, says, “The whole economy sucks, and people just do not have money to invest right now. If you are a collector, this is the time to buy. I have found many cards for my collection that a year ago I could not have imagined paying the low prices for them that I have.”

Dennis Worden, owner of Triple Play Sports Cards, thinks some is due to the poor play from the rookie and second-year quarterbacks. Bryce Young has looked terrible, Desmond Ridder got benched, and Sam Howell’s team is terrible. Investors have poured money into these guys’ cards over the summer and the past few months and are still recovering from their losses.

Mark Johnson, who has been the vendor next to my table for as long as I can remember, had some fascinating thoughts on the market, “I tell every one of my friends to buy the cards that will hold their value over the next couple of years. Think about it. Is Joe Montana going to get injured next season? No, he has not played in decades. Invest in the legends, and you will see a steady rise in their card values, but it will always be in the upward direction. Compared to the modern day stuff where it could go to zero.”

Avid collector John Christensen is happy with how the marketing is developing. He mentioned how the prices of cards and hobby boxes are self-adjusting to where they should be. John says his collection has been growing rapidly because he can open more boxes, and his favorite player, Francisco Lindor, cards are also leveling off. “I am not in it for the money. If I wanted to get rich, I would sell real estate. I am in it for the great memories these players provide for me and my kids.”

Overall, the sports card market has been down over the past couple of months, but hopefully, the economy will bounce back, and we will see more investors and collectors pouring their hard-earned money into the hobby. However, the multi-billion dollar industry will see its ups and downs like everything else. 

Dear faculty of the Midland Zoo,

It is with great disappointment that I am writing to you today. Our beloved polar bear, Homer, died early this morning at 16. The other two polar bears will be held in another exhibit closely monitored by our vets, Amanda and Chris.

A necropsy will be administered, and a cause of death will be determined, but not for quite a while. As you all know, our primary goal at the Midland Zoo is to protect and preserve our beloved species.

Homer holds a particular plane in many of our hearts. We will greatly miss him. Once again, thanks for all you guys do to protect and preserve our wildlife. If you have any questions regarding Homer, please contact me directly.

Upon opening the new website, I saw a few significant changes. I did notice a few new photos, such as the student who will be a future educator and one who will be a future pilot. Morningside is pushing its new aviation program, and this is a great way to do so. I read about the article on Marto Brewery who released a Morningside themed beer called “Dear Old Maroon”. The article mentioned how it was a partnership the college and brewery did. Morningside alumni and supports tasted four beers, and made submissions on which one should be the “Dear Old Maroon”. The beer contains a little warmer feel and taste, but it contains a very subtle fruity taste.

Scrolling down, I see “preparing students for success,” I like what is written here, but I would not say I like the photo with it. The photo seems too staged and needs to be more authentic. The guy taking the selfie in the background is what bothers me.

The next place I went to evaluate the new website was the “apply page” since this will probably be the most visited part of the site. I do not remember quite what it looked like before since it has been a few years, but my initial impression of the “start your application” is that it is very well organized. Below is a “contact admissions” with a Lewis Hall graphic, which I do not like. Lewis has an absolutely gorgeous exterior in the fall; why couldn’t they have used a picture of the building?

I like the “athletics page” on the website, as it includes excellent photos of players in action and even a short video of a baseball player. This will be a popular page on the website, as almost every student on campus is an athlete.

Overall, things are more organized and more straightforward than on the old website. Things are a lot more manageable. There are a few spots where I would like to see some different images installed, but other than that, they did an excellent job.

The Cardboard Crash

As the National Football League has just six weeks left, excitement is at an all time high for few teams and their fans, and other teams and fan bases are looking forward to the NFL Draft on April 25th. In recent years this is when the Football card market spikes drastically. However, this year the market looks a little different.

Players on the teams who have good super bowl chances usually see an upward tick in their card values, but this year we have not seen the same results. For example, one of the most liquid cards in the hobby is the Prizm Silver, a card that features a glossy finish. The 2017 Patrick Mahomes Prizm Silver PSA 10 is doing right around $3,000 right now. At this time last year this card was around $4,000. 

Mahomes added another Super Bowl ring to his collection last year, so one would expect this card to be over $4000, but it is not. Top Quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, and others are also either down or have stalled. So what is going on with the sports card market? I go to the local Sioux Falls Card to ask vendors their thoughts.

Jon Eck who runs the show, and has been in the sports card industry for nearly four decades says, “The whole economy sucks, and people just do not have money to invest right now. If you are a collector this is the time to buy. I have found many cards for my collection that a year ago I could not have imagined paying the low prices for them that I have.” 

Dennis Worden, owner of Triple Play Sports Cards, thinks some of it has to do with the poor play from the rookie and second-year quarterbacks. Bryce Young has looked terrible, Desmond Ridder got benched,and Sam Howell’s team is terrible. Investors have poured money into these guys’s cards over the summer and past few months, and they are still recovering from their losses.

Mark Johnson, who has been the vendor next to my table for as long as I can remember, had some very interesting information about the market, “I tell every one of my friends to buy the cards that are going to hold their value over the next couple of years. Think about it. Is Joe Montana going to get injured next season? No, he hasn’t played in decades. Invest in the legends, and you will see a steady rise of their card values, but it will always be in the upwards direction. Compared to the modern day stuff where it could go to zero.”

Overall the sports card market has been down over the past couple of months, but hopefully the economy will bounce back, and we will see more investors and collectors pouring their hard earned money into the hobby. 

A Twist of Fate: Wendy’s Unveils the New Pretzel Baconator

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-twist-of-fate-wendys-unveils-the-new-pretzel-baconator-301995519.html

In this short but informative article, this seems like an advertisement in many ways. The article includes a quote from Wendy’s Chief Marketing Officer, and the article also includes phrases like “one of the most iconic hamburgers in fast food.” However, this article does a good job of informing the reader, as it includes a brief history of the Baconator and the company itself. In addition to the ways in which this feels like more of an advertisement is that there is the mention of the limited time deal that with the purchase of $20 or more you will receive a free Pretzel Baconator.

I have been reading quite a lot of information on sports, go figure, but there are a few consumer product articles I read. However, these articles I read are less about selling the item, but rather they describe the product in detail and then rate it based on its appearance, performance, price, and durability. I get this article is about food, but I think it should be based on price, taste, appearance, and other factors such as nutrition. The whole idea of media is to state the facts and let the audience develop their own opinions. That is what I like about the consumer product articles I read, as they tell you all the pros and cons. Unlike, the Baconator article which claims that the Baconator is “one of the most iconic hamburgers in fast food”. I will politely argue that the Baconator is not in the top five of iconic fast food burgers. We have The Whopper, Big Mac, In N Out, Shake Shack, Whataburger, and the ButterBurger. Overall it was a fun read.

Diego may be a foreign exchange student, but he feels at home. So much so that his friendliness makes his friends feel at home. “My friend was hungry, and I gave him the food from Bucks after I finished my shift.” His friend thanked him, and they had a great conversation while eating. Diego exemplifies his friendliness by offering a “good morning” to everyone he passes by. Morningside University is very grateful to have such an amazing young man. Morningside’s advertisement tagline is “Welcome home,” for Diego, Morningside feels like home.

What’s In There?

On my way to bowling practice, I always pass this nonchalant building. On the outside, it is brick, and it is certainly not a very exciting building. An oval sign reads Palmer’s Candy, and the building dawns its signature red and black awning draping over its streak-free windows. When I swing open the door, I hear the jingle of a bell dangling above that lets employees and customers alike know someone just entered. A courteous staff member and an overwhelming amount of chocolate, candy, and other delectables greet me. The floors look like they have been there since the start, but they are well-kept. My excitement can not be contained. Navigating through the store is tedious, as one needs to ensure they watch where they are going because candy assortments are displayed in every nook and cranny. Wafting through the air is the smell of goodness—the smell of Heaven. The smell of chocolate would put a big, fat smile on Willy Wonka. The courteous staff has told me that they are known for creating the Twin Bing, described to me as a cherry-flavored toffee covered in chocolate and nuts. Fruity, chocolatey, and salty, what more could a person want? As you select, the friendly staff is ready to assist, offering samples of the latest creations or sharing their favorites. The excitement builds as you gather your chosen candies and chocolates, anticipating the sweet journey that awaits your taste buds. Once the goods have been attained, they are neatly put into a small white bag that is rather plain, but they let what is inside the bag speak for itself. Who knew that such a bland building could host a master of chocolate?

The moon pie consists of two perfectly round cookies of which taste like graham crackers. Layered generously between the two cookies is a marshmallow filling. The filling is white, creamy, fluffy, and ever so sweet. Each moon pie is packaged individually, and at first bite, one will experience the likes of a campfire smore, but with marshmallow inside. The moon pie is light and airy and weightless. However, when eaten the chewy layers of the cookie are the most prominent sensation within the mouth. And are packaged in a bland, noisy wrapper that will get thrown aside once opened.

The last conversation I had was with a fifth grader named Hailey. I told her that it was National Fast Food Day, and she asked me to look up what National Day it is on her Birthday. We found that it is National Nothing Day. She really thought that was funny. Our conversation took place inside of a gym in a Primary School. All of the other kids were playing dodgeball, but that is really not up her alley. We also talked about how she had dance practice after school, and she is starting to lose her best friend over dance, as her friend took her solo from her because she did it better. She said there first dance competition is at the end of January. Meanwhile, her little brother is a kindergartener, and he just started wrestling. Hailey resents her brother because he is allergic to almost everything, and so this is the reason they almost never eat out.

48-year-old Stuart Scott received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award last night in front of a star-studded audience. The journalist has been with ESPN since 1993 and has been battling appendix cancer for the past six years.

People are his passion, but throw sports in there, which is when Scott shines. “Every day, I am reminded that our life’s journey is really about the people who touch us.” His daughters Sydni and Taylor Scott are two of those he holds closest to him.

Scott closes his riveting speech with, “This whole fight, this journey thing, is not a solo venture. This is something that requires support.” It is something that Stuart Scott most definitely has.