Stacking Slabs

What does the sports industry see when it looks at the hobby?
In this episode of Built for the Hobby, Brett McGrath is joined by Scott Lock of InfernoRed Technology and Dan Kaufman, Managing Director at Sports Business Journal, for a conversation at the intersection of sports, collecting, media, technology, and fan engagement. 
Dan brings a perspective few people can offer. He's a lifelong collector, a sports business leader, and someone who spends his days talking with executives across leagues, teams, media companies, and technology organizations. 
Topics include:
 Why sports cards are becoming a bigger part of fan engagement 
 How younger fans consume sports differently 
 The relationship between athlete performance and card values 
 Premium experiences in sports and collecting 
 The role of technology and AI in shaping the future of fandom 
 Why collecting remains one of the strongest emotional connections between fans and sports 
This conversation offers a look at where sports and collecting are heading and why the connection between the two continues to strengthen.

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In this episode of Stacking Slabs, Brett continues the conversation around taste, conviction, and building a collection that reflects your point of view.
This is not an episode about what to buy.
It is about how to think.
Brett walks through the questions serious collectors need to ask before making decisions:
How do you spot opportunity before consensus forms?
How do you separate overlooked cards from cards that lack demand?
How do you balance personal conviction with market reality?
What role should community feedback play?
How do you know if your collection reflects your own interest or the market’s influence?
This episode is a call to slow down, build with intent, and audit the decisions shaping your collection.
Because the strongest collectors do not need the room to agree first.
They know what they notice.
They know why it matters.
They know where they might be wrong.
And they build from there.

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Most collectors focus on the outcome.
The card.
The deal.
The mail day.
The auction win.
But the best things in this hobby rarely happen overnight.
They come from trust built over years.
Relationships formed without expectations.
Research completed before the opportunity appears.
Conviction developed long before consensus arrives.
In this episode, Brett explores the power of planting seeds as a collector.
Why patience is an active skill.
Why clarity creates opportunity.
Why trust compounds.
And why the collectors who seem to have the best cards, strongest relationships, and deepest collections are often the ones doing the work nobody sees.
If you're feeling pulled in too many directions or frustrated by the pace of the hobby, this conversation is for you.
Because the best things in collecting don't come from forcing the moment.
They come from doing the right work long enough that the moment knows where to find you.

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Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype
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What does it take to build one of the largest hobby businesses in Canada?
John Amendola, CEO of Mintink, joins Passion to Profession to share the story behind turning a pandemic-era card business into a national brand.
John discusses the early days of Breaks After Dark, scaling livestream commerce, hiring and developing talent, creating community through retail, and why relationships matter more than transactions.
We also explore leadership, mental health, customer experience, the future of hobby retail, and the opportunities most businesses still overlook.
This conversation is packed with lessons for collectors, entrepreneurs, and anyone building something for the long haul.

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A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.
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In this episode of Hobby Jobs, Brett breaks down why “building for the hobby” is too vague to guide a real business.
The sports card industry is not one customer.
It is trust.
It is convenience.
It is liquidity.
It is discovery.
It is fandom.
It is customer behavior.
Brett expands on this week’s Operator Note and explains why the best operators in sports cards do not build for a category. They build for a person with a clear problem.
This episode also looks at lessons from Bryan Shaffer of THZ Sports Cards, the value of category fluency, and why companies like CardVault show where hobby work is headed.
For anyone working in sports cards or trying to find a path into the industry, this episode is about sharpening your thinking, understanding the customer, and creating value that the market remembers.

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