Published August 26, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

Last week, a disturbing story broke from the Little League Baseball World Series: offshore betting websites were offering lines on games played by 12-year-olds.

Team managers rightfully called it “dirty” and “inappropriate”. Little League International formally denounced it, reminding the world that youth sports are meant to teach teamwork, integrity, and joy—not serve as fodder for betting platforms.

Like sports cards, baseball starts as a childhood pastime—a defining moment of joy, growth, and identity. But when greed, profit, and exploitation insert themselves, the innocence shatters fast.

The kids think they’re just playing a game. But behind the scenes, grown men are betting on every catch, swing, and stolen base. Youth sports are meant to teach these young individuals teamwork and resilience, not fuel gambling markets.

What struck me most about this news is how eerily familiar it feels. It’s the same erosion we see in the hobby when the culture shifts from passion to profit, from story to speculation. A space that once belonged to children and dreamers becomes a marketplace for greed. When the thrill is monetized at every turn, we risk hollowing out the very thing that gave it meaning in the first place.

At Collectors MD, we often talk about endless chase. Offshore betting on Little League games is a grim reminder of where unchecked greed leads. The stakes climb higher, the bar keeps resetting, and what once felt pure becomes transactional. If this can happen in youth baseball, is it any wonder it happens in our hobby too?

The question we each have to ask is simple: what are we really chasing? Is it joy, nostalgia, connection—or just another “win” to mask stress, boredom, or the fear of missing out?

Because at the end of the day, if we don’t pause, reflect, and reclaim our clarity, the game stops being a game. The cards stop being stories. And suddenly, what once felt like pure, innocent joy begins to feel like captivity—dictated by the predators and bad actors who profit from it.

#CollectorsMD
The game is supposed to be for the kids. But unapologetic greed keeps stealing the spotlight.

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