When I was growing up in the 1990s, there was a war between two sports: Soccer and Baseball—The Beautiful Game vs. America’s Past Time.

If you were from The States, soccer was labeled a sport for wimps. If you were from Europe, Baseball was not a real sport because the players stood around more than they moved.

Today, soccer is fast becoming one of the most popular sports in America, and baseball struggles to keep viewership up. Did soccer win the war? What is causing baseball to fall and soccer to rise? 

Here are my thoughts.

To be fair, soccer has not exactly skyrocketed to the top of the American sports chain, and baseball has not exactly fallen off, but there is truth to the rise of Soccer and the fall of Baseball. More kids are running around in Messi and Ronaldo shirts, US Soccer stars are finding success at the highest levels, and with the World Cup coming to the America’s, we could see the sport's already growing popularity surge.

Meanwhile, Baseball has been trying to find a way to get more viewership for years. Every season, there is news of a potential change in the sport. They recently changed the pitch clock and limited throwing to first (improvements, in my opinion). Making changes is nothing new, but the MLB makes it clear they do it because they are worried about losing more viewers.

In the sports card collecting world, the signs are clear. When I go to a card show, vendors tell me they wish they had brought more soccer cards because so many people asked for them. This year, The National had a trade night for soccer created by people within the community to deliver the demand that some are still ignoring. So why is soccer on the rise?

If I gave you all the reasons, this would be a dissertation, not a short essay. So, to keep it short and simple, it comes down to money. English soccer is at the forefront of the sport, and the owners of the English teams decided they wanted to start profiting off the game instead of owning teams for fun. Who better to look towards profiting off of the sport than the NFL? They took insight from the American league and figured out how to make their game reach a wider audience, ultimately resulting in more viewership and more TV rights. 

With more money came more pageantry, top players became superstars, and the bridge leading across the pond got bigger and bigger. Larger networks in the US now wanted to air the sport, and with that, people finally got to see that the game was a contact sport and that flopping did not exist in every game. David Beckham, FIFA, social media, and something new to get into also created this snowball that keeps rolling down the hill and doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

Baseball, on the other hand, was left unchanged up until recently. Many feel the changes for the sport are coming too late. New generations want something different. 

Let’s not bury Baseball entirely. As I said before, baseball is starting to make improvements. Speeding up the game will significantly help build more interest. People don’t have the time or the patience they once did (sad but true). Superstars are still on the rise. Ohtani is big for the sport, and Aaron Judge sets records every day (it seems like it). There is plenty to love about baseball, and I will not give it up, nor do I think we should.

Baseball still has a lot to offer, and that's why I don’t believe that soccer has won the war, but there also shouldn’t have been a war in the first place. Both sports are great in their own right and deserve to be celebrated, but if I were baseball, I would read the writing on the wall before its too late.

With Topps releasing Chrome Basketball and Composite Football, the topic of unlicensed sports cards has heated up. Both sets contain some of the most sought-after rookie cards in recent times, and many have jumped at the opportunity to obtain them even with the missing logos. Meanwhile, I remained on the sidelines, reluctant to get in on the action, but something about one of these sets changed my mind. 

First, I want to tell everyone that I am not a fan of non-licensed sports cards. They always feel incomplete and like something is missing (because something is missing). I like seeing players exactly how they were in the moment, not with something blatantly taken out. It’s always too obvious and takes away from the artistry of the card, in my opinion.

I understand why some people like non-licensed products. Sometimes, the missing logos simply don’t bother them—no explanation is needed. Others watch sports to witness athletic prowess and follow the best players, not necessarily teams. 

I like athletic prowess and certain players, but I also like logos, colors, and uniformity because it adds an extra artistic element to sports.

My opinion does not mean that I’m right. My opinion does not mean I am a better person because I like licensed over non-licensed. I wanted to write this because I am tired of the discourse that comes up during this topic. Someone who does not like non-licensed sports cards is often labeled a snob, and people who do like them are labeled consumers who will buy anything.

Neither is true. Buying sports cards is about personal preference. You don’t have to like them; there is also no problem with liking them. Although, I would be lying if I didn’t cringe a little when I see people opening up these products hoping to win the lottery by pulling a rookie auto. Still, to eaches own. If that makes you happy, go for it.

With all that being said, I’m starting to see things differently when it comes to collecting non-licensed sports cards, and that’s because of Topps Composite Football.

Topps nailed this set by creating many cards where the players are positioned in ways that you wouldn’t be able to see the logos anyway. This creates an aesthetic where the missing logos aren’t as noticeable. Topps didn’t invent anything new, but by using this technique frequently and combining it with a variety of very cool mini-sets, they produced a stellar, non-licensed product.

It also helped that almost the entire lineup is made of legendary players I grew up watching or idolizing. I’m a big fan of collecting players from the past, so this set was perfect for me in that aspect.

I still didn’t like the cards where you could tell there was a missing logo. Nothing can change my opinion about those. That’s also why I didn’t enjoy Topps Chrome Basketball. Too many cards were in that set where the missing logos were very obvious.

In the end, Topps Composite Football was a fun product and taught me that non-licensed sports cards can be fun.

Thank you for reading my opinion, and if you would like to see what I pulled when opening up some Topps Composite Football, please check out my video: https://youtu.be/wLjPEVMQi9g

The NFL set the stage for the regular season with a highly anticipated showdown between the two biggest stars of the new generation. A game that has always been the defining match up of the season since the arrival of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Some have likened it to the new Patriots vs. Colts: a clash of two of the best quarterbacks on Superbowl-contending teams battling for glory. I've personally compared it to a potential Messi/Ronaldo era. The keyword here is 'potential '.

Was it a genius move by the NFL to provide the best match up of the season on day 1? Did the game live up to all the hype? And did Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson put on a performance like a prime El Clasico at the Bernabeu (another soccer reference)?

Let’s get into it. 

If you read my last piece on my opinion on the state of the league, you would know that I’m not high on the NFL right now. Too many rule changes have led to too many penalties, taking me out of the game and changing the once beautiful yet violent game I loved. However, you would also know that I talked about hope. Hope in the form of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson: the two dynamic dual threats that have been battling for a trip to the big dance since they both started playing together.

The constant shift in the rule book has changed the game, but so have these two players. Speed and finesse are king on both sides of the ball, and Patrick Mahomes’s offense showcases them best. Lamar Jackson glides the ball into the receiver's hands and tiptoes down the sideline on his way to the first down marker. This is how the game is played now, and although I miss the old days of brute force, I can admit that the shift in the game has created plenty of entertainment. However, the question still remains, was it a genius move to have this as the first game of the season? 

I ask this question because teams are sometimes stuck in first gear at the beginning of the season. Some don’t hit their stride until halfway through. If we had waited until then, would we have gotten a better match up? Well, after the game, that question became irrelevant.

Of course, starting the season with this match up was a great idea. It was the two biggest names in the game trying to start the season with a bang and guess what, they did. I don’t know how anyone else feels about it. I don’t have Instagram or Facebook and haven’t paid attention to any sports sections today. Part of me doesn’t want to know other people's opinions because I don’t want their point of view to ruin mine. After all, I had a blast watching that game.

It had defense (Chris Jones was an absolute terror, forcing the Ravens' offensive line to set up with seven blockers), it had offense (it would be too much to name all the highlight reel players on both teams), and even Derrick Henry was able to get on the boards (important because as a Titans fan, I still love King Henry). 

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There were still too many penalties brought on by an emphasis on illegal formation. Some of those calls were ridiculous (in my opinion). In fact, the first series started with three of them. Lamar Jackson also had moments where he could have stepped up and turned the possible into a definite (see the last two sentences of the first paragraph to get that reference), but sadly, he didn’t.

Still, when the penalties dried up and everyone got into their stride, the game lived up to the hype. Jackson and Mahomes didn’t invent the dual threat game, but they certainly have perfected it by fitting the ball into incredible windows and escaping the pocket to pick up first downs when needed. I saw some things in that game that truly made me believe that the sport is in the right hands. 

And that final play, come on, does it get any better? Maybe for Ravens fans, but let's be real: his toe was on the line, no touchdown.

Thursday night, the first game of the season, Chiefs vs. Ravens, was a great move by the NFL. For someone on the fence like me, it made me excited to watch more football this year. 

Here’s to the start of a new season.

How is everyone doing today? I imagine pretty well if you are a football fan because today marks the start of the regular season. To honor this day, I figured I would write a piece about my thoughts on the current era of the NFL.

I grew up a massive football fan. My favorite team was the Houston Oilers. Yes, the Oilers. Why, you may ask? Is it because I lived near Texas? Nope. Is it because my favorite player played for the team? Not exactly. I chose the Houston Oilers because I received a mini Oilers football helmet from a quarter machine at a grocery store. I was enthralled by the Oil Tower logo (not knowing what it was then). And the white, Columbia blue, and red colors spoke to me. I suppose when you are a child, those things are important.

I remember when I would tell people I was an Oiler fan, I would get a response like, “Really, the Oilers?” But they were my team, and I loved them. It also helped that a couple of young players named Eddie George and Steve McNair came to the franchise's rescue and got people to change their opinions. 

The Oilers were eventually uprooted from their hometown to start a new journey in Tennessee. The move devastated many fans, and I understood that, but since I wasn’t from Houston or even Texas, I decided to follow the team to their new state. 

Shortly after the move, our owner (Bud Adams) decided to rebrand the team, and the Tennessee Titans were born. I missed the white and blue uniforms with the red accents but embraced the new look. My fandom grew and grew. I watched players like McNair, Eddie George, Jevon Kearse, Steve Young, and Chris Johnson. I studied the greats like Earl Campbell, Warren Moon, Billy White Shoes Johnson, Elvin Bethea, and Billy Cannon. I also studied other great teams: the Cowboys, 49ers, Packers, and Patriots, as well as players like Lawrence Taylor and Fran Tarkenton.

My point is that I loved this sport. I couldn’t help but love it.

Fast-forward to the modern era. With the length of games, the number of commercials or ads, and the many rules changes every year, the love is starting to fade.

I no longer have time to dedicate three and a half hours straight to watching TV. Commercials have always been there, but being bombarded by ads trying to convince me to part ways with my money for things I don’t need is not fun. I already use my hard-earned money to buy things I don’t need, like more sports cards!

Kickoff, commercial. Time out, commercial. Punt return, commercial. Quarter change, first play, penalties. Commercials, commercials, commercials. It feels like half of the game is ads.

And don’t get me started on the rule changes. The owners get together every year and nitpick the sport until they come up with a rule change that they hope will bring them good PR. I mean, some safety rules are a must. Everyone wants to cut down on injuries, especially life-altering head injuries. However, this is a contact sport, a rough sport, and some things we just can’t prevent. Unless we want to turn it into flag football, which sometimes feels like the direction we are headed.

Rule changes also cause officiating problems. The number of flags I see every year is ridiculous. Punt returns are almost unwatchable because there is a holding call every time. Not all the blame should be put on the refs, either. When the rule book is changed more than we can blink, how do we expect the referees to be able to keep up?

The games are too long, the commercials are too much, and the rule changes need to stop.

Now, HOLD ON for a second. Before you get mad, let me explain.

Some of that was an exaggeration. Are they changing the rulebook more than we can blink? No. The game has always been long, and commercials are nothing new. I guess I’m just stuck in the past, wanting to enjoy the game like I did when I was a kid.

I do believe there are positive things to say about the modern game.

The talent in the league gets better and better every year. I don’t think Tom Brady was wrong when he said some of the rule changes are weakening the talent pool and making the game soft, but I do think the quarterback talent, in my opinion, gets more and more interesting.

Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are good for the sport. They are dual threats with accurate arms and quick on their feet. If Lamar Jackson can stay consistent, we could have a Messi Vs. Ronaldo like era. 

The younger quarterbacks in the league are also exciting. Will Levis (yeah, I did it. I put him first), C.J. Stroud, Richardson, and Lawrence all have great potential and create interesting conversations, especially in the card-collecting world. 

This game still provides great entertainment, and I like how they are making some corrections, like the new kickoff rule. 

The kids growing up today who love football will cherish this era as much as I cherished mine. That is something to always remember. Maybe I don’t understand this generation as much as I would like, but others do, and who am I to put them down?

If you love this era of football, I salute you. Do not let my inner cranky old-man monologue change that. This era still has a lot to offer.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rant. As you can tell, I am not a professional writer, but I find this platform a great way to express opinions that might otherwise just end up as a popped blood vessel.

Thank you.