Published January 19, 2026 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

There is something incredibly pure about watching sports simply as a fan again. Not as an investor. Not as a speculator. Not as someone with money on the line. Just as someone who loves the game for what it gives us.

Over the last few days, I had the opportunity to enjoy the NFL Divisional Round playoff games and the College Football National Championship with my dad. No phones. No distractions. No bets. Just the two of us (and four dogs) on the couch, taking in the game. And what stood out most was how free it felt.

For so long, the consumption of sports stopped being about passion and started being about risk. Every game became a ledger. Every big moment came with tension. Instead of celebrating an impressive touchdown, we would calculate the live odds. Instead of enjoying a gritty comeback, we braced for what a loss would mean financially. That’s not fandom. That’s fixation. When you have skin in the game, It strips the purity from the experience.

But the past few days reminded me what the experience should be. It’s supposed to be meaningful. It’s supposed to bring us together. It’s supposed to make you feel present.

It’s amazing how enjoying a big moment without worrying about money can bring you back to your roots as a fan. To a time when the only thing that mattered was the game. And there’s no reason that can’t still exist today.

Watching those games with my dad brought back that feeling I had as a kid – the same one I had sitting on the living room floor, the game on in the background, ripping packs and chasing the players I loved, the idea of “profit” not even a thought. I don’t think I even knew what the word “profit” meant at that point in my life. It reminded me what it’s supposed to be about. The strategy. The heart. The drama. The beauty of competition at the highest level.

And that’s exactly what collecting is meant to be, too. The purity of collecting isn’t found in what something is worth – it’s found in what it means to you. The player you believe in. The team you ride with. The memory the card holds. That’s the real value.

When we remove the pressure, the gambling mechanics, the social buzz, the unrelenting need to win – fandom returns to what it was always meant to be: something that brings us joy, connection, and meaning.

That’s the version of the hobby we’re fighting for. That’s the version of fandom we deserve. And that’s the version of ourselves we get back when we slow down the pace, choose intention, and remember why we fell in love with sports in the first place.

#CollectorsMD
When we take the pressure off the outcome, we get to enjoy the magic of the game – and the hobby.

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