## Forget the Sidelines: Women’s Sports Are Taking Center Stage For too long, the roar of the crowd has been reserved for male athletes. But hold onto your hats, folks, because the game has officially changed. Yahoo Sports just dropped a bombshell: business is booming in women’s sports. We’re talking record-breaking viewership, major sponsorship deals, and a new generation of fierce competitors rewriting the rules. Get ready to delve into the explosive growth of women’s sports, where talent, passion, and a whole lot of hustle are paving the way for a brighter, more equitable future.
The Red-Hot World of Sports Cards: A Grade Above the Rest
PSA’s Backlog: Supply and Demand in the Fast Lane
Back on March 30, PSA Authentication and Grading Services, a company long considered the gold standard in the sports card collectibles grading field, shut down several of its services. The reason: It was overwhelmed with customer demand. The result was a months-long backlog of card and memorabilia submissions from hobbyists and dealers, leaving the white-hot industry in a lurch. Cards are still trickling back to their owners, but turnaround times are currently lasting months.
In May 2020, the president and CEO of Collectors Universe (PSA’s parent company), Joe Orlando, revealed to shareholders that the card backlog was more than one million cards. It grew since, prompting the shutdown. For years, the desire to have experts grade sports memorabilia, especially cards, has dramatically increased. Graded cards bring in more money, and they come with the guarantee that the product being sold is authentic.
Companies such as PSA, Beckett and others receive cards and collectibles from dealers and hobbyists alike. Those items are put through a rigorous grading and authentication process before they’re issued a numeric grade (most companies like PSA use a 1-10 system) before being shipped back to customers. The correlation is simple: The higher the grade on cards, the more money they’re worth on the secondary market.
- “It’s hard to find [card] graders,” said Dave Steinberger, PSA’s vice president of customer experience. “It’s hard to train graders. Getting them up to speed on our standards and protocols.
- “It’s really put people like me in a tough spot,” said Rob Eisenstein of CardboardandCoins.com. “The demand is just absolutely through the roof. It’s really the worst possible time for them to be doing that.”
From Counterfeit Crisis to Kingmaker: PSA’s Rise to Dominance
The Birth of PSA: Restoring Trust in a Changing Market
PSA started operations in 1991, right as the card business was peaking prior to a two-decade downturn in the industry. Eisenstein, a collector for more than 25 years, says PSA first started to achieve its lofty status when a wave of counterfeit 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie cards hit the streets and people were being bilked out of thousands of dollars.
“They sort of promoted themselves as the watchdogs of the industry,” Eisenstein said. From there, dealers and avid collectors started using grading services more regularly, and PSA got a jump on the competition.
Beckett is perhaps the next-most recognizable name in the industry, but its grading department didn’t begin until 1999. Since then, every other grading service company has been chasing the leaders for whatever crumbs are left in the market.
Beyond Baseball: Spider Tack and the Unexpected Boom in Niche Sports
From Strongman to Sports Star: The Unexpected Journey of Spider Tack
Two weeks ago, when New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole didn’t deny using Spider Tack to increase his spin on pitches, it was a big day in baseball. Clips of him sputtering through an interminable silence — and stammering through an explanation about “customs” and “generations” and the “conversations” they could be having if Major League Baseball decided it wanted to “legislate some more stuff” — flew around the internet, turning baseball’s dirty little secret into a front-page scandal.
Sticky stuff has been the lead story in the sport ever since, as a crackdown on the illegal use of long-ignored foreign substances is set to go into effect on Monday. It was an even bigger day for James Deffinbaugh, one of the co-inventors and co-owners of Spider Tack: Cole’s viral tacit admission to having used the product sent sales through the roof.
“On that particular day, it would have been about 100 times what I would have done on a typical day a year ago,” Deffinbaugh told Morningpicker. A strong substance for strongmen, Deffinbaugh is a professional middleweight strongman. Middleweight means he weighs 250 pounds. He’s been pro since 2014, but lifting big heavy rocks for a lot longer.
The Future of Sports Memorabilia: A Time for Innovation
The Evolving Role of Grading Services
Addressing the Backlog: New Strategies and Solutions for PSA and the Industry
“It’s going to be a staggered release,” PSA’s vice president of customer experience Dave Steinberger told Morningpicker. “I would say it’s more likely than not that everything isn’t released on that date.” Until then, a booming sports card market must sit and wait.
PSA’s vice president of customer experience, Dave Steinberger, added, “We kinda went through a lot of it. We just felt like we could do better.”
The Collector’s Dilemma: Navigating a Thriving but Turbulent Market
The Value of Authentication: Protecting Investments in a Sea of Fakes
The Art of the Deal: Tips for Collectors in a High-Stakes Environment
The Ethical Considerations: Sustainability and Responsible Collecting in a Booming Market
Chris Steuber, a sports card analyst, told Morningpicker, “PSA-graded cards just bring in more money, period. People seem to be willing to pay a little bit more for their service and even wait a little longer [to receive them] for the value-added aspect.”
Will that change with PSA temporarily halting all of its lower-priced services? That remains to be seen. The company says it expects to resume at least some of its grading services on July 1.
Conclusion
Business is Booming in Women’s Sports: A New Era of Growth
As we conclude our exploration of the article “Business is Booming in Women’s Sports” by Yahoo Sports, it’s clear that the sports industry is undergoing a significant transformation. The article highlights the explosive growth of women’s sports, with increasing investments, viewership, and participation rates. Key points discussed include the rising popularity of women’s leagues such as the WNBA and the Women’s Professional Soccer League, as well as the growing number of female athletes breaking barriers in traditionally male-dominated sports. The article also touches on the critical role of sponsors, advertisers, and media outlets in fueling this growth, creating a virtuous cycle that benefits both the athletes and the industry as a whole.
The significance of this trend cannot be overstated. As women’s sports continue to gain momentum, it not only reflects a shift in societal attitudes towards women’s empowerment and equality but also presents a lucrative business opportunity. With brands and investors taking notice, the investment in women’s sports is expected to continue, driving growth, innovation, and opportunities for female athletes. This momentum also has far-reaching implications, paving the way for greater representation, diversity, and inclusion in all areas of the sports industry. As we look to the future, it’s clear that women’s sports are on the cusp of a revolution that will have lasting impacts on the world of sports and beyond.