eBay rejected GameStop’s Takeover Proposal… What this means for the hobby

Summary

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Collector Nation – May 15, 2026

Episode: eBay rejected GameStop’s Takeover Proposal… What this means for the hobby
Host: Ryan Alford
Regular Guest: Brian Ludden, CEO of Ludex
Special Segments: Leonard Barry (On It Sports)

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Overview

This week, Collector Nation dives deep into the culture and business of collectibles, focusing on the industry-shaking news of eBay rejecting GameStop’s takeover proposal. Hosts Ryan Alford and Brian Ludden dissect what this means for the modern hobby, from market dynamics and meme stocks to the evolution of technology at shows and within platforms. The episode blends candid banter, behind-the-scenes insight, tech teases, and a spirited look at the intersection of collectibles, fandom, and digital disruption.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. eBay’s Rejection of GameStop’s Takeover Proposal

• [01:00, 13:35, 14:03]
  The main topic: eBay firmly rejected a takeover proposal from GameStop. The hosts delve into why, what it signals about both companies, and the potential motivations behind the move.

  • Brian Lutt: “GameStop is not a good company and eBay is awesome.” ([01:00], [13:35])
  • eBay cited six factors for rejection, with major doubt cast on GameStop’s financing.
  • Discussion about GameStop’s meme stock legacy—its moment in the spotlight thanks to Reddit/Robinhood short squeezes, and how that speculative capital isn’t reliable for a major acquisition.
  • Unnamed Host: “It was all made up and they sold stock and that’s why they’re an $11 or $12 billion company with $9 billion in cash…who’s going to come up with 56 million?” ([14:38])

• Marketing & Publicity Angle:
  Hosts ponder if GameStop expected rejection, suggesting the real strategy was to align themselves in the public mind with the hobby’s dominant marketplace.

  • Unnamed Host: “It’s a genius move to let people know they’re in the same business as eBay.” ([16:28])

• Broader Hobby Implications:
  The news amplifies conversations around consolidation, tech advancements, and the legitimacy of new marketplace entrants.

2. Market Integrity, Storytelling, and Hobby Dynamics

• The episode is rich with skepticism toward stories that capture headlines in the hobby, often tying them back to marketing and media savvy.
  • Brian compares “lost and found” card stories (like a $140k Aaron Judge superfractor) to insurance fraud ([24:04–24:46]).
  • Ryan Alford: “Why I could easily—and people do—fabricate stories to create a story.” ([25:51])
  • In collectibles and news alike, hosts discuss how narratives are constructed to grab attention, boost engagement, and often, drive prices higher.

3. The Technology Evolution and the National Show

• [16:41–19:36]
  With the National Sports Collectors Convention approaching, Brian and Ryan reflect on how much—or how little—technology is adopted on the show floor:
  • The show remains rooted in tradition: dealers still use legal pads, pencils, and in-person negotiation.
  • Younger collectors and future leaders are more tech-driven, but for many, “the journey” (slow, analog, relational) is what defines the culture.
  • Ryan Alford: “Part of me wants to grab them and go, ‘Do you know how easy we could make this for you?’” ([18:07])
  • Prediction: “You’ll be unimpressed with the technology at the National.” ([18:43])
  • Plan: Send co-host Bella with a checklist of “new eyes” observations.

4. Grading Industry Explosion and Its Challenges

• [19:36–22:27]
  • PSA reported 3.1 million submissions in April—a mind-boggling stat.
  • Skepticism about grading consistency and quality as scale increases.
  • Jokes about graders working four-day weeks, using nap pods, and possible AI grading creeping into the process.
  • Reference to the lack of checks and balances; comparisons to meteorology (“They get paid to be wrong.”)
  • Brian and Ryan highlight tests by collectors who received drastically different grades on the same cards in multiple submissions.

5. Apps, Startup Tech & The Future of Collection Management

• [09:35–11:31, 27:28]
  • Ryan teases a yet-to-be-released app (Collector Station), promising a dual-purpose interface for both users and shop management, with novel twists on valuation and data use.
  • Hints that it could become “the TCG of sports card pricing.”
  • Ryan Alford: “I have a really interesting take on values that’s never been done in the right way.” ([09:35])
  • Ludex, Brian’s company, is also rolling out UI/UX updates—competition and innovation are heating up.

6. Collectors’ Stories and Community Moments

• Discussion of rare “God Packs” in Pokémon and the thrill (and agony) of luck at the shop ([05:43–07:48]).
• The hosts celebrate first-hand stories that bind the community, from customer pulls to in-store camaraderie and the “journey” of collecting.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the takeover bid:

  • “GameStop is not a good company and eBay is awesome.” — Brian Lutt ([01:00], [13:35])

• On meme stocks and market fiction:

  • “Isn’t there some wealth or some value associated still from that?” — Ryan Alford ([14:15])
  • “It was all made up. Just speculative.” — Unnamed Host ([14:34])

• On PSA’s record grading volume:

  • “I don’t even know how you could have enough graders or enough time in the day.” — Brian Lutt ([19:46])
  • “They got AI grading 99% of it. They just put the PSA logo on it.” — Ryan Alford ([20:43])

• On analog tradition versus tech at the National:

  • “That’s the journey for them. If you shorten it, it’s like taking out the best part of the movie.” — Ryan Alford ([18:22])
  • “You’ll be unimpressed with the technology at the National.” — Unnamed Host ([18:43])

• On storytelling and attention:

  • “That’s called attention engineering. I like it. It works.” — Ryan Alford ([26:36])
  • “We wouldn’t be talking about it right now if you hadn’t.” — Brian Lutt ([25:59])

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[ON IT College Sports Segment]

[27:13–34:42]

• Host Ryan checks in with Leonard Barry on women’s and men’s college sports, particularly softball and baseball.
  • Analysis of the “Caitlin Clark effect” (escalating attention for women’s sports). ([29:22])
  • Expansion of professional women’s leagues and rising investment/visibility.
  • Softball regionals: 12 of 16 regional hosts are On It teams. Nebraska’s drought and powerhouse Oklahoma highlighted.
  • Men’s baseball: Georgia Tech’s dominance and key players pointed out.

“What Caitlin Clark brought eyes to… some of these other media conglomerates and just investors in general are putting the money where their eyeballs are.” — Leonard Barry ([29:22])

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[Closing Thoughts and Community Vibes]

• The camaraderie and humor evident among all participants—discussing travel fatigue, White Sox games, and “bromance” over hot dogs and hobby war stories.
• Closing reminders: Ludex and Collector Station app updates are imminent.
  • “Collection management, knowing what you have, slicing, dicing, doing what you need to do, that’s the future.” — Ryan Alford ([27:28])

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:00] – GameStop’s proposal to eBay, rejection analysis
• [13:35] – eBay’s rationale, meme stock legacy
• [16:41] – Tech at the National, analog vs digital culture
• [19:36] – PSA grading explosion & consistency concerns
• [24:04] – “Lost” Aaron Judge superfractor saga, attention marketing
• [27:13] – On It Sports college segment: softball & baseball viewership
• [34:42] – Closing, apps, collection management, future show teasers

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Summary Takeaway

This episode artfully blends breaking news with context, skepticism, market dynamics, and lively hobby storytelling. eBay’s rejection of GameStop isn’t just a business headline—it’s a lens through which to view speculation, tech adoption, and new (and old) forces shaping the collectible world. The episode reminds listeners: whether you’re a data-driven collector, shop owner, or a legal pad and dollar box traditionalist, the hobby remains a vibrant, evolving community tethered to both its roots and its digital future.

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Follow the hosts on Instagram @RyanAlford and try out Ludex in the App Store. For more, visit CollectorNation.com.

Transcript

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[Brian Lutt]

It's pretty much that GameStop is not a good company and ebay's awesome.

[Ryan Alford]

What happens when you get associated with meme stocks? You know, aren't they just sort of wealthy because of all that?

[Brian Lutt]

Now they're in the sports card game and they want to have a stake in it. So they knew ebay was going to reject it. But it's crazy enough that we're talking about it right now.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

In the end, it's a genius move to let people know that they're in the same business as ebay.

[Ryan Alford]

So, Beckett, changing their logo and branding, how are they fitting PSA into that? PSA is Beckett. I almost said PSA is B. I'll leave it there. Welcome to the Collector Nation podcast. Here on the Collector Nation Network. Whether you're chasing grails or calling bluffs, we take you inside the hobby. Here are your hosts, Ryan Alford and Brian Lutt. What's up, guys? Welcome to Collector Nation. Here on the Collector Nation Network, you've got brb, Brian, Ryan, Bella. What's cooking, guys?

[Brian Lutt]

Oh, you know, life.

[Ryan Alford]

I just had some delicious chipotle that was cooking for me that Bella got for us. She cooked it right up.

[Brian Lutt]

Yep.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

That's always a good lunch to put you to sleep.

[Ryan Alford]

I, you know, I had the bowl, so no big burrito. It was.

[Brian Lutt]

I had the big burrito.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, okay.

[Brian Lutt]

And I said, I. Chipotle is great until it's really not great and you just gotta stop eating.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Well, I don't. I don't eat lunch. And when I do, I get so tired that I'm like, why do I eat lunch.

[Ryan Alford]

I eat light now. I don't eat breakfast, so I have to eat lunch, but I eat like I'm. Fortunately, I'm in the lighter, lighter mode. I've dropped. I've actually dropped like 17 pounds less.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

You look great.

[Ryan Alford]

Dang, you look great. You know. Hey, I appreciate that, Brian.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

I don't eat breakfast or lunch, and then I eat just dinner.

[Brian Lutt]

You're crazy for that. I don't know how you're functioning. I would be a ball of anger.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Well,

[Brian Lutt]

no comment.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

I'm just angry all the time.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Living that CEO life. Angry.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yeah. I don't get angry.

[Ryan Alford]

Brian, what's happening. What's happening at Ludx Chicago? I mean, give us the Chicago, you know, sports scene rundown and Ludx rundown.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

So the. The baseball teams are doing well.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

So, you know, not a Cubs fan, but they're doing. They're. They're a nice team to watch. Easy on the eyes. The Sox are doing well, so I'm for them. 500 low. Under 500. The Bulls got the number four pick in the draft. They should have had six or seven. So that. That's good. And then just waiting for the weather to turn. We like, we've had such a yo, yo. It's like it goes to like 75, 80 and then it goes to 50. 75, 80, 50. So.

[Leonard Barry]

So.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

And then Ludox, we're just, you know, we got some releases coming out, you know, with the eye towards the national for the big release, but we're migrating some of it over now. I showed you that super search, which is cool. And then the data. The data marketplace, and then just the new app. Just like Beckett released a new. A new look. Lux will release a new look and. But they'll get more pub.

[Ryan Alford]

Are y' all like, literally like a new logo or like a new. Just new. This the foundation of the app, right?

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yeah, just the whole overall experience with that UI ux. Yes, exactly.

[Ryan Alford]

You know, user interface. User experience is what that stands for. And it just. What it means is the ease and comfortability of the app experience for a technical and non technical user.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yep, you got it. And then I got a. I got my new background.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes. That's probably the most important part of it. We have Sir Goat, Sir Erinus, Michael Jordan, and yes, Brian and Ryan are actually in alignment on that. So if you don't think that's true, then that's your problem.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

You know what I found out this week about Pokemon?

[Ryan Alford]

What?

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

There's something called a God Pack, dude.

[Brian Lutt]

We've had one ripped in the store.

[Ryan Alford]

We've had four.

[Brian Lutt]

Oh, or ripped.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, and I ripped one with my son a few months ago.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Oh, you got one. Those are pretty legit, dude.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, one guy got a pack of ascended heroes. I believe it was that or prismatic. He got three $300 in cards.

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[Ryan Alford]

it done in one pack.

[Brian Lutt]

And Cole, who ten dollar pack, is our store manager. He was going to buy that pack himself and open it and he chose to do a different pack. And then the guy was like, oh, I'll take that one that you didn't get.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

And yeah, that's a tough one.

[Brian Lutt]

Yeah, Cole's still, still recovering. He's like, I actually haven't opened.

[Ryan Alford]

I mean, I would have been happy for Cole, but I'm happier than our customer.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

He's still, he's still in the corner sucking his thumb.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah, the will sell more in the store since a customer got it.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yeah, that's true.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. But, yeah, no, we've watched there's. I've watched two or three in the store. We've had a hot store here lately. And then I opened one at home. So, Ben, it's three or four in the last six months. And what's the.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Like, what's the chances of those?

[Ryan Alford]

1 in 10,000 or something like that. And again, I think it's three now. I know it's two. I might be adding one, but I think it's three. Two or three. Two for sure.

[Brian Lutt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

I might be confusing mine and adding that to the number, like. But we'll go with it just for hyperbole and promotion.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

It's better for the show.

[Ryan Alford]

It's better for the show. Three God packs right here.

[Brian Lutt]

But you know, what always happens is every time me, the social media manager, pulls out a camera, nothing is pulled. And it. It's actually.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Brian Lutt]

Driving me up a wall.

[Ryan Alford]

That's all we need. 24.7ctv. That's why. That's if I can ever finish these apps that's coming. Yeah.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

You have some cool stuff coming out.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Got collector station app coming and have baked into it some functionality that might be broader than just the app. If it does nothing but make our experience with customers. And. And because it's dual purpose, it's both for the users and our customers and for us in managing the store. So it's a dual purpose interface and I'm pretty excited about it. It's got a lot of things that, you know, I felt like we're probably missing. But then now owning a store for four months, I'm like, oh, yeah, they're definitely missing.

[Brian Lutt]

You gotta tease something.

[Ryan Alford]

I'll just say I have a really interesting take on values that's never been done in the right way. And so. And whether or not I pull it off or someone else pulls it off and uses an API or like, it could become the TCG of sports card pricing.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

That would be amazing because we need that.

[Ryan Alford]

We need it.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

And people don't realize that you do a lot of tech. Like, you are not scared of technology. You create some awesome things. Yeah. So I'm sure this is going to be just as awesome.

[Brian Lutt]

He's got me going down the rabbit

[Ryan Alford]

hole now, and I'll drink in the Kool Aid and I'll, you know, I'll tease this. I tease it with Brian. Brian's going to see more of it this week, but think operating system. I'll put you in that headspace. So I'll leave it there. I don't want to get. I want to want to talk about it when I can actually, like, hold it up and like, whatever. And I can, but I can't because it's not. It's like 94% ready for prime time. It's ready for Brian to poke holes in it, but it's not ready for prime time.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Bella, have you seen it?

[Brian Lutt]

I've seen parts of it, bits and pieces. And he's told me some stuff. And I'm ever amazed every single day when he comes up with a new idea. I'm like, I don't even know where you. I've realized that if it's one thing I am like, give me a Spreadsheet any day. But I like, the idea is just, I don't. I'm not. I'm not the ideal gal, so. But that's okay. You know, I'm learning my strengths and weaknesses.

[Ryan Alford]

I have a very. I can distill and curate in my brain. It's what's made me good on, like, podcasting. Like, you know, some people might say, oh, you know, in a another life or whatever. I wasn't this, that or the other. But in podcasting, I can distill what people are saying, curate and like. And that has proven very resourceful in this process and kind of like thinking about things differently. Like, kind of reverse engineering and thinking about, like, okay, we've always done this, but why didn't we do this? There's some very reverse logic things that I've put into this that are like, it's kind of like having a quarter and you never flipped it over to see that it had tails. And you're like, but it's always had two sides. And I think the people will be like, well, why didn't I think of that? Well, I don't know, but I did.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Well, I think it's like curiosity one.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

And then. And then also going back to Bella, you are not the way. You know, your spreadsheet. Ryan's idea. So good leaders surround themselves with people things that they're not. So I would have 100 guessed that what you are comfortable with.

[Brian Lutt]

Yup, exactly. But, you know, it's fun.

[Ryan Alford]

It's fun process.

[Brian Lutt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

And it's cool. It's all meta now. You know, it's in the hobby we're talking about. The hobby. You know, I have a friend that's a CEO running and doing things with data and who couldn't sound bored and tell me I'm crazy or I'm on to something, you know, and then, you know, we can put it into one big conglomerate and rule the world, even if our own money.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

I want to rule parts of the world. Like, you know, like Hawaii and Mexico beaches. Not Ukraine or Iran or anything.

[Brian Lutt]

Yeah, no, that's her. Speaking of ruling the world, GameStop will not be ruling the world because ebay officially rejected their Shocker takeover. Their takeover attempt. And they listed six factors as to why. And to sum them up, it's pretty much that GameStop is not a good company and ebay is awesome.

[Ryan Alford]

Well, there's. There's. Knowing the ebay people I do, I'd say there's probably some truth to that. I like all the ebay People I know.

[Leonard Barry]

Yeah.

[Brian Lutt]

They said uncertainty regarding GameStop's financing.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. What happens when you get associated with meme stocks? You know, like in the COVID What? I mean, it's like in there. Aren't they just sort of wealthy because of all that still? Like the, the Reddit Robin. The Robin Hood. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, is there, isn't there some wealth or some value associated still from that?

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Brian?

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, yeah, that was all made up. Like, just speculative.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

It was all me. It was made up and they sold stock and that's why they're 11. Like an 11 or $12 billion company with 9 billion in cash. Like, and. And that. That's 11 or 12 billion dollar company. Who's going to come up with 56 million? Well, you need a few more of those. Short squeeze Robinhood.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

But that's not like they picked your stock because people are shorting it because they didn't like it. And people are going to short the stock and try to make it go down because it's like this isn't a good company. And then the buyers come in and they buy more than that and then the sellers have to buy it back and then it goes up higher and higher and higher and then you. The company sells the stock and makes a lot of money and then it goes back down. It's pretty. It was pretty awesome to watch that happen because I was on the floor watching that happen and I was like, wow, this is, this is crazy. But it worked for. It worked for them. I think they did twice. I think it happened twice.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah. Unbelievable.

[Brian Lutt]

Gotta love the power of Reddit or

[Ryan Alford]

whatever you want to call it. I don't know. I mean, clearly. And it's sort of the world we live in too. Like the speculative hype like that we all want to like sign. Yeah. You know, but it created billions of dollars of. Out of thin air. Well, Brian, it wasn't data. It wasn't like sales like, you know, the old things that mattered.

[Brian Lutt]

Brian and I were talking about pre episode. We're like, no, publicity is bad publicity. They easily could have had this whole thing conjured up just so that, you know, they could get some publicity. Now they're in the sports card game and, you know, they want to have a stake in it. So they knew ebay was going to reject it, but it was crazy enough that it would. You know, we're talking about it right now and so is every other creator in this space.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yeah, I mean, I, I think it could be a, a bunch of different things, but in the end, it's. It's a genius move to let you know. Let people know that they're in the same business as ebay.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Brian Lutt]

What I was going to say is I'm curious to see all the tech. Tech advancements that have been happening over the last year. I'm curious how it might impact this year's National. And I won't be able to. I mean, I've never gone, so this would be my first year. And I want to have a baseline. But I'm curious as to if, when y' all are there, if you notice differences based on just the tech that's available now,

[Ryan Alford]

I think what you'll feel is what is sort of both the wonderfulness and the problem of the industry, which is a lot of dealers and a lot of people on the floor that really want no part of it, even though it's going to be part of it. And the youth want it and are absorbing it, and the leaders of the future will. But it's a lot of cash and a lot of vintage cards and a lot of modern cards, but a lot of cash and just absolutely no data control or. And a lot of pencil and paper notebooking like I've never seen since 1989.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

How about the guys? The guys will sit. They'll bring a chair. Like, that's what they're carrying their. Their cards in the chair, and they sit down on the chair and they go through these dollar boxes.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

And then they have a spreadsheet. They have a legal pad.

[Ryan Alford]

Legal pad. They are. Right.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

They write it down.

[Ryan Alford]

I mean, that's their hobby. I mean, that's cool. I, you know, it's just. I. I. Part of me just wants to grab him and go, do you know how easy we could make this for you?

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yeah. It wouldn't care, though.

[Ryan Alford]

No. Because it's kind of like. It's kind of like anything. The journey is. Is everything. And so that's the journey for them. And if you shorten it, it's kind of like taking out the best part of the movie, you know, And I get it, but I just like to move fast, and I like to know,

[Brian Lutt]

like, you moving fast, that's crazy.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

You'll be. I think you'll see is. I think you'll be unimpressed with the technology at the National.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Okay.

[Ryan Alford]

You know, but it's wonderful at the same time.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yeah. Yeah. It's amazing. I love it. It's so fun. But, like, it's fun for different reasons. It's fun because it's Just so much going on. But like those guys, I mean, I don't know, some of those old timers who've been there for 30 years probably make 95% of their money in those five days.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

And that's it. And so they just want to wheel and deal with that.

[Brian Lutt]

Makes sense.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

But we should, we should have this. We should have Bella go with like 10 questions that she won't answer until the end. And then when she comes back, what are those questions? Like, what does tech look like? What did you see? Who did you meet? Stuff like that. Because you have new eyes, which is interesting.

[Brian Lutt]

PSA reported that they had 3.1 million submissions this past month or in April.

[Ryan Alford]

Mind blowing.

[Brian Lutt]

I don't even know how you could possibly have enough graders or enough time in the day or hours in the week to get that many cards done and actually have the quality control that you need.

[Ryan Alford]

They hired all those first graders.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

I mean, I mean, there's gotta be, you know, just the math on it in my head, like I just. What the average grader does in a day, like the amount of people they have grading is like 100,000.

[Ryan Alford]

Right. Or thousands. It's got a thousands. Right. Thousand to do. I mean, to do that, 3 million got to be 10, 20, 30,000.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Are they working seven days a week or you think they're five?

[Ryan Alford]

I'll. Dude, you kidding me? They got nap pods working four days a week. It's corporate America.

[Brian Lutt]

Yeah. They got a built in gym, pool.

[Ryan Alford]

Yeah.

[Brian Lutt]

Cafeteria.

[Ryan Alford]

Exactly.

[Brian Lutt]

They can just live there.

[Ryan Alford]

They got AI grading 99 of it. They just put the PSA logo on it. Now I'm just saying,

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

I mean, that job has to be like, way cooler than, like, way cooler when you get it than it is when you do it. And like, eventually you gotta be like, what? I'm sitting in this dark room, like, what am I doing? Like that you have to go insane.

[Brian Lutt]

Well, I mean, I think I'd lose my mind personally.

[Ryan Alford]

And I mean, there's no consistency. They. They're not held to any standard because again, countless experiments, including Teapot, who mentioned it today that he sent all these same cards in multiple times and they came back graded different, anywhere from a six to a nine and a half.

[Brian Lutt]

Or them saying that the card was messed with and that they couldn't grade it.

[Ryan Alford]

It's kind of like the weatherman, you

[Brian Lutt]

know, they get paid to be wrong.

[Ryan Alford]

They get paid to be wrong. And no one challenges it and no one corrects it because, ah, it's just the way it goes.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

What a great business. I was a meteorology major for three years.

[Ryan Alford]

So were you really? Actually, yeah.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

I could.

[Ryan Alford]

So I could see Brian. Sort of.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

I should have a weather thing behind me.

[Ryan Alford]

You're way too smart. You're way too smart to be a weatherman.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Oh, no, dude, those guys are way smarter than me. Like real meteorology, like, it's. You get a double degree in math and science.

[Ryan Alford]

Why are they wrong so much?

[Brian Lutt]

You go predict the weather.

[Ryan Alford]

They're better with the temps. Like, I will give them that. Like, they're pretty good. Like a week out, 10 days out, which is.

[Brian Lutt]

It is crazy impressive to begin with that you can predict the weather seven days out.

[Ryan Alford]

It's all modeling.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Now.

[Ryan Alford]

I could build that in. Claude. In like five minutes.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yeah, Claude. But how about like being a weatherman in like Arizona in the summer? You're just like 110.

[Ryan Alford]

All right, see what that. In like Groundhog Day or something. It's like, ah, it's gonna be sunny again. Same thing over and over again about a repetitive job. Like, you got three possibilities. You got sunny, cloudy and rain. And somehow we make it into this secret fortress of meteorology. What is gonna happen? I don't know. Is it gonna tornado? I don't know. That's like the greatest moment ever for news, for everything else. Because you get this moment that brings all the attention. All the other articles get clicked because there's a tornado. They see all the other stuff. Look, that's how it works. It's fear monitoring.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

It's even better if people die. Like, it's even better.

[Ryan Alford]

Yes, it's not, but it is. Like for them. It's like, what is a. If it bleeds, it reads or you know, something like that. It's on. It's literally. I'm not making this up. I mean, don't kill the messenger.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

You're not. You're not a bullshitter.

[Ryan Alford]

No, that's what it is. Like they get made and not funny. Not people dying, but it's. It's funny. The mechanism that sort of triggers this stuff. I don't know how we got on the weather.

[Brian Lutt]

Yeah. But let's. Let's rein it back in.

[Ryan Alford]

Kind of like the speculative nature of top Chrome football.

[Brian Lutt]

Yeah.

[Ryan Alford]

Did I bring it back?

[Brian Lutt]

So funny. Well, maybe not funny, but this. This guy.

[Ryan Alford]

I'm calling bullshit, but keep. I want to hear it. Go ahead.

[Brian Lutt]

Okay. This guy claimed to have lost a 2013 rookie. Aaron Judge, super fractor, one of one card. And super bummed about it, obviously. 101 went looking in his collection recently and somehow stumbled upon the card within his collection and is now selling it at an auction for $140,000.

[Ryan Alford]

It's just like, you just make this up, right?

[Brian Lutt]

To me, like, the immediately when I heard of that is when people do, like, insurance fraud on art and like, claim that it was already claimed at

[Ryan Alford]

four times on different insurance.

[Leonard Barry]

Yeah, like.

[Brian Lutt]

Like, I don't know, it just seems a little odd. Or like we were talking about it earlier. Like the. The Mickey Mantle card that's in the baseball packs. Like, I'm like, somebody could have pulled that or something. They just haven't said anything about, like, and are just waiting or tops knows exactly where the card is and just hasn't even distributed it.

[Ryan Alford]

They got an NFC chip or track and chip that's. Let them fool you. That's how we're all being tracked by the government is. That's what the hobbies.

[Brian Lutt]

Baseball cars.

[Ryan Alford]

Baseball cars, yeah. They got chips in them, I think.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

I mean, I don't. What do you think?

[Ryan Alford]

I'm gonna start with that rumor, Ryan, on that. I think it's. I'm gonna tell you what I think without telling you what I think. I lost my son today. I'm gonna go to news, tell him that he's actually at home in the closet. And then tomorrow I'm gonna call and say, oh, I found him in the closet. But, man, you know, a crazy but.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

I mean, I get it.

[Ryan Alford]

But I like. But I'm saying, like, I. Why I could easily. And people do fabricate stories to create a story.

[Brian Lutt]

I mean, we wouldn't be talking about it right now if you hadn't.

[Ryan Alford]

It sounds like it. I mean, maybe there has to be more detail to this because otherwise it sounds very easy to just fabricate. I would think there's some like, I don't know, video collection or something that sort of documents all this story for way longer than like, oh, I lost it.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

He probably just wanted people to again, use marketing to be like, hey, do you guys know that there's a 101 on the. You know, on auction this week?

[Ryan Alford]

Exactly. Get more clicks, sell it more. Suddenly it's going to sell for one.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yeah. And it would have sold for 130.

[Brian Lutt]

Oh, for sure.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

That was worth it.

[Ryan Alford]

That's called attention engineering. I like it works.

[Brian Lutt]

I love how you always bring it back to marketing.

[Ryan Alford]

I mean, just telling you, it's a real thing. I've written, like, I have a half a book written on it. Like, I do everything else also raising a brand but that was gonna be number one. That's great.

[Brian Lutt]

We can save the books for when you're done coding. To save my mental.

[Ryan Alford]

That Doug. That hurt a little.

[Brian Lutt]

I'm sorry.

[Ryan Alford]

Hey, guys, what's up? Welcome to the on it segment of the week here with Leonard Barry. He oversees YouTube content and all strategy at On It. I just gave you. I just made you the strategy executive director, Leonard.

[Leonard Barry]

I don't know. I don't know if my paycheck reflects

[Ryan Alford]

the title, but we're gonna have to get. We're gonna get you a raise. Nah. But no, he's doing cool shit over there and I'm just jealous he's gonna be on the road with all the college athletes this summer, but what's cooking today, Leonard?

[Leonard Barry]

Oh, nothing much. Just enjoying my upgrade to C suite title.

[Ryan Alford]

Can you send that private jet down for me?

[Leonard Barry]

Yeah, can I get a trip to the collector station, please? No, I'm good though. I mean, it's a good week. Softball regionals are starting. Always a fun time. Last week of baseball regular season just. It makes me sad that, like, almost brings a tear to my eye because you think about it, this is the end of the 2025, 2026 college sports season. We are into the last stretch of the regular season in baseball, and then it's just all post season and then we got to sit and wait through July and part August.

[Ryan Alford]

I think we've mentioned this, like women's sports gaining popularity is this. I think you've got two things at play. It feels like, number one, people are kind of over, like standard. Like people like sports, they want to watch more sports no matter what. You don't want to watch crappy television. Sports are hotter than ever. And then the Caitlin Clark effect, you know, I feel like she sort of escalated everything in female sports. I think she needs to get like royalty checks because I think, I don't think it's like artificial. I think she shined light on, number one, some really talented, you know, female athletes that weren't maybe getting that visibility before. It's not like she shined light on, you know, they call it like lipstick on a pig. No, she put. She put a spotlight on what should have probably already had a spotlight, which is really competitive, really fan based, especially in the college athletics and hey, on it products that are covering all of it at the highest level. But talk about that later. Do you think there is a little bit of that, you know, Caitlin Clark effect?

[Leonard Barry]

Yeah, I think so. I mean, for sure. Obviously Caitlin Clark drew a number of people to women's college basketball. And the question was going to be, does the viewership remain at the same level? And it's basically stayed the same, if not slightly grown too. So you know, players like Paige Beckers, players like Az Fudd, Sarah Strong, like there's just a long lineage of really good talent in women's college basketball and the WNBA or you know, women's professional basketball has been around for a while. So what I'm really loving to see recently is the cropping up of all of these newer professional leagues. You look at lov volleyball, you know, that is something that was literally just like AAU travel style tournaments for people who were going to get recruited to go play in college. They part laid that into a full fledged league that has expanded. There's a team now in Lincoln, the Huskers. As you know, many people out there are probably aware. Very good draw. They sold out the freaking football stadium. Playing a volleyball match outside, you couldn't even imagine watching a volleyball match from like the nosebleeds and football season, you can't see anything. But people still paid to get in the door, you know, and athletes unlimited softball league too. We just had a bunch of players get drafted into that last week. They're expanding as well. So like you said, the growth of like what Caitlin Cork brought eyes to and then what some of these other media conglomerates and just investors in general who are putting the money where their, you know, eyeballs are when they say, hey, I love to watch women's sports, like I'm going to back it financially. And you see a lot of people become, you know, new investors, start up new teams. The barrier to entry is a little bit lower. You don't have to be a multibillionaire to, to buy a team. Maybe you can get by with a couple million. Uh, I think that there is, you know, in a world where everything is so flipping expensive, time is your most valuable resource. And I think that a lot of people are starting to kind of shift away from being out priced or price gouged away from, you know, watching some of these sports in person. And they're shifting their eyeballs and their money and their wallets to places that are easily accessible and have just about this, just about the same amount of entertainment value.

[Ryan Alford]

That's a really interesting point and I think it's true. I think people like the entertainment factor of sport and again, whatever, shine the light on it. You have highly competitive things happening and no bigger stage that shows this than what's happening in the softball we got 12 teams. You got the Oklahoma powerhouse, you got Nebraska. I don't know what it is about Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas. I mean like what is the trifecta there within the geography and you know, all on it teams. Talk about what's happening with onit products and the softball tournament and everything going on.

[Leonard Barry]

Yeah, that central time zone, it's killer. Yeah, we got 12 on IT teams hosting regionals. So that 16 regionals across the country happening, 12 of them are being hosted by on it teams. We only missed out on a couple. We sent 14 teams in total to the tournament out of the 16 teams that we work with. So that's pretty good return. I haven't done the math but I think it's well over 90%. So lots of teams going on, lots of number one seeds. You mentioned Oklahoma, they're a one seed. Texas, SEC champions, last year's national champs looking to repeat. They're hosting in Austin. You got Nebraska, who hasn't been to Oklahoma City since 2013. They've never won a title. Two way star Jordy Fromm leading the way for them. They're a very intriguing bunch out there in Lincoln. You get a team like UCLA who has hit a bundle of home runs, including Megan Grant. She just got shortlisted as a potential player of the year. She broke Lauren Espinoza's single season home run record. She's hit 38 home runs in 55 games at the time of this recording. Lauren Espinosa hits 37 in 72 games back in 1995. So when you talk about like women's sports viewership going up, the talent has certainly increased as well. When you look at players like Megan Grant, Jordy From Nigerie, Kenneday out there at Texas Tech. So I mean it's just a never ending list. It feels like Ryan, when it comes to the talent that we have on

[Ryan Alford]

these softball rosters, I love it, man. Any final mentions as we wrap up here today? Leonard, as far as men's baseball, any updates or anything there we want to call out?

[Leonard Barry]

Yeah, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Georgia Tech is going to be dropping on our website very shortly. Number three team in the country, only behind UCLA and North Carolina. They are loaded with talent. Drew Burris, Von Lackey, Jaron Arvin Chua, all those guys are potential first rounders in the MLB draft this summer. So I would definitely hop on the website on athlete.com take a look at Georgia Tech. West Virginia just had a huge series where they swept number seven, Kansas. They're back in the Big 12 title race. They're live on the website. Gavin Kelly is homered in five straight games. He's in the set. So lots of good baseball stuff coming up. I'm sure we'll talk more baseball next week when they get into their conference tournaments, but definitely would stop by and check out the website for any of your baseball needs.

[Ryan Alford]

Love it, man. Of course you could go to the website. We've got that link on all the show notes. Again, that is onitathlete.com use code collector nation at checkout to receive 15 off your order. Again. Support these athletes, support the schools, and get in and start collecting something new. Get on it. We appreciate you, Leonard.

[Leonard Barry]

Always a pleasure. Ryan, thanks so much for having me.

[Ryan Alford]

All right, guys, we'll see you next time on the On IT College segment of the week.

[Brian Lutt]

All right. Anything else?

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, Brian, Shirley, you know something? What. What are we doing this weekend, Brian, you're home. You're not on the road. You're not getting terrible news or, you know, bad people. You're not dealing with any of that. What are you doing?

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

This last week was busy because my mom turned 80 and we had a party for her Mother's Day. And then this week, it's not. It's really. I don't want to do anything.

[Ryan Alford]

Anything.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

And I was like, the road. I hate traveling. Do you hate traveling,

[Ryan Alford]

Brian? Yeah. I quit my job and became a crazy entrepreneur and made it work purely out of not wanting anyone to control one minute of my time or me to be on the plane every week. So you're talking to the poster child of. Yeah, it's like three places. I like to be. The boat, this place in my house. There you go.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

3.

[Ryan Alford]

Or at a White Sox game with you. No, that's gonna happen.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Or the next.

[Ryan Alford]

I mean, like, maybe. We gotta work that out. How do we work that out? I come up, like, a few days. It's gonna be so crazy for the national. You're gonna be pulling your hair out. I know, but, like, we'll be in Chicago. Can we slip away? Can we. Can we bail in the national one day? Just go to a White Sox game? Or is that just a card?

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Sabbath. We can go.

[Brian Lutt]

Hey, I mean, you could stay an extra day or two.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Yeah, it's not that. I mean, it's not that great to go to the Sox game, but

[Ryan Alford]

it's not. That's not really the point, Brian. It's for me and you to sit there and have a hot dog, beer

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

or two, and sing Kumbaya 5.

[Ryan Alford]

Exactly.

[Brian Lutt]

Have a little bromance.

[Ryan Alford]

We will. We'll.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

We'll film.

[Ryan Alford]

Like.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Let me tell you about my best friend.

[Ryan Alford]

Did we just become best friends?

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

We'll make it.

[Ryan Alford]

Oh, anyway, all right. We appreciate everyone, Bella. Appreciate you, Brian. Love you.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Thanks, guys.

[Ryan Alford]

Hey, the CollectorNation.com L U D E X LUDX in the App Store. Go check it out. Always advancing user interface improvements coming. Collection management, ebay management. Look, I've seen the collection management stuff. Let me just tell you, this is. This is where it goes next level. So collection management, knowing what you have, slicing, dicing, doing what you need to do, that's the. That's the future. That's Ludx. O U D E X in the App Store. I'm at Ryan Alford on Instagram. Drop me a dm. Just be nice. We love you. We'll see you next time on click your nation.

[Brian Lutt]

Bye.

[Ryan Alford]

Thanks for tuning in to the show.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Be sure to follow us on your

[Ryan Alford]

go to podcast platform and catch the

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

full video episode over on YouTube.

[Ryan Alford]

Visit [e-mail] and follow Ryan on Instagram at Ryan Alford.

[Unnamed Male Host (possibly a Ludx representative)]

Now get out there and collect yours.

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