All things being equal.

To followup the previous blog.

I know what the industry defenders would say. I know what the public would say.

For years, the manufacturers, the distributors, and the industry publications who got their advertising from the first two, convinced everyone that if the sport card hobby was having problems it was because of any number of reasons.

The strike? Cards were already in free fall.

The other reasons: the high prices, the proliferation of brands, the lack of trust in dealers?

Most everyone bought into these reasons.

The fallacy is: the game industry and the comic industry have exactly the same problems without the same results.

Comics when I started were .60 and now run $3.50. There were less than a hundred titles offered every month and zero graphic novels. Now there are thousands of titles offered. Dealers are looked at askance.

Games? There was Magic at the beginning, followed by dozens upon dozens of brands. Specialty game boards? This has exploded from nothing to hundreds of titles, which get pricier and pricier.

In other words, proliferation and inflation happen IN EVERY INDUSTRY! It's a neutral value.

Others point to the fadness, the very popularity of sports cards as reasons for it's demise.

But believe me, comics and games have also had huge fads which died off -- and they didn't take the entire industry down with them.

The internet came along after cards had started their long hard fall; and again, is a neutral factor.

The difference is -- comics and card games have never had a strong presence in the mass market, for whatever reasons. That's the major difference. And if you want to believe the manufacturers that the "greater exposure" is going to help you, then you've got a problem.

I tried to make this case to the card retailers years ago, and they not only didn't they believe it, they actually went and bought their cards from Walmart and Target (thus reinforcing the trend.) I know of only one card shop that was around in the late 80's in Oregon that still exists -- there might be a few others -- everyone else has jumped in since the decline started, god help them.

Now that card games have gained a foothold, I expect them to follow the same path as sports cards.

To sum up.

What's the one factor that separates sports cards from comics and games.

It isn't price inflation. These have happened in all three industries.

It isn't brand brand proliferation. These have happened in all three industries.

It isn't dealer mistrust. These have happened in all three industries.

It isn't the fad factor. These have happened in all three industries.

It isn't the internet. These have happened in all three industries.

The one factor that separates sports cards from comics and games is MAJOR PRESENCE IN THE MASS MARKET.

(It might also be said this is the problem with books, toys and music. )

P.S. I don't expect that anything I can say or do will change what is about to happen. I can only adjust my own behavior so the damage is minimal -- which because of my experience with books, toys, and sports cards, I've already done.