Latest / Collectors MD Features / #16: Facing The Skeptics: Collectors MD Under The Microscope | Professor Sports Cards

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#16: Facing The Skeptics: Collectors MD Under The Microscope | Professor Sports Cards · Collectors MD Features

0:00
Alyx is going to come on from Collectors MD um
0:02
let me let me do a couple let me just get situated
0:05
here uh Orlando and Dan were nice enough to ask
0:09
some questions and you know Collectors MD and
0:11
Alyx i he's not going to shy away he wants to
0:14
answer Alyx how you doing today Jason what's
0:17
up man good to see you again hey thanks for coming
0:19
back i know you took some you took some heat
0:21
last time you were here it's all good it's par
0:24
for the course and you know what Jason like i
0:27
told you if we could reach just one person in
0:31
this group, this live tonight, that needs our
0:33
support, needs our help. That is, that makes
0:37
this all worth it. Even through, you know, a
0:39
lot of the, the backlash and the naysayers. I'm
0:43
glad you can answer to him because Dan, I'm more
0:46
than happy. And I'm happy you can. And I'm very
0:48
interested to hear the answers and the answers
0:50
I've heard offline seem pretty valid and reasonable.
0:52
So I don't think I have anything to shy away
0:54
from. Maybe we'll find out. I don't know, but
0:56
the questions they asked were, Fair. Let's say
0:59
that I think they're fair questions. So I'm going
1:02
to jump right to it a little long. And these
1:04
first ones are from Dan. And so Collectors MD
1:06
lists the following breaking platforms as partner.
1:09
CardsHQ, Sports Cards Nonsense, Rippinwax, RipHamiltonRips.
1:11
Please explain how it's beneficial for Collectors MD
1:15
to partner with breakers and purported influencers
1:19
who promote gambling as a major aspect of their
1:22
business. And I'm sure you've thought about this,
1:25
I'm sure. So there had to be some thought prior.
1:27
So go ahead and tell us. as you're thinking here
1:29
yeah and you said Orlando and who was the other
1:32
so Dan's Vintage Baseball right right right i
1:35
remember Dan yeah no these that's totally a fair
1:38
question very valid um we have an initiative
1:41
called Rip Responsibly and so when people see
1:44
Collectors MD partnering with hobby brands through
1:47
this Rip Responsibly initiative it's totally
1:49
fair to ask why you know why are we partnering
1:52
with jeff wilson and and cards hq and and chris
1:56
from rip and wax and folks that you know, at
1:59
times can be polarizing. And so on the surface,
2:02
it can look counterintuitive to work alongside
2:05
those very spaces where the harm is occurring.
2:10
But that question only makes sense if harm reduction
2:13
is viewed as something that happens after the
2:16
fact, instead of where risk actually lives. And
2:19
so the reality is simple. We can't make meaningful
2:22
change from the outside looking in. Harm in this
2:25
hobby doesn't happen in isolation or on the margins.
2:28
It happens at the center where visibility is
2:32
the highest, where the excitement is amplified,
2:33
where the money is being thrown around, where
2:36
the urgency is normalized. If we want to support
2:40
people effectively, we have to present in those
2:44
types of environments, right? We can't be sitting
2:46
on the sidelines, you know, just trying to make
2:49
a bunch of noise. We have to be present inside
2:51
of those environments. But, you know, was that
2:55
always your was that always your thought or did
2:58
that kind of spur on as you went? Just, you know,
3:01
just out of curiosity. Yeah, I mean, it definitely
3:03
happened organically. It wasn't like the first.
3:09
you know, goal when I started Collectors MD, really
3:12
the - But maybe something you realized, I was
3:14
curious, like, did you realize right away you
3:16
kind of would have to go with these or is that
3:18
something as you started with the business, you
3:20
realized, oh, okay, yeah, this is gonna have
3:22
to be how I get visible. It wasn't, it's not
3:26
a matter of visibility. It's a matter of we are
3:29
reaching individuals who are experiencing crisis
3:35
right now. And that crisis is happening inside
3:38
of these environments. And right now, inside
3:41
of those environments, there is no messaging.
3:44
There are no disclaimers. There are no warning
3:46
signs. There are no guardrails. And so we're
3:48
proactively partnering with these brands, with
3:51
these hobby brands, to embed, to integrate the
3:55
responsible collecting messaging where it can
3:57
actually interrupt unhealthy patterns in real
4:00
time. That's why Collectors MD partners with these
4:02
brands, these platforms, these creators through
4:05
Rip Responsibly. These partnerships aren't intended
4:08
to be endorsements or shields or PR exercises.
4:12
They're access points. They allow us to introduce
4:16
pause, awareness, and education exactly where
4:19
the moments of impulse are happening, right?
4:24
I mean, it already exists in adjacent industries,
4:27
right? Like one of our partners, 800 Gambler.
4:29
They work directly with casinos, sportsbooks,
4:31
and gaming operators as part of their corporate
4:34
responsibility efforts. Now, I don't know. The
4:36
problem is I don't know those companies. I don't
4:38
know what their insides look like. And we have
4:41
you here, but I don't know the ins and outs of
4:44
that industry or those kind of companies. And
4:46
I think a skeptic who might know, I don't know,
4:48
and I'm talking out of my ass here, but I just
4:50
don't know those companies. I don't know what
4:52
their motivation is. I know what yours are because
4:53
you're coming on and telling me. You know, some
4:57
people think I feel legit. I'm going to move
4:59
to question two. Jeff Wilson has appeared on
5:02
multiple videos and streams with Alyx, given
5:03
that Wilson has named his breaking room after
5:05
arena club, arguably the most insidious Dan gambling
5:08
app in the hobby. Great word. What kind of message
5:10
does it send to the people who ask collectors
5:12
MD for help with their addictions do align with
5:15
Wilson and arena club? And I think it's a similar
5:17
answer that you just gave, but ties to the exact
5:20
same thing. Rip Responsibly operates on the same
5:23
principle. And I know you said you don't know
5:26
the ins and outs of the casinos and the sports
5:28
books, and that's not your... It's hard to trust
5:31
some of that stuff. And maybe that's why you
5:34
find it, you know, you're between a rock and
5:37
a hard place because sometimes it's just hard
5:39
to know what's up. Yeah, no, I see the chat going
5:43
off. I see people saying trading card anonymous
5:45
bullshit is crazy. Yeah, in theory, it is crazy.
5:49
But when these systems are designed to be completely
5:52
frictionless, To lure people in, you know, to
5:57
to exploit young people who are uneducated and
6:01
unaware of the harm and the risk associated it
6:04
associated with it and disguising it as a childhood
6:07
hobby with sports cards and Pokemon cards. That's
6:10
the reality of it. And so, you know, we can publish
6:13
content. We can host support groups. We can advocate
6:16
for reform publicly. And we do. But if the message
6:20
never reaches people that are inside the experience,
6:23
it arrives too late. So partnering with these
6:25
brands, partnering with Jeff Wilson allows harm
6:28
reduction to exist within the flow of the hobby,
6:30
not just in hindsight. These collaborations,
6:33
these partnerships are about shared accountability,
6:36
not compromise, right? Brands that engage are
6:40
choosing to acknowledge that collecting can be
6:43
joyful and risky at the same time. And that long
6:46
-term community health matters more than the
6:48
short-term momentum. You don't reduce harm by
6:50
standing outside the room. You reduce it by showing
6:52
up responsibly inside of it. And so that's why
6:55
Rip Responsibly exists. That's why we're partnering
6:58
with these brands. Again, Dan asked five questions
7:02
and I'm going to give him his question. I think
7:04
I went to them for a reason because they were
7:05
the skeptic. They got age on us. They have wisdom.
7:08
They have experience. So their questions are
7:11
valid. Is Collectors MD a registered 501c3 institution?
7:14
And if not, why not? We touched on this last
7:18
time. No, I feel like he had this exact same
7:20
question last time. Yeah, give him 30 seconds
7:22
and then we can move on. It doesn't have to be
7:24
a long. Yeah, so we're set up as an LLC, not
7:29
a 501c3, very intentionally, right? It's not
7:32
to maximize profit, but to move the speed of
7:36
the problem in the direction that it needs to.
7:40
The space we operate in sits between culture,
7:44
technology, media, public health, that means
7:48
we need to operate quickly and efficiently. We
7:51
need flexibility to be able to build partnerships
7:53
and create content and pilot programs and license
7:56
IP and collaborate with platforms and respond
7:59
quickly as the hobby evolves. So an LLC gives
8:02
us that ability to do that without all of the
8:05
friction and the delays and the constraints that
8:07
often come with nonprofit structures. There's
8:10
just so much red tape when it comes to trying
8:12
to set up a nonprofit. And so, yeah, I mean,
8:15
it just lets us engage directly with companies,
8:17
platforms and creators, including ones that nonprofits
8:21
often can't or won't touch while still holding
8:24
clear values around, you know, the responsibility,
8:26
the transparency and the harm reduction. So we
8:30
there are talks we are talking about potentially
8:32
creating a 501 C3 branch and working with, you
8:39
know, nonprofits and. so that we can have access
8:45
to things like state funded grants and, you know,
8:48
work within those lanes. But right now with the
8:50
- You're not wrong. What's that? No, no, you're
8:53
giving great answers. You're at least answering
8:55
the questions. You said he's putting me to sleep,
8:57
but you're answering the questions. Question
8:59
four, I guess, does Collectors MD believe in transparency
9:02
enough to make available their annual reports
9:04
to select members of the hobby? This is from
9:07
Dan. Yeah, we haven't made really any money yet.
9:11
I could tell you exactly how much money we've
9:13
made so far. But I guess the answer to this question
9:16
would be no or yes. Yeah. I mean, yeah. That'll
9:20
make them happy to hear. The whole concept is
9:25
we're fully transparent. We want to ensure that
9:30
our community members fully trust us because
9:34
they're trusting us with their livelihoods, their
9:38
mental health. This isn't something to laugh
9:44
at or, you know, to joke around about. Like,
9:46
there are people who join our weekly meetings
9:48
who are on, like, the brink of, you know, like,
9:52
they don't know. Yeah, I understand what addiction
9:54
can do. It's serious. It's really serious. I
9:57
have something I want to, my own, you know, I
9:59
have my own thing I want to mention, and it leans
10:01
more towards that. But does Alice collect a salary
10:04
from Collectors MD? Now, you say you don't make
10:06
much on the company, but these are his questions.
10:09
ideally one day i will but no not right now hey
10:12
now i haven't paid myself a dollar interesting
10:14
uh okay orlando i think i believe had two or
10:18
three questions uh and my goodness we're getting
10:21
full down below holy shit no way bro you kidding
10:27
me uh oh wow this is insane how can you reach
10:30
or treat people with i told Alyx i wouldn't bring
10:32
anyone on this will be disrespectful because
10:33
i throw you on make sure we're being polite how
10:36
can you reach or treat people with the breaking
10:37
gambling addiction before they hit rock bottom
10:39
um i'm i'm a little distracted by the comments
10:43
which is the one that uh that you were just addressing
10:46
No, I was addressing this guy. I've never talked
10:49
to Rob. Oh, no, no. Rob is great. I'm so glad
10:52
he joined. He's one of our community members
10:54
now. Hey, Rob, good meeting you, man. You're
10:56
one of the only guys doing the right thing over
10:58
there. So, yeah, bro, good finally meeting you.
11:01
You know what? Before we continue, can we let
11:06
Rob just share a few words? Sure. When he mentioned,
11:11
I just couldn't hear him very well. How about
11:14
now? A little better. Yeah, yeah. All right.
11:17
Yeah, the comments are actually very concerning.
11:21
I mean, you have quite a following and the guys
11:25
down there, they really don't know what they're
11:27
talking about. So I'm just here to really just
11:32
not preach what he's putting out there. But until
11:38
you actually sit in there with the meeting and
11:41
you hear some of these stories. I don't know
11:43
how much these guys are capitalizing on their
11:48
collecting, but the purpose out there is very
11:53
genuine. I don't know who's out there that is
11:56
very, man, I'm not going to lie, to be honest
12:01
with you. No, you're doing fine. You're doing
12:03
fine. So you do believe in what Alyx is doing
12:06
here. 100%. And you're a pretty, you know, you
12:10
lean pretty skeptical and you see what's going
12:12
on. So, you know, that, and that's just, that's
12:15
just how I am. I don't know. I, I, I get, I get
12:19
messages all the time when I put out a video
12:21
for Alyx, just whether it's from a breaker or
12:24
it's just from a random collector. Yeah. The
12:26
volume is a little low, Rob. It's a bummer. I
12:29
mean, I'm, I'm enjoying talking with you, but
12:30
for some reason it's low, but, uh, how about
12:34
now? Oh, way better. Yes. Yes. Yes. So I, I was
12:39
getting feedback on my own mic. I apologize.
12:41
Oh, way better. No, we can hear you real well
12:42
now. Okay. So if you don't know who Rob is, he
12:46
takes an angle on Instagram and I see his videos
12:48
often there. And he's one of the only ones making
12:51
content like, like I do here over there. That's
12:54
how I feel about you, Rob. Same. Absolutely.
12:57
I sometimes dip into your show. Your comment
13:00
section is wild. You are definitely the Howard
13:02
Stern of the hobby. You have your own little
13:05
rap. They're the best, man. They're hilarious
13:07
and the best. But yes, we lean a little skeptical.
13:11
So go ahead. I actually want to lean in on what
13:14
you're asking Alyx right now. Oh, was that this?
13:17
How can you reach or treat people? Or was it
13:19
the one before that? No, right there. How you
13:21
can reach or treat people. Just tonight, we had
13:25
a guy that was in there talking about, and I
13:27
don't really want to disclose much of what's
13:29
going on, but he just got into the whole breaking
13:32
platform and to buying this past year. And you
13:36
could hear it in his voice that he didn't know
13:38
where to go. Because people are kind of ashamed
13:41
to talk about spending too much money on sports
13:43
cards. And I don't know, I'm proud to say that,
13:46
you know, I collect. But a lot of people, when
13:49
they go into debt, they're afraid to talk about
13:51
it with their significant others. You know, maybe
13:54
they don't really, I don't know, let's call a
13:56
spade a spade. There are guys in this platform
13:58
that maybe they're kind of maybe the incel type,
14:01
and I hate to say that, but it's the truth. And,
14:04
you know, I mean, sports can only go so far,
14:06
but it's a shame that you guys don't want to
14:10
give them a chance. That's all I'm really saying.
14:13
And you know, I also want to, you know, we have
14:14
200 people right now, a little less, but there's
14:17
some vocal people in chat. That's not everybody.
14:19
That's also what I mentioned to Alyx. A lot of
14:20
people will watch after. So sure. My vocal guys
14:23
in the comments, but that's not everyone that,
14:25
that, you know, that, that doesn't represent
14:27
everybody, I guess. And I think the pushback
14:30
is good. And I think you coming on answering
14:32
honestly is, is good. And you still are not winning
14:35
everybody over. Unfortunately though, Jason,
14:38
Jason, listen, when I came into this about a
14:42
year, ago and started this movement i had my
14:45
reservations trust me i was nervous to put myself
14:48
out there talk about my lived experience talk
14:51
about my you know um gambling addiction i'm a
14:54
recovering gambling addict it's a lifelong commitment
14:56
um i have my my past mistakes my transgressions
15:01
and i was nervous as hell to pick up a mic and
15:05
start talking but it's something that i overcame
15:09
and it's something i i do every day And so I'm
15:14
in and out of meetings, podcasts. You know, you
15:18
know, we host our own podcast. I bring on guests
15:20
from the industry, from the recovery world. I
15:23
wear my heart on my sleeve. I talk about everything
15:25
that I've been through. I have absolutely nothing
15:27
to hide. And so, again, like no matter what the
15:31
entity is, there's always going to be naysayers.
15:34
There's always going to be people throwing stones.
15:36
That's the nature of the beast. It comes with
15:38
the territory. And that's OK. Because like I
15:41
said, if we can just reach one person here, one
15:44
of your listeners tonight who needs help and
15:47
understands that we offer a free service, weekly
15:49
meetings, tools and resources, a website that
15:53
is chock full of educational content. Then it's
15:57
all worth it. So this is my opinion here, just
15:59
mine, because you coming on saying the service
16:02
is there is great. That's good to me where it
16:05
really hammers home. And even on the website,
16:07
it's kind of like played down is I think it's
16:10
so much more powerful when you actually hear
16:12
someone's story and how bad it was and where
16:14
it put them. And that, you know, I understand.
16:17
OK, a lot of people don't want to come out and
16:18
say that, but. You know, I do think it's beneficial
16:21
to show more of the actual problem. So many people
16:24
don't even want to say it is a problem or they're
16:26
surprised when someone comes out and says how
16:29
much they lost. And so I think you're still battling
16:32
where people don't even realize or know it's
16:34
a problem. And it's good to have people share.
16:36
And I know you do that in your your groups, but
16:38
sometimes I feel like showing that to the public
16:40
can be beneficial for you. Dr. Professor. Hey
16:46
now. Hey, Ben, you see, you trust me on that.
16:49
Absolutely. I'll take that as motivation for
16:51
myself. Okay. All right. Good. Yeah. I mean,
16:55
this is totally fair, but I think this also ties
16:57
back to what Rob was just talking about. And,
17:00
you know, candidly, we just wrapped up our 41st
17:05
weekly peer support meeting. We had, we had around,
17:08
how many people do we have tonight, Rob? 20,
17:10
22. At one point, there was like 23. Two weeks
17:13
ago, there was like almost 30 in there. Yeah,
17:15
we've had more than that. But, you know, the
17:18
common theme is that a lot of these people are
17:21
grown adults, right? They're our age. Some are
17:25
younger, some are older. I'm 36. And so, you
17:29
know, they talk about the shame, the embarrassment.
17:34
That, you know, they go into a GA room and they're
17:36
talking, you know, they hear from folks that
17:38
have a traditional gambling addiction to casinos
17:41
and sports books and things of that nature. And
17:43
here they are addicted to Pokemon cards and baseball
17:46
cards. And so they have a hard time coming out
17:49
and saying like, yeah, I have a real problem.
17:51
Oh, I think many addicts do. Many. I mean, many,
17:54
many. But this takes it to another level because
17:57
we're talking about like a childhood hobby. I
18:00
find so much power in, in, in hearing other struggles
18:05
and knowing you're not alone. I know they could
18:06
do that in your meeting, but I just feel instead
18:09
of, and the partnerships are, you know, do, do
18:11
what you, you know, what did you do to do your
18:12
thing? But I just find hearing other people actually
18:15
hearing it is going to spread the message more.
18:18
It's powerful. When you hear those people, it
18:21
is, is very powerful. Totally fair. And I think,
18:24
you know, we'd have, we have a number of, um,
18:28
community members who have stepped up and have
18:30
interviewed. I'm just going to go out and say
18:33
we have an article coming out with GQ in the
18:36
next month or two. They're going to be covering
18:38
a lot of what we talk about, the gambling adjacent
18:40
activities and hobbies that have blossomed over
18:46
the last several years that are really preying
18:48
on customers and their dopamine centers and things
18:52
of that nature. We had seven community members
18:55
step up to be interviewed by the editor. And
18:59
so when that comes out, that's going to be big
19:01
time. But testimonials are important. And I actually
19:06
really appreciate that feedback. And it's something
19:08
we'll definitely consider. Charles, I know you
19:11
have a question. Someone has a little feedback,
19:13
but I think it's not too bad. But Charles, be
19:15
respectful, be kind. What do you want to ask?
19:22
I figured you came on to ask Alyx. I could be
19:24
wrong. Charles is with me. Charles is. That's
19:27
right. That's right. The whole time. That's right.
19:30
Charles, what made you come on? Let's let's let's
19:33
give you your. I'm just just here to, you know,
19:36
answer any questions as well. So the thing about
19:38
talking about what we talk about in our weekly
19:41
meetings, the whole goal of that is it's sort
19:44
of like. you know gamblers anonymous overeaters
19:46
anonymous or whatever it's it's anonymous because
19:48
there's a lot of shame there a lot of people
19:50
are ashamed a lot of people still share and it's
19:53
very powerful there's youtube videos of people
19:55
talking about how they fucked their life up with
19:57
alcohol there's videos of people talking about
19:59
how they fucked their life up with sports gambling
20:00
and it's a huge message it's what other people
20:03
like my brother who struggle i i recommend those
20:06
videos so he can hear other people just like
20:08
you're meeting but getting you know getting one
20:11
of those people to the public It's just strong.
20:14
I was one of those people. I can share my testimonial
20:18
if you want me to. Yeah. So I got back into the
20:21
hobby in summer of 2025. And you were one of
20:24
the first people I watched, Professor. And Alyx
20:26
was one of the first. I stumbled upon a lot of
20:29
the influencer stuff going on. I got back into
20:32
this hobby because, frankly, my mental health
20:33
was deteriorating. It was just work, come home.
20:36
I had no social life. I have bad social anxiety.
20:40
So the fact that I'm even doing this. is a victory
20:43
for me as far as i'm concerned you would have
20:44
asked me to do this a year ago i would have said
20:46
you're out of your fucking mind i'm not good
20:48
for you man good for you you know i'm not doing
20:51
this kind of crap but at the same time you gotta
20:54
step outside your comfort zone and so i mean
20:57
i got back into the hobby i had no idea we were
20:59
about to be in a boom period or all the craziness
21:01
that's about to go on i just wanted to do something
21:03
i did when i was a kid so you know i bought cards
21:06
you know started ripping and then realized it's
21:09
really freaking expensive And I have an addictive
21:11
personality. And if there's something I need
21:14
to chase or want to chase, I don't really give
21:17
a damn about money as long as I have it. And,
21:19
you know, who does care? Creditors. Your landlord,
21:26
your car payment, they care. They want that money.
21:29
So, you know, it didn't get out of hand to the
21:31
point to where I lost my car or my apartment
21:33
or anything, but I didn't want it to get there.
21:37
People go in debt. My brother went in a lot of
21:39
debt in sports gambling. And so I think it's
21:41
easy to find yourself. And thank you for sharing,
21:43
man. The more of that is just, it is powerful
21:47
and it wakes it up and it makes it real. And
21:49
right now, all the other videos, some of the
21:52
people that they have a problem with their partnership
21:54
is they're not making it very real. It's smoke
21:56
and mirrors, nothing real. And you know what?
21:59
I was the biggest skeptic. When he mentioned
22:01
Jeff Wilson's partnership, I said, dude, you
22:04
are going to get so much. from pretty much anyone
22:08
that's got, you know, any anti -establishment
22:11
thing going on because Jeff Wilson is the establishment.
22:13
He is the industry. He's the face of it. That's
22:16
also why we're doing this. If we get the Rip
22:18
responsibly thing on one of his breaks, which
22:21
generate $2 million a month. Which we do. They're
22:25
running across the breaks now. If we could save
22:27
one person who's like, oh man, I've spent too
22:29
much money. I might need to just get out of this
22:31
break or, you know, with Rip Hamilton Rips or
22:34
something like that. We've done our due diligence.
22:36
And that's really all it is. It's not like we're
22:39
trying to get in good with Jeff Wilson and hobnob
22:42
with him and be at a fanatics party or some shit.
22:44
We're just trying to help people out because
22:46
there's some people that get to a point to where
22:48
they're like, there's nowhere else to turn. They're
22:51
losing their children, you know, their wife,
22:53
their kids are leaving them. So Alyx and Charles,
22:56
it's really nice that you shared. And Alyx, my
22:59
question is, you're hearing these stories. I'm
23:01
sure far worse than what Charles said. My message
23:08
is I just think there's so much power in hearing
23:12
all that. These stories are very real. They're
23:16
very raw. There are people that come to us who,
23:19
again, are on the brink of just complete crisis.
23:24
They don't know how to proceed. They were struggling
23:28
in isolation for a very, very long time. What
23:31
Collectors MD serves is a safe space for them
23:35
to connect with other people who are also experiencing
23:39
very similar challenges. And that creates so
23:43
much, it just, it creates so much power and impact
23:48
when people are going through these tough times,
23:52
when they can lean on others. Like this is, it's
23:54
peer support. It's not leader support. It's not
23:56
me teaching a class or a course or a lecture
23:59
or anything like that. I'm just. I'm helping
24:03
navigating the conversations and the feedback.
24:07
But, you know, in this past this meeting tonight,
24:09
we had, I don't know, seven, eight different
24:12
people share openly, honestly, transparently,
24:16
vulnerably. And, you know, everybody was there.
24:20
Everybody was there for each other. And that's
24:23
what it's all about. No, they're all going through
24:24
the same thing. Charles, I have a question. If
24:26
people have a problem with with us providing
24:30
support. tools and resources for people who really
24:33
need help you know that's that's on their conscience
24:36
like it's all good it's all good like we know
24:39
also the other thing Alyx is there's so much
24:41
shady stuff right now and everything so it's
24:43
there or a lot of us already programmed to be
24:46
like you know yeah i could say one thing about
24:51
Alyx he wears his heart on his sleeve and i was
24:54
going through a rough time myself and i was one
24:57
of the biggest skeptic i remember seeing him
24:59
on uh It was Valor and Cage, and they were tearing
25:02
him up. They were. And I thought it was kind
25:04
of funny. And it seemed like a grip to me at
25:07
first. And he reached out, and he asked if I
25:11
wanted to come to a meeting. And I'm just like,
25:12
I don't fucking need that. This is bullshit.
25:14
Like, no, come on. It's fucking sports cars.
25:16
And then I'm like, all right, wait a second.
25:17
I actually have a fucking problem. And he was
25:21
very persistent with me. And it wasn't nothing
25:24
more than, hey, man, if you need something. call
25:27
me if you need something call me maybe i give
25:29
off that aura when i make a post excuse my language
25:32
but uh there was a another more recent time i
25:37
was pretty hard up and um not just in my own
25:41
mental uh state um not to talk too much but it
25:45
was i'm in a lot of group therapy right now myself
25:48
um and it was at a point where I'm not living
25:53
with my wife at the moment. I'm I'm estranged
25:56
from my children. Oh, man. No, no, no, no, no,
26:00
no, no. Wait, wait, wait. This is the come on.
26:02
You want to talk about what we talk about. But
26:03
this is the truth. I under my own under my own
26:07
judgment, I made that move. I felt like I needed
26:10
to get better, you know, and to hear when people
26:16
talk about their own hardships. It makes you
26:19
accept who you are. There's real truth in the
26:24
power of group. And the way Alyx holds these
26:29
meetings, it makes you feel welcomed. And if
26:33
you as a person can accept who you are, you can
26:36
accept your faults. And I think just by reading
26:39
the comments, there are, and I hate reading comments.
26:41
That's just, I figured out how to use this shit.
26:44
So I kind of went a little haywire. My comment
26:48
section is an interesting place. They have fun.
26:52
But the ignorance is kind of high with some of
26:55
these comments that I'm reading. Well, Rhonda's
26:57
got her job cut out for us. Let me just address
26:59
something real quick. I'm just going to address
27:00
this as a one blanket statement. And Alyx, I'm
27:03
sorry I had a ton. You guys need a fucking reality
27:06
check, okay? You want to come in here, you want
27:09
to troll, you want to be a keyboard warrior,
27:11
fine. If that entertains you, that's cool. Charles,
27:16
you don't care about Charles. People kill themselves
27:18
over this shit, dude. It's not funny. It's not
27:21
something to go and troll. Oh, look at me. You
27:24
buy views. Blah, blah, blah. You know what? I'm
27:26
sorry you're not smart enough to figure that
27:28
out. Yeah, if they were, they'd be doing it.
27:31
Charles, I give you a shout out because you stay
27:33
here and chat clearly. At this point, you've
27:36
put yourself out there. So good for you for still
27:39
coming out and saying what you're saying. Frank,
27:42
what's up? Charles, Charles, you're doing great
27:47
stuff right now. Rob, Alyx, stop reading it.
27:50
This is really good content. Let's get it on.
27:53
Fuck these guys. Okay. Just thank you. This is
27:56
really good stuff. Keep it, keep it going. Okay.
27:58
Keep it going right now. Thank you. Okay. We're
28:02
going to get some signs of encouragement. Charles,
28:04
thank you so much for getting on tonight. That
28:05
was really awesome. And come on, let's talk more
28:08
about the process right now. Yeah. Yeah. Well,
28:11
you want to talk about substance abuse? I've
28:14
went from everything from. Oh, you know what?
28:17
I'm not going to start incriminating myself,
28:19
but sports cards definitely. I can imagine. I
28:22
can take some guesses. I'm sure you can. But
28:25
when I was first hurt from work and I was making
28:27
silly sports card content, I was buying way above
28:30
my means. And my wife still doesn't know how
28:33
much I actually spent. But that dopamine that
28:36
you get when you see that card that you've been
28:39
waiting for in the mail or you go into a break
28:41
and you try to, you know, that that last second
28:44
swipe to. deal to snipe from somebody you know
28:47
that shit hits and then you know if you don't
28:51
have money in the bank and you go towards the
28:53
substances it's a real fucking teeter -totter
28:56
that you go on and to be able to go into a meeting
28:59
and express yourself to these people that that
29:03
are very like -minded or very in the same boat
29:06
as you it's fulfilling and you know what it fills
29:09
the void that you don't want to go and spend
29:11
and he actually has these chats that has gotten
29:15
me off eBay more. And right now, I'm collecting
29:19
dead baseball players. And I don't know. It's
29:21
weird, whatever. But my spending has significantly
29:24
dropped since being in these little chats that
29:27
he's got going on. So, yeah, Alyx, the best thing
29:30
that could have happened for you tonight was
29:32
getting Rob up here. I have a guy that had a
29:36
PSA card ruined and I was scheduled. We're going
29:38
to keep this going. I'll throw him on in a few
29:40
minutes. But I had a question for Charles. Charles,
29:42
how could someone mention it might have been
29:44
Ziggy, but someone mentioned like you lost it.
29:46
How long? How many months? I know you want it
29:49
forever. Did it take you to spend more than you
29:52
should have? Oh, the first month it tops Inception
29:55
24 come out. I'm a big Cubs fan. Pete Cor Armstrong
29:58
had a rookie patch auto. I had some influencers
30:01
telling me that's the big chase. You got to have
30:03
the rookie patch auto. You got to have Paul Skeens.
30:05
I'm like, I don't want Paul Skeens. I'm not a
30:07
Pirates fan. Well, Pete Cor Armstrong has one.
30:10
He's the other rookie for the Cubs. Oh, okay.
30:13
I can chase that. Not realizing, hey, I could
30:16
go on eBay and probably find that card for the
30:17
price of one of the boxes I bought. But it doesn't
30:20
change the dopamine rush of actually opening
30:23
the pack and maybe getting that card. And, oh,
30:25
my gosh, it's like opening up a frigging Christmas
30:27
present every time you open a box. It can get
30:30
really out of hand really frigging quick. And
30:32
where this hobby is so expensive now, it can
30:35
bankrupt people. But yet you have Chad. So just
30:38
in a month, you spent more than you should have.
30:40
Oh, yeah. I mean, let's just say I spent $900
30:44
on one lick. Those boxes of Inception are $300
30:46
plus a piece. $900 at once. The last time I spent
30:51
that was on rent. Okay. Anything crazy. You know,
30:56
I don't, my car payment is five 31 a month for
30:58
fuck's sake. That is crazy work, but you know
31:04
what? I was okay with it. Cause I work a really
31:06
good job. I can afford it. I'm not going to be
31:09
until you couldn't, you could afford it until
31:11
you couldn't though. Yeah. Going dead on this
31:13
stuff. It's like, yeah. Like how many credit
31:15
cards can I open up? How many? Time's going to
31:17
bubble money and hide it. How many times can
31:19
I lie about shit? I just want to double down,
31:22
Alyx, is that having Jay and Charles who are
31:24
willing to, not everyone will, not everyone's
31:26
in that space. It just is. It's so much bigger
31:29
than seeing your Instagram post. I'm not talking,
31:31
I'm not trying to be an ass, but it's so much
31:34
more powerful and so much bigger than. For me,
31:37
hearing these two wear their heart on their sleeve
31:40
and it's real and how quick it happened and they're
31:43
talking well of your program, that's how you
31:46
want to start pushing it, in my opinion. That's
31:48
in my opinion. 100%. I've said from day one,
31:52
this is a community effort. Collectors MD is all
31:57
of us. Rob was talking about the group chats.
32:00
We all are there for each other. We respect each
32:03
other. We enjoy each other's... you know granted
32:07
it's it's in a digital environment but we enjoy
32:10
each other's company and it's been just so refreshing
32:13
to you know meet these people who want to proceed
32:18
with the hobby it's not like we're anti -collecting
32:21
or anti -breaking we just do it smartly and responsibly
32:25
exactly and these people you know want to collect
32:28
with intention and that's what we're all about
32:30
uh real quick shout out uh Sports Man Dan he uh
32:35
he had me on his show he's the man hey now i
32:37
saw him on your little list there uh i really
32:40
appreciate you guys all calling in i hope i kind
32:42
of i want i had i think chapman is his name come
32:45
on because he has a story to tell on psa do you
32:47
guys want to stay on with that do you want to
32:49
you know go here i'll give you the option you're
32:51
more than welcome to stay i love having there's
32:53
a big psa story that's come out too like i think
32:55
teapot had a big video about eight literally
32:58
six of the top Grading companies gave six different
33:01
grades. Yeah, but they just repeat it. They repeat
33:03
that. That's what Rhonda was saying in her voicemail.
33:05
They just keep repeating that same story. I don't
33:08
know. Do you guys want to hang out? You've been
33:10
on 40 minutes. I'll leave it up to you. Yeah,
33:12
no, this was great, Jason. I'd love to hang out.
33:19
Yeah. I know you were like a little teetering
33:22
on whether this song, it worked out well, I think,
33:25
I think it worked out. Rob is, is a very good
33:28
for your brand. Yeah. He tells the, you know,
33:32
Rob is, is out there breaking down the industry.
33:34
That's a good thing. Yeah. He's the skeptic.
33:37
Yeah. And thank you for sharing, man. That's
33:40
thank you for having me. I hope we get to keep
33:43
chatting more. Yeah, definitely. We're in that
33:45
group chat with Dave. No doubt. Never. Not interesting
33:50
with Dave. No, never. It's awesome. All right,
33:55
Rob, Alyx, thank you both for calling in. It
33:56
sounds like you might. Yep. Yep. Have a great
33:58
night. You too, guys. Hey, that was awesome.
34:02
That was a great, and you know, the questions
34:04
were good and, you know, okay. And it took a
34:06
little bit, but by the time we got flowing, man,
34:09
that was really good.