Sports magazines are a hobby that I've poured a lot of time into of late. Though I've collected sports cards for 25+ years versus only 365 days for sports magazines, I would venture to say that never in my 25 years of card collecting have I invested as much time, effort, and money as I have in this single year of sports magazines. If it's a true hobby for me, should I really care if other people are interested? Probably not. But I do.
When we devote substantial time to something or when we find anything that brings us joy, we want to share it with others. We want someone else to feel the same kind of appreciation and pleasure that we do. It's like playing a song for a friend. You anxiously wait while your favorite bars play out, side-eyeing your companion in hopes that they'll show a glimmer of approval or the slightest head nod. Perhaps you'll even develop a special bond over that one song, and every time you hear its melody, you immediately flash back to that connection.
I want to feel that with sports magazines. I want my friends, family, and strangers around the world to recognize the special, unique features that have drawn me in. And I want it to draw them in too. And while there is already an awesome, and growing, contingent of sports magazine collectors, I want it to bring thousands of people together, just as sports cards have done. And so once again, I frequently mull over the notion…will it ever happen?
My Realization
I watch an unhealthy number of sports documentaries. That's just the sports nerd that I am. I relish the stories and the history that go along with sports greatness and unique moments in athletic history. Anytime I'm running on the treadmill, brushing my teeth, or even eating a meal by myself, I’ll pop on a random documentary with my phone to double down on my time.
On this particular frigid Saturday, I enjoyed a video about Stan “the Man” Musial during a morning jog at my local gym. And in that documentary, it showed about 6 different magazines with Stan Musial on the cover. That’s when it hit me. Almost every single sports documentary I have ever watched…shows sports magazine covers. And as I continued to think about it, they almost never feature any sports cards.
A further test of this hypothesis followed as I consumed two more short documentaries soon after. One on “White Chocolate” Jason Williams and another on the “Say Hey Kid”, Willie Mays. Sure enough, both featured clips showing sports magazine covers. So now the question…why? Well, I’ll take a stab.
Historical Significance
My favorite thing about sports magazines is their connection to history. Yes, the display is nice and the photos are aesthetically pleasing. And yes, the scarcity of newsstand copies in high grade adds a certain thrill about potential value. But the covers tell a story. They are relics. Time capsules. And to me, this is the most underrated facet of the hobby. You can look at a magazine cover and immediately get a sense of that moment in time. And this explains why you will almost never see a sports documentary without a magazine cover.
Magazine covers weren’t just handed out like an Oprah meme. There was a particular reason that an athlete was placed on the cover—whether it be their stellar performance or contribution to a key moment. You couldn’t just make the major leagues and expect to be on a magazine cover. You had to stand out. You had to earn it. You had to be significant enough to elicit magazine sales. And as much as I love them, you just can’t say the same for sports cards. Much to Oprah’s delight, basically everyone did get a sports card.
When you look at many sports magazine covers, you can immediately get transported to a time and place. I was born in 1990, so the summer of ’98 was magical for me. I will never forget sitting in my living room, watching the thousands of flashbulbs on the TV screen as Mark McGwire effortlessly cracked home run #62 off his bat. When I see a magazine cover with Big Mac or Sosa, I’m immediately taken back there to my living room and the historic home run chase that summer.
Or as a Fighting Illini fan, the magical season of 2005, where Dee Brown and Deron Williams led Illinois to a 29-0 start, a #1 ranking, and eventual NCAA runner-up finish. I see the Sports Illustrated cover with the headline “It’s March” while Dee Brown pops his Illinois jersey and it gives me goosebumps. It may not be a meaningful cover to most people, but for me it evokes a certain feeling. And that’s because I remember. The magazine covers take us right back to those moments. Which magazine covers do this for you?
Don’t take this the wrong way and let me be clear—I love sports cards. I honestly don’t ever see myself parting with my personal collections of Kobe Bryant, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Albert Pujols, and Yadier Molina cards. I’m still deciding whether my will should designate them to go to my son or with me in the casket.
Out of my collection of thousands of sports cards, there are certainly a few I can think of that bring back specific memories. But my sports magazine collection just offers that extra historical significance that my cards don’t touch. And for a sports nerd like me, that’s a big deal.
