[raulus]

#2 is easy if you ask me. A long and storied history that is celebrated from here to next Tuesday. Lots of documentaries, books, movies, etc. Plus for the better part of a century, baseball was it. Every other sport was a silent fart compared to baseball. Not the same story today, of course, but that dominant history leads to a lot more cherishing, curating, and narrating the history of the sport.

#1 is really personal for all of us, as it's a reflection of what we're into. For me, I mostly collect the all-time greats from my favorite team. I tiptoe a little into a player, then dig in a bit, and finally I go nuts trying to find every possible issue available during their playing days.

I have a hard time trying to moralize very much about athletes, although my general rule is that I won't touch any player from my team's arch-rivals, with two exceptions. Multi-player cards that include my boys plus one of the hated ones. Or in the rare cases where I decide to collect a set, and those losers are required to complete the set. But I do it grudgingly, and every time I see my cards with those losers, I give them a big glare and question whether they really have any place in my collection.