Hobbies are a beautiful thing to have. We all have that one thing that we go to when we want to unwind or just enjoy ourselves.

Mine is sports cards. I've been collecting them since I was about six years old, and I just never really stopped.

Collecting cards over the years has changed a lot. When I was a kid, there were sports card shops everywhere. You went in, looked at all the singles of players in the cases, maybe grabbed a couple of your favorite player, then bought a few packs or a box to open up.

Once you did all that, you went to your friends and traded them cards for some of your favorite players. It was a simple time. Now, the evolution of sports cards has turned into a business for just about anyone with access to the internet.

Sports card shops are drying up, prices on those packs we love opening up have skyrocketed, and the experience as a whole has changed. Sports card shows are more popular than ever these days...but you wouldn't know it living here.

That's because anytime a "show" or "convention" comes through the Amarillo Civic Center or another venue, it's a gun show. I swear, it's all I ever see when it comes to a big show somewhere. Gun show.

You do realize how many OTHER things there are that would draw a ton of people in right? A sports card show would be massive. You could do an antique show or a Star Trek convention. Just something other than a gun show. Yes, I recognize how popular gun shows are. I'm not advocating getting rid of the gun shows by any stretch.

I'm simply saying Amarillo needs to diversify in the world of conventions and shows. Is there some perception that the only one that would draw people in is a gun show? I think you're sorely mistaken. Lubbock does so many different types of shows, and that alone should show you the other ones are just as successful.

What will it take to gain a little diversity in the city when it comes to this? Do we need to start a petition? Are these shows simply not being allowed, or are people scared to try something new? Maybe I'll just start my own sports card show. I mean, it's worth a shot, right?

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