You wanna know about football box? That thing, just a box, nothing special, right? But these days, them young folks, they all crazy about it. They call it football cards. My grandson, he’s one of them. Always talking about his precious football box. Say it got value, whatever that means.
He got so many boxes. One is called Panini football box, I think. Sounds like some kinda sandwich to me. Another one, he calls it Bowman Chrome. Don’t know what kinda name is that. These boxes, you see, got pictures of football players. You know, them fellas running around, throwing the ball.
He showed me once. Said, “Look, Grandma, this one’s a rare one!” Rare? What’s so rare about it? Just a picture. But he said, some cards, they worth a lot. Like that 2022 Panini Absolute NFL Football Blaster Box. He said, got a special card in it. Kaboom, he calls it. Sounds like trouble if you ask me.
They got all kinds of these boxes. 2021 football box, 2022 football box, even a 2024 Panini Mosaic Football box. I don’t know what they do with all these cards. My grandson, he keeps them all organized, like they’re gold or something. It’s all about the players, I guess. The ones playing now, the ones played before, some World XI. They got names. I can’t remember them all.
He goes on and on about checklists and whatnot. 2024 Panini Mosaic Football Checklist, he calls it. I asked, “What’s a checklist?” He says, “It’s a list of all the cards, Grandma.” Well, ain’t that obvious? He’s got a whole book of these checklists. Base Set Checklist, National Pride Checklist, they all got different names. It’s all too much for my old brain.
They even buy these boxes online. Heard him talking about it with his friends. Said he got a good deal. They say some places sell ’em cheaper. Places like… uh… Target, I think he said. And another one… DICK’S Sporting Goods. They sell all kinds of things, not just these football boxes. But them kids, they just want the cards. Some boxes even promise Free Shipping. What a world, right?
- Some boxes are called Donruss
- Some are called Select
- Another one is Prizm
- And one more is Prestige
He said you can find out how much these cards are worth. There are places online, he said. Something called MAVIN. You type in some stuff, the year, the name, I don’t know. He tried to explain it to me, but I got lost. All these numbers and names. Just too much for me. Why can’t they just play football like they used to, without all these cards and boxes?
Sometimes he trades them with his friends. He come home all excited. “Grandma, I traded this for that!” I just nod and smile. I don’t understand, but it makes him happy. It’s like a whole other world, this football box thing. They even got jumbo box. I guess that means it’s a big one. He said it’s for people who really love these cards. I guess that’s him.
Now they got these cards from Leaf, and Topps. So many names! I just stick to my knitting. But I guess, if it makes them happy. This whole football hobby box thing, it’s here to stay. Ain’t going nowhere. Young folks love it, I guess. Just hope they don’t spend all their money on these boxes. They need to save up for important things, you know? Like a good pair of shoes, or a warm coat for winter. Those things, they last. These football cards, I don’t know. But who am I to say? It’s their thing.
I guess it’s just one of them new-fangled things. Like them moving pictures on the television. When I was a girl, we didn’t have none of that. We played outside, made our own fun. But times change, I guess. These football boxes, they’re just part of it now. Just another thing to keep track of, like the changing seasons. And me? I’ll just be here, watching it all go by, shaking my head and smiling. That’s all an old lady can do, ain’t it?
