ESPN’s Bill Simmons devoted an entire column and 120-photo gallery to the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland held July 29-Aug. 2 on ESPN.com, providing a great positive story for the hobby. Simmons visited the show with a friend, spending 10 hours on the show floor over two days.

An excerpt from his column: “If you love sports, you have to go. You have to. You just have to. You have to. You will see things you never knew about. You will see things you never imagined. You will see things you barely remembered. You will see things that make you smile and things that make you angry. You will see things that you will want, and you will be surprised by how much you want them. You will be constantly blown away. You will be overstimulated. You will never be bored.”

In the photo gallery, Simmons offered many photos of different booths, complimented some dealers and shunned others, adding in his typical pot-shot humor along the way on dealer etiquette, attendees and his love of all things Boston.

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