We’re beyond excited to welcome you to the initial edition of Alt Hits, our first-ever newsletter covering the latest in alternative investments and beyond. We’ll be keeping our eye on current happenings across sports cards, comics, video games, watches, NFTs and other investible collectibles, and sending you relevant stories on the regular. Curious about expanding your portfolio to include a world beyond stocks? Keep an eye out for Alt Hits to hit your inbox.

‍

‍

‍

‍

NOTHING WAS THE SAME

Everyone knows Drake. Actor. Rapper. Businessman. Canadian. And now you can add “Sports card fan” to his long list of titles. The certified lover boy has been on the hunt for certified cards, such as the triple logoman of LeBron, featuring his time with Cavs, Heat and Lakers. Hobbyists have been helping Drake track down what many consider to be LeBron’s best Panini-era sports card, but in the meantime, he’s merely managed to pull some MJ rookies from a vintage box of 1986 Fleer. His excitement was palpable, a familiar feeling for collectors and investors alike.

‍

‍

‍

WHAT’S COOLER THAN ZEROCOOL?

What’s a backwards NFT? If you guessed TFN, you’re wrong. If you guessed Zerocool, you’re right! Zerocool is turning Gary Vaynerchuck’s NFT project VeeFriends into fungible trading cards. Physically backed NFTs are another way our digital and physical lives are being merged, and the possibilities within this space are endless.

‍

‍

‍

Formula 1: NETFLIX AND PROSPER

How did Formula 1 go from being a niche sport to a massive success story? Good old reality TV. Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive has helped F1 break in the US in a major way.

• For the last 10 years, the only F1 race in the country has been in Austin, but this May sees the start of the annual Miami Grand Prix, and plans have begun for a Las Vegas race around the strip itself.
• US Grand Prix attendance has grown over 51% since 2018.
• The fan base is on track to exceed 1 Billion, with a staggering 77% entering in the last two years.
• F1 has 1.5 billion aggregate social media engagements, making practically all F1 content viral content.

Nicely done, Netflix.

‍

‍

‍

BATTERS UP. PITCHERS TOO.

After a tumultuous offseason derailed by a lockout, the MLB season starts this week. While everyone has some thoughts on who might break out this year, investors are already stocking up on cards to go with their peanuts and Cracker Jacks. And here’s a look at some of the biggest movers heading into Opening Day.

‍

Gleyber Torres +7.70% (recent seven day increase)

No player has seen a bigger rise in value over the last 90 days than Torres, as investors are taking advantage of his two down seasons, pinning their hopes on a bounceback.

‍

Bobby Witt Jr. +12.53%

This 21-year-old phenom has been the talk of Spring Training, with some scouts saying that the former #2 overall draft pick and son of former pitcher Bobby Witt is the best pure hitting prospect since Mike Trout.

‍

Rafael Devers +7.77%

Devers is not only entering his athletic prime, but with only one year left of arbitration, he’s hunting for a massive payday in the near future. Clearly his investors are too.

‍

John Smoltz +4.65%

The biggest pitcher on the rise hasn’t played ball for quite some time. Does this mean the junk wax era is making a comeback?

‍

‍

‍

EVERYBODY LOVES CHRIS (AND WANTS HIM HEALTHY)

With the NBA Playoffs on the horizon, all eyes are on Phoenix, where Chris Paul is trying to do the one thing that’s eluded him during his dynamic NBA career - win a Championship. As always, health is the big question for him and his team.

‍

‍

‍

WE ARE (IN) THE WORLD (CUP)

After not qualifying for the last tournament, the US Men’s soccer team booked a trip to Qatar, despite losing 2-0 to Costa Rica. At least there’s some time to tune up before the Cup kicks off in November.

‍