Exclusive: GameStop, PSA launching digital "Power Packs"
🚨 Headlines
💔 Shooting at NFL HQ: Four people were killed by a gunman on Monday in the midtown Manhattan skyscraper that houses the NFL's corporate offices, as well as top financial firms. The gunman then shot and killed himself.
⚾️ Betting scandal expands: Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, one of the top arms on the trade market, has been placed on paid leave in connection with MLB's ongoing sports betting investigation, joining teammate Luis Ortiz.
🏈 Coach Prime's diagnosis: Deion Sanders announced that he was diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier this year, but has since been "cured" after having his bladder surgically removed. He said he'll likely have a portable toilet on the Colorado sidelines this fall.
⚾️ Harper gets heated: Bryce Harper reportedly told Rob Manfred to "get the f*** out of our clubhouse" when the commissioner brought up the potential implementation of a salary cap as part of the next CBA. The current labor deal expires at the end of next season.
🏀 New-look Luka: Luka Dončić showed off his new physique on the cover on Men's Health. "My whole body looks better," said the Lakers star, who's adopted a gluten-free, low-sugar diet.
💵 Exclusive: GameStop, PSA launching digital "Power Packs"
GameStop's collectibles business has boomed since partnering with trading card grading and authentication company Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA) last fall to turn its storefronts into grading submission centers. Now, the two companies are expanding their partnership with a digital collectibles experience called "Power Packs," Yahoo Sports has learned.
What's new? Power Packs is a new GameStop trading card platform that "bridges the thrill of card collecting with the convenience of the digital world," says Nat Turner, who is the CEO of Collectors Universe (which owns PSA) and sits on the GameStop board. Invites to the beta version of the platform go live today, according to GameStop.
How it works: The experience begins with a collector purchasing a virtual Power Pack, revealing a PSA-graded trading card securely stored in the PSA Vault. From there, they have three options:
Sell the card back instantly (with values powered by Card Ladder's dynamic pricing)
Keep it in the PSA Vault (with options to store it there, sell directly on eBay or potentially receive a PSA Instant Offer)
Ship the card home (for a fee)
More details: Power Packs have five price tiers ($25, $50, $100, $500, $1,000) that offer varying chances of pulling cards of certain values. Football and Pokémon cards will be available at launch, with plans to add more categories in the future. Acquired cards are managed through the Power Packs website (powerpacks.gamestop.com when it goes live) and payouts can be sent via direct deposit or added to the user's Power Packs balance.
Hot new trend: Repacks have emerged as a popular offering recently, allowing collectors to buy packs curated by individuals or hobby-related businesses rather than sealed boxes directly from the manufacturer. They typically contain a number of lower-value cards worth less than the price of the repack but offer the chance at "chases" worth much more, per cllct. PSA sees Power Packs as a way to bring more transparency to the space.
"The existing repack landscape is full of individuals who are creating these things on their own. They're not thinking about the end consumer. They're thinking about how much money they can generate," says Tommy Paderes, GM of Power Packs at PSA.
"This is our foray into creating a fun experience while utilizing the trust and transparency that comes with PSA grading. GameStop really wanted to bring this to life, and it was a natural fit knowing that we could build the technology and they could deliver it to the mass market."
A shift in strategy: GameStop played a starring role in the 2021 "meme stock" frenzy and has undergone a dramatic transformation since then, pivoting from a video game retailer to a hybrid entity with an increased focus on collectibles (sales jumped 55% YoY in the first quarter to $211.5 million) and cryptocurrency (they bought $500 million of Bitcoin in May).
"We've moved the business from a big reliance on hardware and software to collectibles," said CEO Ryan Cohen during a recent interview on Fox Business Network. "We're selling a ton of trading cards, both sports and TCG. It's a much more durable business."
Since partnering up nine months ago, GameStop stores have facilitated grading of over 1 million cards by PSA. That partnership is now going digital as PSA embraces the future of the hobby (virtual experiences) and GameStop embraces the future of its business (fewer brick-and-mortar locations).
What's GameStop up to? The company declined comment for this story but did post a video last night teasing this announcement as part of something called "Push Start Arcade," which could hint at a larger initiative around digital gaming and virtual wallets. The company's cult-like following is already speculating about what this all could mean.
🏀 The oldest team in NBA history
With 40-year-old Chris Paul officially in the fold, the 2025-26 Clippers are on track to be the oldest team in NBA history with an average age of 33.2 years old, as noted by Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh on the latest episode of "The Big Number" NBA podcast.
Oldest teams since the merger:
2025-26 Clippers: 33.2 (weighted for playing time)
2000-01 Jazz: 32.0
1997-98 Rockets: 32.0
1997-98 Bulls: 31.7
1999-00 Jazz: 31.5
What they're saying: "The Hakeem Rockets, the Jordan Bulls, the Stockton and Malone Jazz … these were the most ancient NBA teams ever … and they look like children compared to this Clippers team," said Haberstroh.
Roster breakdown: Paul is expected to be part of a core Clippers rotation that also includes James Harden (who will be 37 by the start of next season), Brook Lopez (37), Nicolas Batum (36), Kawhi Leonard (34), Bogdan Bogdanović (33), Bradley Beal (32) and Kris Dunn (31).
Zigging when others are zagging: The Clippers plan to trot out a historically old squad during a time when the NBA is getting younger and more athletic. Look no further than the 2025 NBA Finals, which featured the lowest average age on record (25.5 years old) and crowned the youngest champion (24.7) in a half-century. It's a bold strategy, to say the least. Here's Tom:
"It's such a different roster than where the league seems to be headed. … If you look at age trends over the last decade or so, older teams are winning more in the regular season, but the further you go into the postseason, it gets younger and younger than in previous generations. So I feel like this Clippers team is built for the No. 1 or No. 2 seed … but not necessarily for winning the title."
Watch: Full episode (YouTube)
⚾️ Is this the worst call in baseball history?
Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin threw a pitch right down the middle of the plate… and umpire Brian Walsh called it a ball. I was watching this live and couldn't believe my eyes. Never been more confused by a call in my life.
📊 By the numbers
🏀 23 minutes
Seattle's Skylar Diggins recorded her first career triple-double (11 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) on Monday in less than 23 minutes of game action, the lowest minutes total ever in a WNBA triple-double.
⛳️ $21.94 million
LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann, who won his fifth event of the season this past weekend in the U.K., has now made more in on-course earnings this year ($21.94 million) than PGA Tour money leader Scottie Scheffler ($19.2 million).
🌭 9-9-9
J.J. Watt dominated the viral "9-9-9 Challenge," eating nine hot dogs and drinking nine beers during a nine-inning Brewers game. In fact, he finished with 3.5 innings to spare… and still had room for a postgame meal. Built different.
🌎 The world in photos
🇺🇸 Foxborough, Massachusetts — All 32 NFL teams have reported to training camp, and there's no shortage of intrigue and storylines so far.
🇫🇷 La Gacilly, France — The fourth edition of Le Tour Femmes (Women's Tour de France) is underway. Current leader: Marianne Vos of the Netherlands.
🏴 Bridgend, Wales — The Women's Open tees off this week at Royal Porthcawl, which comes in at No. 65 on the World's Top 100 Golf Courses list.
📺 Watchlist: Tuesday, July 29
⚾️ Rays at Yankees | 7pm ET, TBS
The AL East takes center stage today, with the Yankees hosting the Rays in primetime and the Orioles hosting the Blue Jays in a split doubleheader (12:35pm ET, MLB; 6:35pm). Watch out for Toronto, whose lead atop the division has grown to 5.5 games — their highest since 1993, when they went on to win the World Series.
More to watch:
🏀 WNBA: Aces at Sparks (10pm, NBA) … Los Angeles has the league's longest active winning streak at five games.
⚽️ Leagues Cup: Six matches (7-11pm, Apple/FS1) … 18 MLS clubs and 18 Liga MX clubs battle it out in the fifth edition of the tournament.
Today's full slate →
⚾️ MLB trivia
Cal Raleigh is the betting favorite to win AL MVP (-135 at BetMGM) for the first time this year, leapfrogging an injured Aaron Judge.
Question: Raleigh would be just the third catcher this century to win MVP. Who were the other two?
Hint: AL Central, NL West.
Answer at the bottom.
💔 Remembering Ryno
Cubs legend Ryne "Ryno" Sandberg, one of the best second basemen and humblest superstars in MLB history, passed away Monday at age 65 after a battle with cancer.
Immortal words: From Sandberg's Hall of Fame induction speech in 2005…
"The reason I am here, they tell me, is that I played the game a certain way, that I played the game the way it was supposed to be played. I don't know about that, but I do know this: I had too much respect for the game to play it any other way. And if there is a single reason I am here today, it is because of one word: 'Respect.'"
"I was taught you never, ever disrespect your opponent or your teammates or your organization or your manager. Make a great play — act like you've done it before. … Hit a home run — put your head down, drop the bat, run around the bases. Because the name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back."
"A lot of people say this honor validates my career, but I didn't work hard for validation. I didn't play the game right because I saw a reward at the end of the tunnel. I played it right because that's what you're supposed to do — play it right and with respect. If this validates anything, it's that learning how to bunt, and hit and run, and turn two is more important than knowing where to find the little red light on the dugout camera."
No. 23 forever: The Cubs unveiled a Sandberg statue outside Wrigley Field last year and will honor him the rest of this season by wearing a jersey patch with his No. 23 and signature.
Trivia answer: Joe Mauer (2009 AL MVP with the Twins) and Buster Posey (2012 NL MVP with the Giants)
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tennessee Titans' best moments: Remembering Eddie George's longest run
Now introducing… 905 pounds of beef! It's Jan. 16, 2000 in Indianapolis. You're in the RCA Dome. You are a poor, poor linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts. You look up. Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Benji Olson's running straight at you. Uh oh. But wait. It's not just Olson. Olson and Jon Runyan are running straight at you. Gulp. Nope. Save your gulp. It's even worse than that. Olson and Runyan and Lorenzo Neal are running straight at you. This isn't a drill. This is Pamplona, and you're wearing a red jumpsuit and waving a red flag after someone dumped red paint all over you. Put simply, the Titans are going to run the football. The Colts know it. That's why they've got eight defenders in the tackle box at the snap. Here is No. 9 on The Tennessean's list of the Tennessee Titans' best moments. Running back Eddie George takes a counter-step right before breaking back left. By the time George takes the handoff from quarterback Steve McNair, left tackle Brad Hopkins and left guard Bruce Matthews have already driven defensive linemen three yards off the line of scrimmage and tight end Jackie Harris has sealed off the edge. Olson, the right guard, had pull-kick responsibilities and absolutely toppled defensive end Bertrand Berry at the point of attack. Neal, the fullback, took his lead-blocking job as seriously as ever and barreled toward defensive lineman Chad Bratzke to help Harris. And Runyan, the right tackle, pulled and wrapped through the formation as George's final lead blocker. But… there wasn't anyone left to block. All foes had been vanquished. Even receiver Kevin Dyson came 15 yards upfield to block a safety and spring the hole. More: What Treylon Burks release actually means for Tennessee Titans on field, as organization George did the rest of the work. It doesn't take 20-20 vision to see the hole the Titans blockers created, but George weaved through it expertly. No one touched George for 68 yards as the workhorse scampered for his longest ever run in a Titans uniform to give his team a lead it wouldn't look back from in a crucial playoff tilt on the way to a Super Bowl appearance. Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@ Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Remembering Eddie George's longest run as Tennessee Titan
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What would Commanders QB Jayden Daniels be worth in a trade?
The Washington Commanders have a franchise quarterback. For fans, that has been a long time coming. There's not one fan who would be interested in trading Jayden Daniels. But what would he be worth if Washington did trade him? Bill Barnwell of ESPN conducted a hypothetical exercise where he examines the rosters of all 32 NFL teams to determine which players are worth a first-round pick — or more. Well, obviously, Daniels is worth a first-round pick — a lot more. Daniels is the type of talent who could have multiple MVPs in his future. Barnwell's value on Daniels: Four first-round picks plus more. I can see both sides of the argument. While nobody doubts what Daniels did last season, he has done it only once, as opposed to Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, who have been MVP candidates for most of their careers. There are still teams that would hesitate to invest in him because of his slight frame, and there's always a concern that a quarterback who had so much success scrambling and creating on fourth down might not be able to keep that up. Maybe that side thinks Daniels is worth two first-round picks. Then there's the other side, which would (correctly) point out that Daniels reinvigorated an entire fan base last season. He had one of the best rookie seasons in league history, throwing for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns while adding 891 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground. He did that with wideout Terry McLaurin, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and a bunch of guys who weren't moving the needle around the league. There probably won't be another Hail Mary to beat the Bears or another 86-yard touchdown to nearly tie the game in the fourth quarter against the Cowboys, but Daniels doesn't need those plays to be an elite quarterback. If he cuts unnecessary sacks out of his game, what else would he need to be on the same level as those guys I mentioned? Crucially, while Mahomes, Allen and Jackson are all on significant contracts, Daniels is in the second season of his four-year, $37.7 million rookie deal. With the Commanders already having paid his signing bonus, they'll pay him $2.5 million in 2025 and $4.3 million in 2026 before he is even eligible for an extension. He might be one of the league's two or three biggest bargains while playing the most important position in sports. Is that worth five first-round picks? Six? Seven? The answer is "too many," so I tried to strike a middle ground. Barnwell is correct. "Too many" would be the answer. It's incredibly fair to point out that Daniels has only done it for one season, whereas the other four quarterbacks who were "worth" four first-round picks or more have multiple MVP-type seasons on their resume. But if you were starting a new franchise tomorrow and had your pick, Daniels would be in the conversation, along with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. There is no higher praise than that. Daniels didn't just excel on the field, but he also gave the franchise its best season in 33 years, brought back old fans, helped create new fans and became a top-selling jersey. Imagine when Washington's "throwback" jerseys go on sale. Daniels is a franchise quarterback, but he's also a symbol of hope and change for a starving fan base. The only other player on Washington's roster that Barnwell said was worth a first-round pick more was cornerback Mike Sainristil. If you've been following training camp, you'd know that Sainristil has been having a phenomenal start to the summer. Daniels was the only player in the NFC East worth more than two first-round picks, per Barnwell. There were only five players worth at least four first-round picks and they were Mahomes, Jackson, Burrow, Allen and Daniels. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: What would Commanders QB Jayden Daniels be worth in a trade?
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
The Kansas City Chiefs make a personnel decision regarding the punter position for 2025
The battle in training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs' starting punter appears to be over after the team parted ways with its undrafted rookie free agent. According to Wednesday's NFL transactions log, the Chiefs released punter Eddie Czaplicki, opening the path for Matt Araiza to win the job ahead of the 2025 season. During last week's training camp press conference, Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub mentioned that the decision could be made soon. "That'll come down – like (General Manager Brett) Veach might hit me up, like 'Hey, you know, where are we going,' because we're always – because right now we don't have any injuries, knock (on) wood, I mean we don't have anything serious, we don't have to bring anyone in from the outside," said Toub, "As soon as that happens, you got 90 guys you got to work with, and sometimes you got to make decisions. Sometimes that issue gets pressed a little bit, but right now, we don't have to rush on it." Czaplicki won the Ray Guy Award last season as the nation's best punter for the USC Trojans. He had a net average of 45.7 yards per punt and 24 punts inside the 20 with a long of 62. In addition to his Ray Guy Award, he was named first-team All-Big Ten Conference, the Big Ten Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year, and first-team All-American. Araiza punted 62 times for 3027 yards during his 17 appearances in the 2024 regular season and managed to land 25 punts inside the 20-yard line.
