Cactus League turns Arizona into sports card hotspot on Topps Rip Night

PHOENIX – The line stretched out the door before 3 p.m., with collectors clutching unopened packs and parents hoisting kids high enough to see over the crowd.

Inside Valleywide Sports Cards in Scottsdale, cheers broke out as Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll ripped open packs at a front table. Moments later, Carroll leaned over the counter to sign cards – even after fans had been told it would likely be a non-signing appearance.

“Honestly, it’s the energy,” said Terry Haskel of Scottsdale, who attended the event with his children. “You don’t really get this anywhere else – opening packs with other fans around, kids excited, MLB players like Corbin Carroll we just saw popping in. Rip Night feels like a celebration of baseball and collecting all rolled into one.”

That scene played out across Arizona on Feb. 21 as hobby shops hosted Topps Rip Night, a nationwide, one-night event sponsored by Topps that brings collectors into local stores to open packs and meet players. Per Topps, the event is designed to celebrate hobby shops and connect fans with the game in person.

However, in Arizona, timing is crucial.

With spring training underway across the Cactus League, hundreds of players are already in the Valley preparing for the MLB season. That proximity turned Rip Night into something larger – transforming Arizona into a baseball and collectibles hotspot for a single evening.

“I would say it greatly affects things because obviously the players are in town, the fans are in town,” said Christian Dale, general manager at Valleywide Sports Cards. “February, we have so many things going on in the state of Arizona.”

Dale estimated Rip Night traffic saw “at least a 20-to-30% bump” because of spring training.

“These players, because it’s spring training, their first cards come around, they want to hunt for their own cards, and it just brings excitement to the hobby,” Dale said. “I can’t say enough good things about it.”

Valleywide’s afternoon featured Carroll from 3-4 p.m., followed by Hall of Famer George Brett. Later in the evening, top prospects Charlie Condon of the Colorado Rockies and Christian Moore of the Los Angeles Angels stopped by, ripping packs and interacting with fans.

While Topps markets Rip Night primarily as a meet-and-greet style event — “a non-signing event,” as Dale described it – players often go above and beyond.

“It’s literally just to get you to meet the player,” Dale said. “These guys are finishing a game and then coming here for 20 minutes. This is just out of the generosity of their own heart. They just want to connect.”

Across town at DNA Cards & Collectibles in Phoenix, the scene was even tighter. The shop was packed wall-to-wall as Angels star Mike Trout traded cards with fans and signed autographs. A line again stretched outside the door. Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele and Oakland Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler also made appearances.

“When spring training starts, it ends up actually kind of amping up the card community in Arizona because so many of the players themselves are into card collecting,” said Hannah Sidoti, operations manager at DNA Cards & Collectibles.

Sidoti said players ripping packs and posting on social media fuels excitement among younger fans.

“They get into ripping packs, and then they post it on their socials, and the kids and people see it, and they want to go in and rip packs,” Sidoti said. “It really amps up the hobby and gets everybody really into it during this time of the year.”

Interest naturally rises as baseball returns.

“Whenever a season starts, it always amps up the interest in the cards because people are excited to see how the players are doing,” Sidoti said. “When the season starts, it does end up amplifying the hobby and making it more popular.”

For families who may not make it to a Cactus League game, Rip Night offers other entry points with events all over the country that feature athletes such as Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants, who showed up in New York, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who appeared in Minneapolis, and others.

“So they can still come in and rip a pack and get to see that favorite player,” Sidoti said. “It helps them feel connected.”

Haskel felt that connection firsthand.

“It’s awesome,” Haskel said. “You see parents with their kids ripping packs together, friends comparing pulls, everyone cheering when someone hits something big. Even if you don’t pull anything crazy, you still walk away with memories.”

In Arizona, those memories feel amplified.

“Arizona feels like the center of baseball right now,” Haskel said. “Knowing players are already here for spring training and then seeing them show up at different card shops makes this feel way bigger than anywhere else. It’s like the whole Valley becomes part of Rip Night.”

As the final packs were opened and the crowds thinned on Rip Night, one reality lingered: During spring training, baseball does not stop at the ballpark gates. In Arizona, it spills into neighborhood card shops  where – for one night – fans can watch their favorite players in action on the diamond in the afternoon and then rip packs with them after sunset.

Related