All athletes, at some point in their career, consider what they are going to do when the bench or the infirmary is the place where they spend the most time.
It could be understood that the sudden abandonment of American football in November 2022 at the age of 28 Blake Martinez (9/1/1994, Tucson, Arizona, USA.) was due to a significant injury but, although there must have been some truth in it, a letter from Pokémon (acronym of Pocket Monsters) which he managed to sell for more than 600,000 euros. That was more than half of his contract with Las Vegas Raiders with whom he had signed the previous October! AND Blakean accomplished collector of these cards with images of ‘fantastic animals with powers’ since he was 6 years old, could not miss the opportunity and make his passion his new occupation.
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6 years in the NFL and abrupt goodbye
Blake Martinez He was one of the most prolific linebackers in the NFL during his short career. Student of Stanford where he stood out in the All-Pac-12, in 2016 the Green Bay Packers They chose him in the fourth round of the Draft and signed him a four-year contract worth $2.72 million. His first year with the Packers It also coincided with their best performance when they reached the NFC finals which they lost to Atlanta Falcons (44-21). Terminated his contract with the Packersin 2020 he signed for three years with the New York Giants and $30 million finishing the season with 151 tackles.
Blake Martinez, wearing the New York Giants jersey, at the preseason team presentation against the Cincinnati Bengals
Getty Images
But on matchday 3 of the 2021 season he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. At that moment the end began to appear for him: they placed him on the injured reserve team until the end of the season and on September 1, 2022 they gave him the release letter. It seemed that he had recovered well from the injury and the Las Vegas Raiders They acquired him on October 4, 2022 for the reserve team first and for the official team shortly after, but in the head of Blakelos Pokémon They already occupied all his interest. Basically, all its economic interest.
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Opening envelopes online
The universe of collectors has found its gold mine in the exclusive mine of trading cards, dolls and rarities. Everything can be sold for a bid. Welcome to the platform’s global collectibles auctionWhatNot‘. No more going to the typical stores and collectors’ fairs to acquire that much-desired sticker. Martínez He dedicated himself to this platform and, in July 2022, he had already set up a company, Blake’s Breaks, with about 20 employees and carried out live streamings opening envelopes, showing the cards to sell them. Quietly and from home. Without receiving blows that would dislocate his bones.
Blake, looking at the exclusive Pokémon cards, during a buying and selling fair
Instagram Blake Martinez
He proudly acknowledged that “The only thing that hurts me are my fingers from opening about 1,000 packets of letters a day.” It is rumored that in seven months he had already earned more than 5 million euros selling cards Pokémon.
collectible universe
In the beginning, ‘WhatNot‘he specialized in figures of Funko Pop, but soon expanded its market to other collectibles. This platform is a great ‘geek’ market, for people looking for comics, exclusive sneakers, action figures, cards and everything that exudes a certain smell of exclusivity. The latest has been the explosion of NFT’s. When the user finds their desired object, they send an offer. Then, the product is thoroughly analyzed by ‘WhatNot‘ to authenticate if what is sold and explained corresponds to the product. This process is carried out by an entire department that has a huge budget for its checks.
Pokémon cards can reach astronomical prices, like the one sold by Blake, of which there are only 40 copies.
Third parties
Out for scammer
The reputation of the site above all else, if not, the business disappears and behind this company there are very powerful investment companies. If the piece sold is approved, he keeps a 9% commission and sends the product to the buyer. Any element that does not match what was originally described, even if it is just the packaging, a logo or a color that varies, stops the sale and is quarantined. Something similar happened to Blake Martinez. In Reddit, users began to question whether what was shown in the streams later reached the buyer. Videos were reviewed and users detected that a sleight of hand was being done. Some buyers complained about not having received all the letters that corresponded to that envelope or some of lower value. He was called the ‘Pokémon Scandal’. In July 2023 the platform ‘WhatNot‘ issued a statement permanently removing his company from the platform. You had to find a life.
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Return for a match
In November 2023, the Carolina Panthers They welcomed him into their reserve team and transferred him to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next to Elandon Roberts y Mykal Walker, they formed an experienced veteran defense. He was called up in seven games, but Blake had few opportunities. Specifically one, in the defeat against the Patriots on December 12, 2023.
At 30 years old, he only has to find a team in another league like Europe if he wants to continue playing. Or he can return to lucrative collectibles, even sports ones, if he can clean up his reputation and gain the trust of buyers.
2024-04-16 16:32:24
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