Jeremy Lee spent more than 20 years working in accounting, but left it all behind to pursue a dream built on passion and enjoyment.
While his current profession might be in sports card collecting, he originally went to school for business.
A cousin, a chartered accountant, helped Lee get a job at an accounting firm in Winnipeg.
“I did it for over 20 years, but I never enjoyed it,” he said. ”I was always more interested in my card collecting activities versus my career.”
Accounting background has not gone to waste
But Lee’s time as an accountant has not gone to waste. His experiences have allowed him to think about card collecting differently.
“We all know that accountants are typically extremely organized and pay great attention to detail. But I think in those areas as a collector, he knows what he’s focused on,” said Karvin Cheung, a longtime friend of Lee and a reputable name in the hobby himself.
Lee agrees his accounting background plays a role in how he collects, but that’s not all.
“Just thinking about deals, buying, selling, trading. I don’t think you need an accounting education or experience to do that. Sometimes you just have to understand business,” Lee said.
Sports card obsession began early
For Lee, his obsession with sports cards started young.
Lee has a vivid memory of opening the 1982-83 O-Pee-Chee set when he was 10 years old, chasing Dale Howarchuck as a rookie.
“The hobby chose me. I did not choose the hobby,” said Lee.
This obsession with cards eventually inspired Lee to start his show, Sports Cards Live, which features various guests discussing the hobby and collecting in general.
The show began in April 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which played a major role in its early success.
“Well, it was critical because there were so many people with nothing to do looking for entertainment,” said Lee.
“I didn’t have a vision. I fell into it. I did not plan anything. It just all evolved, and it just all happened in front of me … my goal was not to embarrass myself.”
Turning a passion into a business
Eventually, Lee got his show to the point where he could make it his full-time job.
After just two years of running the show, he left accounting altogether.
“If you can turn your passion into a business or a job or income, that’s the best,” said Lee. “You have to have passion. If you’re not passionate about it, people will see right through you.”
Brett Miles, a friend of Lee’s and a fellow hobby enthusiast, has been a fan of the show since the very beginning.
“I think he’s a genuine person. He is not trying to be somebody. He’s authentic to who he is. When I hear him speak, that’s who he is,” said Miles.
For Lee, the hobby is about more than just collecting.
“The cards are at the core of it, but it’s the community, the friendships, the relationships,” Lee said.
Miles has witnessed his commitment to the hobby firsthand.
“I think this is a hobby for everybody. I really do. And I think he does too. And he celebrates that, and he champions that,” said Miles.
Lee’s experiences as a self-employed content creator have allowed him to see things from a different point of view and recognize the value of chasing your dreams, even for his own children.
“I’m not going to force him to go be a lawyer or an accountant or a doctor,” he said about his son. “I’m going to encourage him to chase whatever he’s interested in.”
Lee plans to continue his work in the hobby sphere.
Along with his live show, Lee has recently published a book, Pops and Comps, and has started a website, named the Hobby Spectrum, that people in the hobby sphere can utilize to make their collecting more seamless.