These trading cards were promoted as educational cards for the American public, with a variety of topics including important people, technology, and general military terms. The major sports card companies saw an opportunity to move away from an over-saturated market into new territory, and the cards embodied the patriotism and support for the Desert Shield/ Desert Storm conflict. The trading cards were originally sold in stores, but they were also sent overseas to American soldiers. One soldier remembered thinking “Why would they be giving out packs of baseball cards to soldiers when we are busy with the war? For me, it was like having a piece of home over there with you.”