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Fanatics to take over MLB trading card license?

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smapdi

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
4,397
221
2025 is still a ways away, and anything can happen. Topps is more than cards, though, with their candy division supposedly bringing in a lot more revenue, though who knows with a private company these days. If anything, they might license the name for cards, and Fanatics would be stupid not to try to get it. But either way, this seems like sad news for longtime collectors. As much as Topps gets wrong, which seems to be more and more the last few years, they get way more right. And they're still OUR card company and not having them make cards feels even more wrong.

Selfishly, I'm glad I will presumably get 4 more years of Heritage and the other brands I like. Maybe having an endpoint would be beneficial. People can just skip whatever Fanatics puts out (and judging by the Twitterstorm, at least their jerseys and other products seem to be overpriced, low-quality junk backed by horrific customer service), and collect a nice 75-year run.
 

Dilferules

Well-known member
Aug 10, 2012
1,948
1,746
Auburn, WA
So it seems like Topps has the MLB logo license through 2025, however the stuff that I've read makes it seem like their right to produce cards with MLBPA players ends at the end of 2022. Seems like Fanatics would need to strike a deal with Topps (or just buy them) to have the ability to produce cards with players and logos 2023-25. Otherwise during those years we'd have Fanatics making Panini-style logoless cards and Topps making team logo stickers or something. I really hope Fanatics buys Topps or licenses the name and designs so there can be some link between the past and the future. Otherwise I will probably buy very few new cards each year, just a few team sets and autographs. The continuity of collecting the same sets from year to year is really what keeps me buying much new stuff at all. Even if the cards look the same I'd buy Topps Chrome but not be tempted at all by Fanatics TikTok Ultrametal or whatever crap these people come up with.

And I really really don't look forward to the only MLB card company being run by sneakerbois.
 

Dazed

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
3,598
1,777
East of KC MO
Just my take. Maybe I'm overthinking everything. (Probably)

If Fanatics MLBPA deal starts in 2023 but Topps has the MLB exclusive through 2025 what the hell will be produced in 2024 unless there's a buy-out / merger between the two. I can see it now 2024 Topps heritage will be a 30 card set based on the 1975 Topps design with pictures of team hats or logos. Variations include throw backs & roads version hats.

Even though I don't know a lot about him. I don't think I'll be a fan of Josh Luber current CEO of StockX who will be running Fanatics card company. He made his money reselling sneakers. Sounds to me like a person that buys up all the retail and tries to gouge everyone reselling for a higher price could be running the entire sports card market.

Also looking at the Fanatics logo they won't be stopping with baseball.
Fanatics.jpg
 

Dilferules

Well-known member
Aug 10, 2012
1,948
1,746
Auburn, WA
Even though I don't know a lot about him. I don't think I'll be a fan of Josh Luber current CEO of StockX who will be running Fanatics card company. He made his money reselling sneakers. Sounds to me like a person that buys up all the retail and tries to gouge everyone reselling for a higher price could be running the entire sports card market.

I'm not very familiar with StockX or Fanatics but from what I've seen on Twitter the speculation based on the Fanatics business model would basically be to sell practically everything direct online with very little brick and mortar retail presence, and completely cut out distributors and big online shops. And I would be shocked if pack/box (or however they sell them direct) prices don't dramatically increase because Fanatics is paying an absolute boatload of money for these exclusive licenses, way more than Topps was.
 

Dazed

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
3,598
1,777
East of KC MO
I'm not very familiar with StockX or Fanatics but from what I've seen on Twitter the speculation based on the Fanatics business model would basically be to sell practically everything direct online with very little brick and mortar retail presence, and completely cut out distributors and big online shops. And I would be shocked if pack/box (or however they sell them direct) prices don't dramatically increase because Fanatics is paying an absolute boatload of money for these exclusive licenses, way more than Topps was.
100% agree.
 

swish54_99

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2012
1,160
221
Fanatics will buy Topps I think, and keep the name and label/logo, because they arent stupid, and have people monitoring all our discussions. It's the logical and simple business move. Topps can either sell for whatever Fanatics offers, or wacth their business die quickly and have ZERO to show for it. I dont think people will support Topps if they cant use player names, likelness and team images and names.

That said, I have not enjoyed the exclusivity of Topps since 05, and liked the days of multi brands. I dont buy Panini stuff now though, solely because its ugly and "fake" seeming without team logos. I have no allegiance to Topps other than it's been the tradition. But people in 1952 could have said the same thing........

I dont buy new wax, and am only interested in my PC of Clemens, so I probably have a skewed perspective here.
Your first paragraph sums up what I was thinking as well. Getting a license agreement is the first step in taking over the Topps "name." Then all they have to do is buy Topps because Topps also understands how important it is to have logos and how they wouldn't last in the long term by producing cards with no logos and trying to buy back the license in the future. Happens all the time in the real world. Said company slowly pushes out a company just to buy their name later.
 

predatorkj

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
11,871
2
It's been a minute since I've been involved but I get two pretty big stories that cross my plate in a week. Warrants a post! Topps is gone and so is PWCC. Wow! As for Topps, I can't imagine a world in which we live where Topps is not involved, in some capacity, with sports cards.

I've kept my eye on the hobby since I left but every day that goes by, I regret it less and less. I'm not a Topps homer by any means but man, that's Like DC saying Superman is no longer going to be published. It's just bizarre!
 

predatorkj

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
11,871
2
BTW, doesn't Fanatics sell mostly jerseys and memorabilia? They have one at our local mall if it's what I'm thinking....
 

swish54_99

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2012
1,160
221
BTW, doesn't Fanatics sell mostly jerseys and memorabilia? They have one at our local mall if it's what I'm thinking....
Yeah. One thing I was thinking, and I hope I'd be wrong, but with how corrupt this hobby has gotten lately who knows....but with Fanatics having pretty much any pro athletes retail jersey at their fingertips...who's saying if they get greedy enough, they don't start cutting those up and inserting them into their cards instead of actual gu/player/event worn jerseys. It already happened with other card makers, so it does happen.
 

JVHaste

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2015
4,751
270
Vancouver WA
Yeah. One thing I was thinking, and I hope I'd be wrong, but with how corrupt this hobby has gotten lately who knows....but with Fanatics having pretty much any pro athletes retail jersey at their fingertips...who's saying if they get greedy enough, they don't start cutting those up and inserting them into their cards instead of actual gu/player/event worn jerseys. It already happened with other card makers, so it does happen.
I can't wait to see if Fanatics can top the event-used tablecloth cards. 😶

s-l500.jpg

That is the bar of artistic excellence/ingenuity that Topps has placed in their path. . . time will tell if the hobby will transcend this paradigm into a more pious one.
 

predatorkj

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
11,871
2
Yeah. One thing I was thinking, and I hope I'd be wrong, but with how corrupt this hobby has gotten lately who knows....but with Fanatics having pretty much any pro athletes retail jersey at their fingertips...who's saying if they get greedy enough, they don't start cutting those up and inserting them into their cards instead of actual gu/player/event worn jerseys. It already happened with other card makers, so it does happen.
I don't think they will go that far. I was just pretty shocked when I heard about it, obviously thinking Panini had grabbed the reins. Not a usual occurrence for what amounts to a sports apparel store to obtain the licensing they did.
 

nevermore

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
3,371
515
New York
Corporate sabotage. With this, Topps has been devalued for an easy takeover by Fanatics right before their deal to go public was to be announced.

With the hobby becoming mainstream, it comes down to Fanatics offering profit sharing to MLB/MLBPA which Topps was not doing. The hobby has gone from being a few million dollars into the billions counting the resale/secondary market piquing the interests of team owners and players.

Still, I feel, Topps should have been given a chance to counter or match.
 

JVHaste

Well-known member
Jun 22, 2015
4,751
270
Vancouver WA
Wouldn't it be cool if Fanatics employed a bunch of former Score/Pinnacle product designers? I'd love for dufex to make a comeback!
I'm pretty sure all the guys who made those crazy late 90s cards died a few years back in a LSD/DMT death march through the Mojave. :confused:

 

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