Inside the Pack: What Does the Fanatics Deal Mean for Topps and Panini I made a wallet-based vote of no confidence in their products several years ago. Topps football license will continue through early 2016 but Panini is expected to begin producing upwards of 30 NFL card products per year under its exclusive deal. Panini America and the NFL announced a "long term" exclusive partnership Thursday, with the deal starting next spring. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. In recent years they have consolidated a preeminent place in sports-oriented e-commerce. As collectors, what do you think about this outcome? Earlier this month, news broke out that Fanatics Inc. will soon become MLBs exclusive trading card producer, ousting Topps in the process. What that might look like is still uncertain. Boneheaded move by NFLPA. Its current deal runs until 2026. But as long as the sheep keep buying their garbage products, why would they care? Which is nice. Keith Gordon, the president of NFL Players Inc., which is the marketing side of the NFLPA, explained the process for the decision. Pennsylvania Licensing Agreement for NFL Football Trading Cards Theyve been dabbling in this kind of stuff for a while.. I agree that this is no good for the collectors or the companies. Exclusivity is never a good thing in business because that eventually breeds complacency. It is impossible to make sets of their cards with their lousy collation. Pannie just makes bad products period. You think its bad now wait until they start cranking out 36 products a year. Bring back Pro Set. I am now 70 years olds!! Looks like 2015 is the last year I collect football cards. What brand of football cards are best to buy? This is a terrible development! I have refused to buy their products for the last several years. They couldnt rest on the name, Lulgjuraj said. A Fanatics-founded company, which has not yet been named, will replace current rights holder Panini in 2026, when Panini's license expires, according to The Athletic, which broke the news. 2009-10 Paninis Currys Logoman rookie card from Panini National Treasures is one of the most sought-after cards in the series. I wouldnt be surprised if they pivoted into the toy space, Lulgjuraj said. The exclusive will kick in just prior to the 2016 draft in April. Panini is just outright garbage, such terrible products and everything about them is terrible. Not only were we unaware that Major League Baseball was negotiating with anybody other than Topps regarding our rights beyond 2025 but we were abruptly informed that a deal was completed, finalized and exclusive with Fanatics, Topps chairman Andy Redman said in a statement at the time to the Wall Street Journal. While it had been rumored for several weeks, Panini officially announced that they have entered into an exclusive agreement with the NFL Players Association. RIP Topps Museum & Topps Chrome. Fanatics . When Panini has to advertise on the box (Clear Case FB), Hits in every pack!, that is a serious, significant problem. I officially quit collecting until Topps is back or buys the garbage Panini company. in 2004 there were 2 football video games. Options for future business also include e-sports and college teams and athletes, particularly now that students can sell their personal name, image and likeness rights. Why? Many industries fight monopolies, this industry wants them. Panini America is the owner of Panini sports cards The company was founded in 1982 by Franco Panini and has created a variety of trading cards including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis and more. Like many other companies, Topps can ride the non-fungible token collectibles wave as long as it lasts. Stay up to date on all the latest sports card and memorabilia news, articles, and products by subscribing to our newsletter below: Its 2020 new CBA, please NFLPA let other companies produce cards. I wonder how many dealers go under because of this. Goddell makes $44 million a year yet they call themselves non-profit. NFL, Panini Formally Announce Exclusive Deal - Beckett News That killed the SPAC deal (litigation is certainly possible over that). I dont think Ive seen anyone under the age of 30 take a Panini sports product to a cashier, outside of a hobby shop, in a decade. And Id be willing to bet they dont even know that technically Panini isnt even an American Company. Dibbs CEO and co-founder Evan Vandenberg said, "The American sports trading card market will essentially be in Fanatics' hands in five years.". Another possibility is that Topps just motors along as-is, and bids for fresh intellectual property rights in sports and entertainment. Panini with their point cards was a total joke as well giving point cards instead of hits smh. The amount of seriously lame patch cards is insane and the quality of card is just awful!!!!! Topps also does one-off e-commerce sets for properties such as MetaZoo, Avatar, American Cornhole League, Muhammad Ali and Lil Wayne and could seek out more such deals amid the ongoing collecting phenomenon that turned white-hot when the pandemic began in 2020. So much so that it is vying for dominance among the finest Panini football card brands with Panini Prizm. Their candy business is a big one. Its a shame that a hobby icon such as Topps Football is no more after 2015. It would soon add other sports and entertainment properties. The question now is, how does Topps survive? This is fairly reasonable as Paninis current deal with the particular league is about to end in 2026, the same year their agreement with the NBA will also come to a close. Contrary to my comments, I actually want Panini to make better products, get more variety, be more thoughtful, and be less lazy about their product designs and composition. For Panini, their painfully retrograde design aesthetic and branding style appears to be stuck in 1999, with one product virtually indistinguishable from another, or even one year of the same product from any other. Topps put out its basic MLB card set this year as both cardboard and digital NFTs and currently is doing World Series NFTs. Topps isnt alone in reeling from the industry recalibration. But while the wait for such news is ongoing, the potential effects of this deal are massive for the hobby. The Journal reported that MLBPA executive director Tony Clark wrote in a memo that the new deal is more than 10 times bigger than any previous agreement. Joe Namath from Topps. Check out my eBay Store for Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Hockey! Upper Deck still holds an exclusive with Michael Jordan and LeBron James, meaning no cards of either player can appear in Panini sets. Do Men Still Wear Button Holes At Weddings? This makes them the only place to find licensed trading cards and stickers for the NFL. Panini 500-1000 dollar box of Football cards is just dumb. The announcement of Panini backing up an armored truck to the NFLPAs door err securing an exclusive license with the NFLPA puts the final nail in the coffin for my collecting current football cards. I thought no one bought that trash? Heck no! free market working). 30+ years of collecting will now come to an end. Panini, Upper Deck or Topps, a person familiar with the company . Meanwhile, Paninis NBPA contract expires in 2025, and Paninis NFLPA contract expires in 2026. We have to plan in advance to not disrupt the current deals, make sure the exclusive partner can take over the reigns, and make sure the other partner can land the plane so to speak.". Trash garbage! It remains to be seen whether these recent developments will bode well for the card market and the hobby itself when they take hold of these leagues respective licenses in 2026. Exclusive deals are now the norm among all four major pro sports leagues. I have not been in the hobby of collecting football cards for very long but I am saddened at the thought of the inability to purchase my two favorite Topps go to product, Chrome and Platinum. Footballs Most Expensive and Valuable Cards Topps Walter Payton is a football player from the United States. With the Big 3 of basketball, baseball, and football cards under their umbrella, Fanatics will be overseeing a potential monopoly soon. I would say that maybe 1% of the Panini product produced has any secondary market value As a matter fact since they started making football cards we probably have about 5 Contenders rookies that have touched the hobby other than that 99.9% of all the retail dollars anyone spends on Panini is like burning your money !!! Upper Deck is a highly recognizable brand that achieved massive success from its humble roots. This new venture will give equity to players and the league. Its not yet clear whether NFTs have lasting power or are a speculator-hyped bubble. In 2014, Fanatics was marked as worth $3.1 billion. Upper Deck losing their licenses 4. Normally, that lame distinction would ironically go to long-ago innovative Upper Deck, but that undead zombie shrunken raisin of a company finally painted itself into a corner of practical irrelevancy under the collective weight of repeated shady business practices. Donruss losing their license 3. It had been taken public a couple of times since the early 1970s. The NFL Players Association has come to a 20-year exclusive deal with Fanatics to produce football cards starting in 2026. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. A collector for much of his life, Ryan focuses primarily on building sets, Montreal Expos and interesting cards. This is a monumental announcement for Panini America and we are honored to have earned this exclusive long-term agreement with NFL Players Inc., said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop after the NFLPA announcement last year. Panini, long known for its soccer stickers and more recently its NBA-licensed cards, announced a multi-year exclusive contract with WWE to produce cards, stickers and collectibles beginning in 2022. As a football card collector I think the NFLPA is making a major mistake. Topps has monied interests behind it, plus a valuable name, and revenue is flowing from incredible consumer demand (amid supply chain issues that affect everyone), but 2021 is likely to go down as a crossroads year for the company. Surprised no one started a petition. Read our, first reported today by Sports Business Journal. I have been in this Hobby 40+ years. Using his degree in Journalism and an unbridled passion to learn how the card industry works, he churns out the latest news and opinion pieces about the hobby. Julio just revived his love for trading cards, which had been on hiatus since 1999. Then EA makes an exclusive deal and the football gaming community is stuck with madden the past 10 yearsnow much the same with PaniniI hate the NFL. Didnt know Panini out bid UD and Topps. _____ With no competition there will usually be stagnant products. Panini cards stink. Are Panini cards worth anything? Shea spent 2006-07 moonlighting as the last-string quarterback on a minor-league football team, an experience that will feature prominently in his eventual debut novel. New Jersey Licensing Agreement for NFL Football Trading Cards What Are The Extra Stickers Panini? - Explained No thanks! If you cant beat them buying them out policy. Leo Kane, the NFLs senior VP for consumer products, said in a prepared statement, We are pleased to expand our partnership with Panini America in order to better serve NFL fans, from children opening their first packs to long-time hobby collectors. They don't have an official license from the MLB, so they are not allowed to use logos and team names. The agreement, first reported today by Sports Business Journal, takes effect in April, 2016 and makes Panini America the sole manufacturer of traditional trading cards and stickers licensed by the NFL and NFL Players. Why with all the hate on panini is because one all their products look the same. Fanatics Inc. raised a new round of funding valuing the online sports-merchandise retailer at $18 billion, people familiar with the matter said, roughly tripling its valuation from a year ago as it works to expand into new business lines, including sports betting. Report: Fanatics Strikes Again, Set To Become Exclusive - Forbes Unimaginative, repetitive, ugly garbage. now lets dig deep, Valor , Strata , Prime , Finest , Five Star , Supreme , Inception , Fire (worst product ive ever seen) Nope I really dont think so, at all. Topps' 60-year run of producing football cards is indeed coming to an end. Collectors and investors alike should keep a close eye on this given it could potentially change the landscape of the hobby. Fanatics cornering the market. If people do not think we are making the investment, then it is up to us to change that perception. Licensed sports giant Fanatics has reached a deal with the NBA and NBPA to replace Panini in 2026 for exclusive license to produce basketball cards - giving equity to players and league in the . As of now, there isnt any formal statement from Fanatics, the NBA, or even Panini. In the latters case, this marks the end of Topps decades-long tenure as the top brand when it comes to baseball cards. 4. Im shocked to see all this Panini hate , have we seen a better , more all inclusive product than contenders ? The last of the last is collected and cherished is Vintage Topps Baseball, FOOTBALL , etc. All rights reserved. 2. What is the best football cards to buy right now? This the worst move the NFL could have made. This announcement symbolizes a landmark achievement for Panini America, and we are extremely proud to be awarded the exclusive license for traditional trading cards and stickers, said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop in a news release. Any word if Topps will continue to make their base and chrome product lines? Since entering the U.S. market in 2009, they have proven to be leaders in product development, innovation and marketing, and we look forward to working together to continue to grow the football trading card category, said Leo Kane, a Senior Vice PresidentforConsumer Products with the NFL. Or they could look at being acquired by Fanatics or someone else. Panini America and the NFL announced a long termexclusive partnership Thursday, with the deal starting next spring. Its not the market thats dwindling when customers just leave you. Paninis efforts making apps have been amateurish and not compelling thus far (e.g., FIFA World Cup last year). Topps Loses Baseball Licensing Deal and Ends Plans to Go Public - The Its had the exclusive NHL card license since 2005 and last week they extended their relationship the one legacy U.S. major mens league that escaped Fanatics.