The Athletic Reports Fanatics to acquire Topps

[jplcom]

Fanatics is set to announce the acquisition of famed trading card company Topps on Tuesday, people with knowledge of the deal told The Athletic. Fanatics last year gobbled up licensing rights from MLB, the MLBPA, the NBA, the NBPA and the NFLPA, leading many in the industry to believe that Topps would have little choice but to eventually sell to Fanatics, the preeminent power in licensed merchandising. Fanatics declined to comment.

Source - https://theathletic.com/news/fanatic.../CDjLZvg6E8uC/

[turnpipe]

This is a positive in my opinion. I hope they keep some Topps brands around.

[pwaldo]

Fanatics declined to comment

Why?

Also did they ask Topps to comment?

[Rybowski]

I don't see this as a negative thing at all. It keeps the Topps name around baseball, which should never leave in my opinion. When the licenses run out for Panini in the NFL and NBA, Topps will make their return to those sports also. While they are at it, why not buy Upper Deck and bring out Exquisite and SP Authentic again, right?

[turnpipe]

I don't see this as a negative thing at all. It keeps the Topps name around baseball, which should never leave in my opinion. When the licenses run out for Panini in the NFL and NBA, Topps will make their return to those sports also. While they are at it, why not buy Upper Deck and bring out Exquisite and SP Authentic again, right?

Skybox even

[pwaldo]

I don't see this as a negative thing at all.

A sports card monopoly is a positive? I know everyone does these dream scenarios where Fanatics buys Topps, Upper Deck, Panini, etc and makes the best of the best (at a negative to them and a positive to the consumer) but when has a monopoly ever been good for the buyer?

People were coming up with great scenarios and fantasies when the WWF bought WCW and ECW and Disney bought Star Wars and now we see the realities. All crap deals for the consumer and fans.

[turnpipe]

A sports card monopoly is a positive? I know everyone does these dream scenarios where Fanatics buys Topps, Upper Deck, Panini, etc and makes the best of the best (at a negative to them and a positive to the consumer) but when has a monopoly ever been good for the buyer?

People were coming up with great scenarios and fantasies when the WWF bought WCW and ECW and Disney bought Star Wars and now we see the realities. All crap deals for the consumer and fans.

The monopoly was in place before the Topps purchase. I know you didn’t quote me, but moving forward I would rather see Topps products than Panini. Hopefully Fanatics has enough other business to be able to make it more about the fans and depend less on pure profit from cards.

[Crosby 87]

The monopoly was in place before the Topps purchase. I know you didn’t quote me, but moving forward I would rather see Topps products than Panini. Hopefully Fanatics has enough other business to be able to make it more about the fans and depend less on pure profit from cards.

They do have enough other business but they didn't get where they are by depending on other depts to pick up the profit slack

[jplcom]

In some cases it's better the devil you know. Other times a new company means new ideas and maybe some innovation. All I know is, if I get Topps Finest or heck even Fanatics Finest again I'll be a happy camper. It's been fun bulking up my checklists from 1994-2015 but I'm ready for some new stuff too! Such a shame I never got Finest rookies from 2016-current classes.