Bad News For Baseball Cards? Topps, MLB End Deal That Went Back To 1952
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are set to make a big change. A 70-year-long trading card deal with trading-card maker Topps has come to an end.
The deal was renewed with Topps in 2018 and will last until 2025 for MLB and till 2023 for MLB Players Association. Topps has been making MLB trading cards since 1952.
When the deal officially ends, Fanatics, a sports apparel company, will take over a new exclusive trading card deal.
Fanatics, which has become the largest official sports merchandise seller, has expressed that it wants to go further than apparel and is in the works of starting its own trading card company.
MLB and MLB players association will gain equity in the new trading card company from Fanatics. Along with the National Basketball Association and the National Football League have also announced exclusive agreements.
MLBPA executive director Tony Clark sent a memo to players on Thursday that explained how the deal was one of several agreements made that will generate around $2 billion within about 20 years.
Topps still has deals with Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League.
MLB owns equity in Fanatics, while Fanatics already owns all of MLB’s e-commerce rights.
Fanatics was able to secure $325 million to expand its company at the beginning of this month, now the company is worth $18 billion.
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