Sports retailer Fanatics recently signed deals with over 150 colleges and universities in a bid to establish itself as the premier player in the college-sports trading card market.
In addition to the institutions, Fanatics has also inked deals with some of the top collegiate athletes from coast to coast, including reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young from Alabama.
The online retailer, which in recent years has been acquiring companies in the sports trading card space, will now be able to place the appropriate trademarks on the cards for its upcoming releases. Up until this point, school logos had traditionally been airbrushed out of pictures used for sports cards.
Fanatics specifically targeted some of the largest schools in the nation including most of the SEC for football, and powerhouse programs such as Duke & North Carolina for basketball.
The company hopes to grow its brand with the recent implementation of NIL deals across collegiate athletics. “Fanatics has been closely monitoring the ever-evolving NIL landscape, and we felt this was the perfect time to launch multiple, strategic college trading card programs,” Derek Eiler, EVP of Fanatics College, said in a statement.
Fanatics’ card related branch of its portfolio was valued at $10.4B in September of 2021, however that figure has likely increased substantially following the latest rounds of funding and new product launches.
The goal is to utilize the recently acquired Topps trading card company as the vehicle to launch this new collegiate inspired product in the fall. “We think this entire category is one that will not only bring new collectors into the space, but will also benefit student athletes to expand product offerings available in the marketplace,” stated Eiler.
Terms of the deals with the schools were not immediately released.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner