It's hard to be a collector and not be absolutely shocked by the news coming out yesterday. As a collector and card blogger, I couldn't imagine not writing about this, so here's a few random thoughts on this industry shake-up.
- For years we've been saying it. We wished Topps didn't have exclusive rights to MLB cards. That just bit us on the butt a little. We wanted more fully licensed options, not this. This is worse, so much worse.
- This is worse because if Topps is done, we lose the one company that has been with us since the beginning, that has connected us through generations of card collecting. This is the card collecting equivalent of a franchise move. This is the Dodgers and Giants moving to the opposite coast. This is the Expos leaving Montreal and becoming the Nationals.
- That being said, I can't imagine Topps going away. Maybe the company sells to Fanatics, or maybe they strike some sort of deal where Topps still produces the cards. Who knows?
- There's a 3 year gap between when Topps' MLB license agreement ends and when the MLBPA agreement ends. How that going to work out? Is Fanatic going to pull a Panini for the first few years? Is Topps going to put out cards without players? I don't see MLB going that many years without a legit product, which makes me think Topps and Fanatics will end up in an unholy alliance of some sort.
- Fanatics seems to be putting together quite a monopoly, huh? I wonder how long that'll last. Maybe a certain court case from the late 70's will be revisited.
- My only hope is that Fanatics cares that most collectors aren't rookie or hit chasers/flippers. There has to be something for us that collect for the sheer joy of it. Otherwise, our money won't go to anything new. Most of us are perfectly comfortable spending our money on old cardboard.
- The industry is going to be weird these next few years. All we can do is wait and see what going to happen.
I'm surprised I haven't seen more blog posts on this, and I have read every one I see intently. Surreal is the word.
ReplyDeleteThat deal is really the pinnacle of the insane baseball card market over the past year. I'll reserve judgment on Fanatics until they actually produce something.
ReplyDeleteWould it even make sense for Fanatics to buy Topps? Doesn't take much intellectual property to make a baseball card set; there are probably a dozen bloggers who make their own. Most I can see is them recruiting a few of Topps's creative staff.
They certainly don't NEED to have Topps IP, but I can see why they'd want it. Without it Heritage would be dead along with things like Archives and the myriad other ways Topps exploits past designs. While they definitely go overboard with it at times, they wouldn't be doing that if it didn't sell.
DeleteWe'll get a few years to adjust to this change and see what the next steps will be for Fanatics. By the time 2026 rolls around, I'm sure there will be more than a few people champing at the bit eager to buy whatever Fanatics puts out. We shall see...
ReplyDeleteI was stunned by the news. I thought the monopoly was over and Panini was coming on board. Change is necessary but consistency is assumed.
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