The two sports giants recently had a merger and acquisition, selling sports peripheral Fanatics acquired Topps, which sold star cards, it is reported that the acquisition amount is as high as 500 million US dollars, Fanatics acquisition part includes Topps physical collection and digital collection two parts.
Michael Rubin, CEO of Fanatics, said in a statement, "Collectibles has become the backbone of our business, we are very happy to acquire such a company to expand our business, Topps brand, quality control are doing a good job, I look forward to them to serve our users around the world very well." It is reported that all of Topps' 350 or so employees will be accepted by Fanatics.
For this merger case, the baseball circle seems to have already smelled the wind. In August last year, Fanatics reached an exclusive contract with MLB to produce star cards, ending Topps' 60-year history of producing star cards for MLB. After the acquisition, Fanatics' work on designing and distributing star cards for MLB will begin immediately after the acquisition, which was scheduled to begin in 2026.
In addition to MLB, Topps has exclusive representation in many sports and leagues, including F1, champions league, MLS and Bundesliga. In addition, Fanatics has also signed long-term cooperation agreements with the NBA, NFL, etc., and the company, which mainly sells sports peripherals, looks like it will fully enter the star card.
(Text/Geng Haoyang)