https://newrepublic.com/article/175107/sports-cards-antitrust-panini-fanatics

Article : The Vicious, Multibillion-Dollar War Over Sports Trading Cards

By: Matt Ford

Overview of Article: Panini America, the primary sports card company in a billion dollar industry, has recently just lost its licensing to the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), as the Association announced Monday that they had terminated its license. This comes years before the contract was supposed to end. Fanatics, a retail shopping giant for all major sports, recently just got into the trading card business as they acquired the Topps Company, is now the new holder of the NFLPA licensing. Panini just a few months ago filed a antitrust lawsuit against Fanatics. However, Fanatics filed a countersuit against Panini. The details on these lawsuits are quite vague, but Fanatics is said to be in the process of trying to create a monopoly; while, Panini is aledged to have had horrific quality control, poor customer service, and all in all a disgrace to the hobby.

My thoughts: There is quite a lot to disect in this whole fiasco involving these two companies, so here are my initial thoughts. Panini America in the past few years has had a really hard time appealing to the average collector, like myself. Entry base products are no longer affordable, and this has certainly affected cash-strapped collectors such as kids, from collecting cards from their favorite players or teams. For example, Panini Prizm Football, which I would classify as a mid-entry product has seen a huge increase in price over the past couple of years, and it is all due to Panini raising the price of it rather than the market driving it up in price. The average price of a Panini Prizm Football hobby box a few years ago was around $300, which by no means is cheap, but it is accessible to most. This years release of 2022 Panini Prizm Football hobby box retailed for around $700, and on the secondary market they are around $900. That is absurd, especially when looking at the years rookie class which was subpar at best. There is no reason for this product to be at the price point it is.

Now for my thoughts on Fanatics. I am personally nervous for what they will do for the hobby. Michael Rubin is currently overlooking the sports card division for Fanatics, and he seems credible from the podcasts and interviews I have listened to. I do believe they have a better customer service team than Panini which should boost the market quite substantially. However, I am nervous that there will be little to no ways to profit off of the hobby due to the lack of information provided about print runs, and the company deciding to produce more serial numbered cards and more “short prints”. All in all, I am worried about another junk wax era taking place like the one the industry saw in the late 80’s and 90’s.

Destinee Martin, child of Shannon and Torey Martin, grew up in Manson, Iowa, a small town just over an hour and a half from Sioux City. While in Manson, Destinee became a three-sport athlete in high school, with her highest accomplishments being medaling in track two years in a row in the shuttle hurdle. Destinee does not participate in sports here at Morningside but is very involved in and around campus. She currently balances two jobs, one being at Olive Garden and the other at Miles Inn Bar and Grille. On top of working long hours, Destinee is a double major. She is majoring in both English and Marketing. Shortly after she graduates in 2025, Destinee will be a publisher for Simon and Schuster as she flourishes in writing and editing. Destinee spent all summer traveling with her friend/roommate, Ellie. Ellie is also an English major, and on any given night, one can find Destinee and Ellie working on long assignments together in their apartment. When Destinee is not busy with her two jobs and endless homework, she is currently watching American Horror Story. She has the potential to be a great film critic, as she enjoys lots of shows and movies. Leslie Mann is her favorite actress, and Destinee loves most, if not everything, she is in.

I am Josh Bern. I am currently a Junior here at Morningside University. I am majoring in English and have a double minor in Marketing and Advertising. In my spare time I work at a before and after school program, where I watch around fifteen fourth and fifth graders (love waking up at 5 a.m. every morning to do that). I have been working at the same program for the past three years, and I really enjoy it. My hobbies include vinyl record collecting, hockey card collecting, and collecting autographs of my favorite celebrities and athletes. This summer I went to two Major League Baseball stadiums, Tropicana Field and LoanDepot Park. I have been to twenty different Major League Baseball stadiums out of thirty. In September I will cross off another stadium, as I will be traveling to Arizona to see the Chicago Cubs face off against the Arizona Diamondbacks. I look forward to a great semester!