The entire card industry was recently shaken to its core when it was announced that Topps is going to lose their licensing deal with the MLB to Fanatics Inc. But while this move is monumental in itself, there's a potential scenario that can dwarf its impact on the card industry.
According to a report by the Athletic, Fanatics is about to close a deal with the NBA and NFL's respective Players Association. The said company is also planning to obtain licensing agreements with these two leagues as well.
If all things go according to the online retailer's plan, Fanatics could end up with exclusive deals to produce trading cards, not only for the MLB, for the NBA and NFL too. This will result in a monopoly that will have the company as the sole superpower in the sports card market before the decade is over.
If this potential scenario comes to fruition, it can lead to two outcomes. First, Fanatics is successful in its task to infuse new life into the card market. Topps has held the monopoly on baseball cards since the 1950s and the arrival of its new license owner can help generate insane hype and excitement of this type of sports memorabilia. And by using the momentum built for MLB cards, the same success can be achieved for the NBA and NFL licenses, if they are obtained.
On the other hand, there's a chance Fanatics is placing itself in an area it has no experience in. If they fail to live up to expectations, the card industry could collapse under the collective weight that they will potentially carry in the future. Of course, this only happens if Panini fails to renew its licensing deals with both the NBA and NFL.
With the first domino falling, Fanatics might be on a roll after closing their deal with the MLB. It remains to be seen whether they can be successful in monopolizing the card industry or not.