CNBC: Shohei Ohtani signs trading card deal with Fanatics-backed Topps

Several months after Fanatics signed NBA superstar Lebron James to an exclusive wide-ranging trading cards and collectibles deal, Fanatics-owned Topps has signed an exclusive long-term global trading card deal with one of baseball’s biggest stars: Shohei Ohtani.

The new deal, which begins immediately, will include autographed and game-used memorabilia cards, focusing on both U.S.- and Japan-based products. Ohtani and Topps previously had a partnership that dated back to 2018, but that deal was non-exclusive. Ohtani also has an exclusive memorabilia partnership with Fanatics that focuses on selling autographed collectibles and products like jerseys and baseballs.

Since acquiring Topps for $500 million in 2022, Fanatics has looked to elevate the once sleepy industry of trading card collecting, aiming to grow the hobby with both casual sports fans who may buy a pack of cards at a big box retailer like Target or Walmart at the start of a season as well as the more investment-driven collector willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for rare and unique cards…