Fanatics I CHOOSE YOU!

Welcome to The Drip. IT’S FRIDAY!!!

Here’s what’s in store for today:

• The NFLPA Picks a side

The writing was on the wall but in what seems to be the latest episode of our Hobby legal drama, the NFLPA decided to kick Panini out of bed and then texted Fanatics

What triggered all the drama? Take a look at the NFLPA’s letter sent out to agents representing NFL players:

To which Panini responded:

First, can we get a math check on that 1,000% claim? How did they come up with that? It has to be an exaggeration to make a point right?

Second, according to updates in the days since these statements were released, this is going to arbitration. Meaning we won’t know any of the details if an agreement comes out of this because it’s all hush hush.

So where does this leave us? With a lot of questions and no answers. Foremost, how long is this arbitration going to take? If it goes a few months, can Panini release it’s 2022-23 football products?

Redemptions, which are another big question, seem like they MIGHT be fulfilled. The NFLPA’s statement asks agents of NFL players to fulfill their existing contracts. Does that mean all those outstanding redemptions are going to be fulfilled over the next few months as players begin signing with Fanatics?

Card Talk Pod had a great discussion surrounding this and I think Ryan’s take was pretty solid - no-one wins when one company holds the exclusive rights to a league except the license holder.

I agree with this completely. We might see some short-term changes in NFL product once Topps starts releasing cards, but over time, with no real competition innovation will inevitably die. To drive innovation and new, interesting card designs and products, we need multiple companies competing in the market with licenses for players and leagues.

While it’s in style to hate on Panini (and a lot of it is certainty warranted), Fanatics is also a large company that has yet to prove they are going to be any different. We can not assume that Fanatics is going to come in like a white knight and make everything right. Ideally, licenses are granted to Fanatics, Panini, and other companies so they can compete and consumers can benefit.

🙏 for no exclusive rights or we might find ourselves dealing with more of this attitude:

BREAKing News

Some hits from recent days:

• No more discount double check hit

• That kids super

• Nice double auto hit

• The Chicken Man

• This video is just full of baseball hits

• The Judge is in

  • Quite note - this Topps Pristine product seems nuts! Need to get my hands on some of this

Release Calendar

Wallets like 🙃:

• 28th -

  • 2022-2023 Donruss Elite Premier League Soccer

  • 2022-2023 Topps Stadium Club Chrome UEFA Club Competitions Soccer

• 30th -

  • 2022-23 Bowman University Alabama Football

  • 2023 Topps Chrome Garbage Pail Kids OS6

  • 2022-23 Skybox Metal Universe Hockey

  • 2022 Skybox Metal Universe AEW All Elite Wrestling

  • 2023 Panini Prizm Draft Picks Football

  • 2023 Panini Encased Football

  • 2023 Topps Cosmic Chrome Baseball

  • 2023 Topps Chrome Star Wars Galaxy

• 31st -

  • 2022-23 Topps Finest Bundesliga Soccer

Show Me That Card 📷️ 

The rarest of all Pokemon Cards: Pikachu Illustrator.

Only 41 copies of this card are known to exist. 39 of them were given to winners of contests run by CoroCoro Comic in Japan from 1997-1998. The other 2 copies were found in the collection of Yuichi Konno, co-creator of the Pokemon trading card game.

The highest sale of this card? A PSA 10 for $5.275 million. MILLION. The buyer was none other than Logan Paul. He now wears it around his neck in a diamond encrusted case.

Meme of the Day

This is the real deal. Pop 1. DM me your best offer