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NFLPA Says It Has Terminated Its Relationship With Panini Effective Immediately
erikthredd
Posts: 8,331 ✭✭✭✭✭
Per Darren Rovell
BREAKING: NFLPA says it has terminated its relationship with Panini effective immediately in letter sent this afternoon to agents.
Fanatics is in three years early.
Panini cannot produce any NFL cards with players names or likeness.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
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Erba - coolstanley-dallasactuary-SDsportsfan
daltex
Panini's response: “We believe this was a totally unwarranted and improper action by the NFL Players Association in conjunction with Fanatics, especially in light of the unprecedented sales by Panini of NFL trading cards,” Panini said in a statement, via Darren Rovell of ActionNetwork.com. “Panini has grown the category of sports trading cards by over 1,000 percent since 2009, to the benefit of all concerned. We believe the only party who benefits from this action by the NFL Players Association is Fanatics, and not the players, the leagues or consumers. We note that in addition to the NFL Players Association license, Panini has licenses with the NFL and over 360 individual players. Panini will honor all of its contractual obligations.”
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/panini-complains-about-nflpas-cancellation-of-trading-card-deal
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I'm about 98.76555% vintage when it comes to football. Don't know much about the shiny & new.
All's fair in love and war, but this is not collector friendly. Panini is no saint but this basically screws all modern collectors. Makes me wonder if I will want to collect modern under Fanatics. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
What was the NFLPA's reasoning for doing it?
This will force Panini being sold to Fanatics, no doubt.
Fanatics is already trying to comer the on-card rookie auto market. On the SCN podcast they had an autograph guy on and he said the Fanatics exclusive guys don’t sign cards or rookie cards anymore even at paid signings. I guess by 10X the hobby, Fanatics means how much money they plan to extract from the hobby.
As a modern collector I wasn’t a fan of Panini but at least I had options like Leaf. I don’t know how Brian Gray will do 2024 Leaf product if he can’t get autos from the top college stars.
My two oldest kids are boys, so I definitely purchase and am aware of modern. I was sad when Topps lost their NFL license, more so than NBA... Panini definitely took those two sports over. I was never a fan of their baseball because of the the team name/logo issues. Now Panini football will become the modern Fleer Team Action cards... unless (or until) they sell out 🤷♂️.
Getting really close to antitrust issues IMHNLO
"Breach of contract". Apparently by Panini getting a new set of management - since most of theirs got hired away Fanatics - a clause was triggered allowing the NFLPA to immediately terminate.
Brian Gray just resigned at CEO of Leaf.
I don't feel good about this.