The monopoly has officially begun. With Fanatics now holding the licenses for MLB, NBA, and NFL, the hobby has entered uncharted territory—one where the same company that makes the cards also sells them, markets them, and controls the experience.

But when the line between manufacturer, marketplace, and casino starts to blur, who’s protecting the collector?

This episode breaks down how Fanatics’ rise has reshaped the hobby—from casino-style promotions on Fanatics Live to the loss of creative competition—and what it means for collectors moving forward.

At Collectors MD, we aren't anti-hobby—we're pro-accountability.

Because if Fanatics is going to control the future of collecting, they also need to protect it.

Catch the full episode now live on all major platforms, link in bio.

#CollectorsMD | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

https://www.instagram.com/p/DQCP2RxgJoz/

The Fanatics era isn’t just a shift in licensing—it’s a shift in power. With full control over MLB, NBA, and soon the NFL, Fanatics has become the first true monopoly in modern hobby history. But as innovation takes a backseat to consolidation, a deeper issue has emerged: the casino-like marketing tactics driving their new platforms.

In this episode of Behind The Breaks, host Alyx Effron, Founder of Collectors MD, unpacks the rise of the “Fanatics Era” and the dangers hiding beneath the hype. From "Spend $5,000, get $500" promos to algorithmic “rewards” designed to keep collectors ripping, this conversation explores how the largest company in the hobby is now operating like a casino—without a license, without guardrails, and without oversight.

Alyx dives into how nostalgia is being weaponized, how credit cards are being normalized as tools of compulsion, and why collectors of all ages deserve transparency, limits, and consumer protections. Because when childhood collectibles are used as casino props, the line between hobby and harm disappears.

If Fanatics is going to control the hobby, they must also protect it. This episode challenges collectors—and the industry—to demand accountability before it’s too late.

Subscribe, comment, and join the movement. And remember to collect with intention, not compulsion.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:
Website: collectorsmd.com
Socials: hopp.bio/collectorsmd
Weekly Meeting Sign-Up: bit.ly/45koiMX
Contact: info@collectorsmd.com
YouTube: @collectorsmd
Instagram: @collectorsmd

#CollectorsMD | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/live/jM4hU_SgplE

Published October 10, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

For years, collectors speculated about what the future of the hobby would look like once Fanatics secured the licenses to the three major American sports. That day has finally arrived. With Panini releasing their final licensed NBA product and Fanatics announcing the first licensed Topps NBA line (launching in just a few weeks), we are officially in a new era of the hobby.

The question is: is this a good or bad thing?

The card designs themselves are already a point of contention. Fanatics and Topps chose to mirror the aesthetic of their baseball flagship lines (Series 1, Series 2, Update, Chrome, Chrome Update, etc.) for the first NBA product. For some, this continuity feels clean and familiar. For others, it comes across as uninspired—a missed opportunity to carve out a new identity for basketball cards. Either way, it’s a sign of what’s to come: the Fanatics vision is to unify, consolidate, and brand-build across sports under one design language and one corporate umbrella.

Topps Basketball is back—this time officially licensed—and it all begins with rookie phenom Cooper Flagg leading the way. Fanatics is betting big on this launch, pushing Flagg as the face of a new era. But while the hype machine is in full swing, the question remains: are we celebrating the player, the product, or the monopoly?

By next Spring, Fanatics will also take over the NFL license. At that point, they won’t just be a dominant player—they will be the sole manufacturer holding the official licenses to MLB, NBA, and NFL. That level of consolidation is unprecedented. It means that one company will dictate what modern collecting looks like for the foreseeable future. And while Panini will likely continue to produce unlicensed product as they’ve done with baseball for years, the reality is clear: without team names, logos, and official branding, those products will feel like echoes of what once was—no longer the centerpiece of the hobby.

And yet, for all of the justified frustration collectors have had with Panini over the years—late redemptions, poor customer service, endless parallels, inconsistent and lackluster quality control—there’s something bittersweet about this transition. Panini, for all its faults and shortcomings, also delivered some of the most iconic designs and inserts in modern hobby history: Kabooms, Downtowns, Color Blasts. Prizm, Optic, Select. Flawless, National Treasures, Immaculate. These weren’t just products—they became cultural markers, instantly recognizable, chased across card shows, Instagram lives, and live break rooms around the world. For better or worse, Panini shaped an entire generation of collectors. And that legacy deserves acknowledgment as the curtain falls on their licensed era.

Love them or hate them—these inserts defined an era. Kabooms, Downtowns, Color Blasts—Panini’s fingerprints on the hobby will never fade.

But now, the reality is here: the Fanatics monopoly has begun. That word—monopoly—isn’t hyperbole. It’s a structural fact. When one company controls all of the licenses, competition disappears. And without competition, innovation tends to slow. Designs become recycled. Prices are dictated from the top. Print runs creep higher. Collector trust erodes. A monopoly doesn’t just control product—it controls narrative, distribution, and, in time, the very culture of collecting itself.

And here’s where the concern deepens: Fanatics isn’t simply a card manufacturer. They are also the operator of their own live-breaking platform, Fanatics Live. That means they don’t just make the cards—they sell them directly to consumers through their own channel, bypassing traditional distributors and local card shops. More importantly, they market this platform with casino-style promotions designed to mimic gambling incentives: “Spend $5,000, get $500 in rewards” or“We’ve missed you. Here’s $50 [to lure you into one more rip]”. To be clear, this is not neutral. It is calculated psychology—designed to hook collectors into spending more, more often, and with less thought.

This is how the largest player in the hobby is marketing its live break platform—by dangling casino-style incentives that encourage overspending. When the same company controls the licenses and runs the marketplace, promotions like this aren’t harmless perks. They normalize high-stakes ripping and blur the line between collecting and gambling. Collectors deserve better than being treated like slot machine players.

When the company that controls the licenses also owns the platform where those products are sold and promotes it with casino-like marketing, the stakes are no longer just about cardboard. They are about power, responsibility, and the health of the hobby itself.

As we tirelessly preach at Collectors MD, collectors deserve safeguards. If Fanatics is going to hold the keys to the entire industry, then Fanatics must also be held to a higher standard. Transparent odds. Spending limits. Self-exclusion tools. Consumer protections modeled after traditional gambling regulations. Independent oversight for things like repacks and chase products. These are not “nice to have” ideas—they are necessary if the hobby is going to thrive under one conglomerate’s watch.

Because here’s the truth: unchecked monopoly power rarely looks out for the little guy. And the collectors—the kids ripping packs, the parents buying boxes for family nights, the lifelong hobbyists chasing memories—are the ones who will feel the impact of whatever Fanatics chooses to prioritize.

So yes, the Fanatics era is here. And yes, it comes with excitement, with fresh possibilities, with the weight of new designs and new products to capitalize on a fresh crop of athletes. But it also comes with a responsibility that cannot be ignored. Monopoly power must be balanced by monopoly responsibility. Otherwise, the hobby risks becoming less about “collecting with intention” and more about “gambling with compulsion”.

#CollectorsMD
If Fanatics controls the future of the hobby, then Fanatics must also lead by example in protecting it—because without safeguards, a monopoly isn’t just bad for business, it’s dangerous for collectors.

—
Follow us on Instagram: @collectorsmd
Subscribe to our Newsletter & Support Group
Join The Conversation On Mantel
Read More Daily Reflections

Here's my two best Monopoly cards from the 23-24 set.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Prizm Monopoly Green Millionaire shimmer Prizm 19/20.