By Glenn S. Demby, Esq.
Topps Tosses Celebrities into MLB Card Mix
Would you trade your Clayton Kershaw or Bryce Harper for a President George H.W. Bush? If you collect baseball cards, these are the difficult decisions you may have to make. In addition to over 350 players, the newly released 2016 Topps Baseball Series 2 collection features insert sets commemorating noteworthy individuals who threw out a first pitch before a MLB game in 2015, including Bush #41, Tim McGraw (whose father, Tug, pitched in the big leagues), Jimmy Kimmel and Jim Harbaugh. The Topps Company is locked in as exclusive MLB trading card licensee through 2020.
Topps Cuts Digital Trading Card Deal with NFL
Meanwhile, Topps was able to keep its 60-year relationship with the NFL alive by making a long-term agreement with the league and NFLPA for digital trading cards. The deal allows Topps to publish digital versions of its Topps Chrome, Topps Inception and other brands in the “Topps NFL HUDDLE” app. Panini became the NFL and NFLPA‘s exclusive non-digital trading card licensee in 2016. Panini also has non-exclusive digital card rights with the league and players.
Adidas and German National Team Ink World’s Richest Soccer Deal
Adidas has agreed to pay €50 million ($56.7 million) per year to extend its sponsorship of World Cup soccer champions Germany through 2022. The deal is double the value of the previous agreement and above the €43 million per year that Nike pays to sponsor the French national team. Nike also reportedly bid for the Germany contract.
Man U Remains World’s Richest Soccer Brand
It was a tough year on the pitch but Manchester United still held on to its status as world’s most valuable football (i.e., soccer) brand, according to Brand Finance’s annual Football 50 report. Six of the top 10 were English clubs.
Source: Brand Finance Football 50, June 2016 | ||||
2016 Rank | Team | 2016 Brand Value ($m) | 2015 Rank | 2015 Brand Value ($m) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Manchester United (UK) | $1,170 | 1 | $1,206 |
2 | Real Madrid (Spain) | $1,148 | 3 | $873 |
3 | FC Barcelona (Spain) | $993 | 6 | $773 |
4 | Manchester City (UK) | $905 | 4 | $800 |
5 | Bayern Munich (Germany) | $867 | 2 | $933 |
6 | Arsenal (UK) | $858 | 7 | $703 |
7 | Paris Saint-Germain (France) | $792 | 9 | $541 |
8 | Chelsea (UK) | $776 | 5 | $795 |
9 | Liverpool (UK) | $748 | 8 | $577 |
10 | Tottenham Hotspur (UK) | $441 | 10 | $360 |