There is hardly a list of more popular athletes on earth than Shohei Ohtani. The Japanese baseball star dominated his sport in every single facet, earning MVP awards as a pitcher and hitter in Nippon Professional Baseball, Major League Baseball, and the World Baseball Classic. A force of the century, his free agency saga captivated the entire sport and brought a new record-breaking contract.
He may be as famous as an athlete can be, but is there room for more hype around Ohtani? Yes, says David Leiner, president of trading cards at Fanatics Collectibles. At least that’s what Topps is betting on.
Topps, which was purchased by Fanatics in 2022, has signed an exclusive, long-term trading card deal with the two-time Los Angeles Dodgers MVP in a move announced Thursday.
“This is huge,” said Leiner The athlete.
“First, I’m a fan of his and second, I’m passionate about delighting our fans and collectors. I’ve been with Topps and Fanatics for 15 years and at the end of the day, I and Topps and Fanatics will be judged by what we offer our collectors. And there’s no better way to do that than by delivering the greatest global athlete in all of baseball.”
Leiner declined to comment on the financial details of the deal, but stressed that it was a long-term partnership.
“I am excited to partner exclusively with Topps to provide fans with unique cards and collectibles for seasons to come,” Ohtani said in a press release.
Fanatics had previously signed Ohtani to an exclusive memorabilia partnership, but they also have exclusive rights to feature Ohtani on trading cards in a Dodger uniform, and the new deal allows them to exclusively feature autographs and game memorabilia on their cards.
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after reaching the finals of the World Baseball Classic. (Photo: Eric Espada / Getty)
With Ohtani on the Dodgers, Topps not only has a huge fan market in Los Angeles, but also a franchise with a storied international presence. For Leiner, that global appeal is as important as anything else.
As part of the agreement with Ohtani, the company will also offer products made in Japan.
“There are 125 million people in Japan and now he’s on a bigger team, moving from the Angels to the Dodgers. The Dodgers have more history and tradition,” Leiner said. “The Dodgers have seen the rise of other notable Japanese stars, including Hideo Nomo and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. A global superstar like Shohei really allows us to continue to grow our collectibles worldwide.”
Topps expanded into Japan in 2021 and signed a licensing agreement with NPB. Demand for cards has been incredibly strong since then, Leiner said. Topps also produces exclusive MLB sets for Japan.
“We have to keep our product pretty tight and in Japan there is always a huge demand that far exceeds supply,” he said. “It’s a nice problem to have.”
One of Leiner’s main focuses with Ohtani on the Fanatics team is to make the superstar’s collectibles both available and accessible.
“I want Ohtani’s autographs to be accessible to collectors of all types and sizes and income levels and all of those things,” Leiner said. “You’ll find his autographs from entry-level to the absolute top-tier (Topps products).”
Ohtani is one of the top athletes, along with fellow LA megastar LeBron James, who have exclusive contracts with Fanatics.
The deals with James and Ohtani are a result of Fanatics’ efforts to evolve the nature of its partnerships with athletes, Leiner said.
While the card companies have historically had good relationships with teams, leagues and players’ associations, sometimes their connection with athletes has been limited to throwing a box of cards into their hotel room and asking them to scribble their signature on it 1,000 times.
It was just a transaction and it has put a lot of strain on the players’ relationships with the industry.
“But what we’re doing with LeBron, what we’re doing with Ohtani, with players of that caliber, is creating what we call 360-degree partnerships where these guys feel a real partnership with us, with the fans and the collectors,” Leiner said. “LeBron James hasn’t been doing autographs on NBA trading cards in a few years, so getting him back into that category was a pretty big deal.”
When asked if a cross-sport piece with James and Ohtani was possibly in the works, Leiner just grinned and said they should stay tuned.
“We want to be innovative and do things that have never been done before in the collectibles category. We may still have a few aces up our sleeves,” he said.
As for hopes for a card set built entirely around Ohtani, Leiner didn’t say no, but stressed how rare such a product would be. Doing something this big on an individual basis is “rare air,” he said.
He suggested, however, that Ohtani might justify it.
“A lot of our category is based on browsing through packages and trying to find that superstar or card that you’re looking for for your collection. So when you do something for an individual athlete, it has to be really special and unique, and there has to be a time and a place for it,” he said.
“If an athlete deserves something at that level, we’re open to it. Shohei is definitely in that very elite, tiny group of athletes.”
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(Top photo: Adam Hunger / Getty Images)
