Oregon Partners With Fanatics & Topps to Produce Collegiate Sports Cards

Oregon and its student athletes, including quarterback Bo Nix, are cashing in on one of the biggest growing industries in sports merchandising.

Fanatics and Topps announced agreements with more than 100 schools to produce physical and digital sports collegiate football and basketball trading cards.

The University of Oregon is one of the schools that is part of the deal. The agreement will include, according to a press release from Fanatics, "both exclusive and non-exclusive co-branded trading card products incorporating official university trademarks" and featuring current and former student athletes.

GoDucks has announced a new multi-year partnership with @Fanatics and their preeminent trading card brand, @Topps, that will showcase co-branded cards featuring #GoDucks current and former athletes. More details coming this fall. pic.twitter.com/Gq8nrAa16M

— GoDucks (@GoDucks) June 9, 2022

Separately, Topps secured name, image and likeness deals with nearly 200 student athletes in basketball and football, including Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.

Topps, the cornerstone sports card brand that was acquired by Fanatics for $500 million in 2022, secured multi-year, exclusive rights deals with more than 35 institutions, including Oregon. The agreements will take effect between 2023 and 2025, while Topps will also unveil non-exclusive trading cards under its "Bowman University" brand, featuring Nix, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, USC quarterback Caleb Williams, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, and hundreds more.

Oregon QB Bo Nix launches a pass in the spring game :: © Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

According to ESPN's Dan Hajducky, NIL deals could earn athletes up to five figures but will vary from player to player.

“This collection is the first offering of officially licensed collegiate cards featuring current athlete NIL rights," said Dave Leiner, Topps Global Vice President and General Manager. "We’re thrilled at the opportunity to launch these comprehensive programs that combine premier student-athletes and elite institutions to create a best-in-class collegiate trading card product for fans and collectors."

For much of the modern era of sports cards, collegiate athletes weren't featured in trading card products until their collegiate career was over, due to NIL restrictions. For instance, you couldn't find rookie cards of Kayvon Thibodeaux in an Oregon uniform until after he declared for the NFL draft.

Now, fans can collect trading cards of their favorite student athletes and find autographs and player-used memorabilia.

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