– Growing Number of Tennis Stars Join Historic Group Licensing Agreement, Backed by Fanatics’ Long-term Commitment to the Sport and Its Players –
Washington, D.C., March 23, 2023– Winners Alliance, the for-profit affiliate of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), has partnered with Fanatics Collectibles to provide professional women’s and men’s tennis players the opportunity to be included in a broad-scale group trading card set program through the company’s cornerstone brand, Topps. This is the first group licensing agreement in the history of professional tennis.
As part of the groundbreaking deal, Winners Alliance grants Fanatics Collectibles the right to use the name, image and likenesses of professional women’s and men’s players who opt into the group licensing agreement. Fanatics Collectibles will produce an annual set of player cards every year of the partnership.
Fanatics Collectibles has committed to creating an annual series of player trading cards for the next two decades. Men’s and women’s players who opt in to the PTPA group licensing agreement will have the opportunity to participate in the deal. In the upcoming months, the PTPA will further expand the program and welcome additional players on board. This initiative is a key part of Winners Alliance’s overarching vision to establish a sustainable group licensing program that generates incremental revenues for the players while also contributing to the growth of the sport.
“What an amazing opportunity for players to be part of an annualized tennis trading card program featuring dozens of women’s and men’s players. The group licensing model is key to including athletes in wide-ranging licensed products like this. This deal, and the future deals to come, will not only increase the financial upside for players – but they will also help grow the game for generations to come,” said Ons Jabeur, the fifth-ranked women’s player in the world.
“The PTPA and Winners Alliance are true leaders in the sport of tennis, and we’re incredibly excited for Topps to be their exclusive trading card partner,” said Kelvin Smith, Vice President of Global Licensing and Partner Development, Fanatics Collectibles. “With Fanatics Collectibles’ focus on reaching new audiences and enhancing the collector experience, we’re thrilled to be bringing the trading card hobby to tennis fans around the world for the first time.”
“Celebrating this unprecedented agreement with Fanatics Collectibles, we’re excited to continue supporting athletes in maximizing their collective power and achieving their full potential,” stated Ahmad Nassar, Executive Director, PTPA & CEO, Winners Alliance.
Winners Alliance, the PTPA’s for-profit affiliate, was founded in August of 2022 to generate and maximize off-the-court commercial opportunities for players and their agents, emulating the successful model of players associations in other sports. Among its first initiatives, Winners Alliance will establish a sustainable group licensing program for video games, trading cards, collectibles, and related opportunities.
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About Fanatics Collectibles
Fanatics Collectibles is a new model and vision for the hobby fundamentally changing the experience for current and future collectors, leagues, and players across many professional and college sports. The organization secured long-term, exclusive rights to design, manufacture and distribute trading cards for several sports properties, including MLB, MLBPA, NBA, NBPA and NFLPA. In January 2022, Fanatics Collectibles announced the acquisition of Topps, establishing the preeminent licensed trading card brand as the cornerstone of Fanatics’ trading cards and collectibles business and jumpstarted its MLB and MLBPA rights to design, manufacture and distribute trading cards.
About the Professional Tennis Players Association
The PTPA is uniting and mobilizing tennis players from around the globe to create transparency and fairness throughout decision-making in professional tennis. It is an independent organization dedicated to the advancement and protection of professional women’s and men’s tennis players across their entire professional journey. Through the PTPA, professional tennis players are building an equitable and sustainable competitive environment for players today and for generations to come, including health and safety issues, schedules, rules, purses, benefits and education. The PTPA is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations globally.
About Winners Alliance
Winners Alliance, the PTPA’s for-profit affiliate, was founded in August of 2022 to generate and maximize off-the-court commercial opportunities for players and their agents, emulating the successful model of players associations in other sports.
Media Contacts:
For PTPA: david@mvppr.com
For Fanatics: mneumayr@fanatics.com