Not sure how much you remember this, but last August, Michael Rubin’s Fanatics went on a massive blitz and got the trading card rights to Major League Baseball and the NBA. The MLB move was most significant because Topps was out of the game after 70 years and Fanatics swooped in to become the league’s official trading card partner.

There’s a bit of a quirky hold up, however.

Tuesday, a litigator named Paul Lesko stumbled upon this nugget:

Admittedly, trademark law isn’t my forte, but Lesko goes on to explain it like this:

Fanatics has until June to respond to the Office Action, so we’ll have time to see if Fanatics can overcome the Phillie Phanatic… Fanatics has been more successful with its F mark, which will be published for opposition in May… As to whether Fanatics really cares about its FANATICS mark for trading cards, it indicated previously it’d brand everything under Topps’ marks already, so likely not a big deal. Still, it’s kinda funny.

To that last point, a few months ago Fanatics actually acquired part of Topps for $500 million. It’s the “collectables arm, both physical and digital,” according to Dan Hajducky at ESPN, who wrote:

“All of the approximately 350 global Topps sports and entertainment employees will shift over and seamlessly integrate into Fanatics Trading Cards.

The move was suspected for some time, specifically since August, when Fanatics cemented a deal with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association for the exclusive licenses to produce baseball cards, ending Topps’ ability to produce them after roughly 60 years of being one of the sport’s and hobby’s most recognized brands.

The deal means Fanatics Trading Cards’ MLB and MLBPA rights to design, manufacture and distribute trading cards — originally slated to start in 2026 — will begin immediately.”

Keep an eye on Michael Rubin as Fanatics continues to grow and grow. It’s becoming a sports powerhouse with no signs of slowing down… unless the Phillie Phanatic stands in the way.