The Athletic Launches Sports Card and Memorabilia Vertical

That resurgence combined with an increased interest in professional sports more generally, which in recent years have commanded record viewerships from both male and female audiences. The financialization of the industry—spurred in part by the spread of legalized sports gambling—has further fueled the renaissance of the decades-old pastime.

Attendance at the annual National Sports Collectors Convention, for instance, has doubled in recent years, from roughly 50,000 visitors four years ago to about 100,000 visitors the past two years, according to The Robb Report.

Through its coverage, The Athletic plans to serve this growing audience of trading card and memorabilia enthusiasts. 

Memorabilia coverage trades up

At launch, the vertical will be staffed by only a handful of full-time editors working with a rotating cast of freelancers, according to Peck. The desk will cover news in the industry, such as the consequential legal battle occurring between two of its primary players, Panini and Fanatics, as well as offer coverage designed to help potential buyers navigate a purchase decision.

“As one of the world’s top destinations for collectibles, with 132 million buyers in more than 190 markets around the world, we’re excited to be The Athletic’s exclusive partner in launching their new collectibles section,” said eBay’s global chief marketing officer Adrian Fung.

Stories related to sports memorabilia that The Athletic penned in the past often performed well, which helped validate the decision. During the pandemic, the publisher created a list of the top trading cards of all time, as well as a deeply reported long read about a scandal exposed by the discovery of a doctored Mickey Mantle card.

The vertical aims to function somewhat like Wirecutter, The Times’ product review division. Although The Athletic will not be evaluating any of the memorabilia itself, it will work with experts to offer an informed analysis of the industry, its products, and its prevailing trends. 

The publisher hopes to serve veterans of the hobby as well as newcomers and plans to use channels like social video to expose new audiences to its memorabilia coverage.

“There is a need for more authoritative coverage in this space,” Peck said. “We want to provide a helping hand to newcomers and make it easier for them to get involved.”