The trio of Pro Football Hall of Famers signed multi-year deals as exclusive Fanatics memorabilia and collectibles partners.
Fanatics Inc. is continuing its ambitious sports memorabilia push by agreeing to some big-time athlete partnerships. All-time NFL icons Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Charles Woodson have joined up on an exclusive basis, the company announced this week.
In late January, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin confirmed that his aspirations for the memorabilia division are of the billion-dollar variety. And as the industry continues to boom, Fanatics has seen sales from its memorabilia and collectibles division, Fanatics Authentic, ascend by more than 40% in 2020.
“We’re bullish about where things are headed, which is why we continue to invest in the business, as well as the athletes we partner with,” Fanatics executive vice president Victor Shaffer said in an official release. “The ongoing demand for these products is going to continue to grow.”
The company plans to release products from the trio of football legends, including framed, autographed memorabilia and signed balls and uniforms.
Fanatics already has exclusive deals with some of the biggest names in sports, including Tom Brady, Steph Curry, Aaron Judge, and Zion Williamson. This isn’t their first big announcement of the month, either, as the company added Magic Johnson to its board of directors just two weeks ago.
Charles Woodson, a nine-time Pro Bowler and famously the last defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy following an iconic 1997 season at Michigan, was quick to share his own optimism about the explosive growth that the collectibles industry is enjoying.
“We just got into the Hall of Fame portion of the partnership, and, man, I’ve got a lifetime to build on that,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”
