Merchandising – Page 6 – Syndication Server

Like everyone else, “The Last Dance” …

Like everyone else, “The Last Dance” was appointment viewing in my house for the past five Sunday nights. During one of the early episodes, I bragged to my girlfriend about having a Jordan rookie stashed away. She then showed me an article about the price skyrocketing due to the documentary’s popularity. I checked eBay and, sure enough, two had just sold for over $11,000. I drove to my mom’s house the next morning, dusted off my card collection, and rescued the Jordan rookie from the box it’d been sitting in for two decades.

But then I tried to log into eBay, …

But then I tried to log into eBay, which I’d used to sell thousands of cards once upon a time, and discovered that they delete inactive accounts after … well, 20 years. Creating a new account would be simple, but it seemed unlikely anyone would buy something that big from an account with zero history or feedback. So, naturally, I turned to Twitter. People started sliding into my DMs left and right. Suddenly, every memory I had of wheeling and dealing at card shows came rushing back. I spent the next week negotiating with a couple dozen interested parties. One guy offered to trade me his car. Several implored me not to sell.

Shortly after Michael Jordan was named …

Shortly after Michael Jordan was named the 1992 MVP, a controversial billboard went up in the city of Chicago. It was solid white with two words printed in bold: “TRADE JORDAN.” With the Bulls chasing a second straight championship, who would dare propose such a sacrilegious idea? In a pre-social media age, the billboard went viral. More than 150 countries picked up the news. It was on the front page of several big newspapers.

For a week, it remained a mystery. …

For a week, it remained a mystery. Passionate MJ fans grew increasingly enraged as the days passed. Finally, a second billboard went up in the original’s place. “TRADE JORDAN,” it still read, but below there was another line: “We’ve been doing it for years….” Adjacent to the text was a picture of Jordan’s trading card: Red uniform, ball flexed behind his head, flying through the air toward the rim. That’s how the world discovered that the billboards were actually part of a marketing campaign from Upper Deck—one that Jordan, a new partner, was entirely in on.

Despite the fact that Mike retired in …

Despite the fact that Mike retired in 2003, he remains the most popular Upper Deck athlete. “Michael hasn’t played in the League in over 15 years and he is still the No. 1 source for memorabilia and collectibles,” says Garcia. “It’s interesting, because typically with athletes, you see ebbs and flows,” Masherah says. “They have a great moment in their career, you sell a lot more product. When they retire, you sell more product. When they go to the Hall of Fame, you sell more product. I think what’s different about MJ is, he’s just steady. He continues to be our top-selling athlete. There’s just a difference in general with MJ because he’s this global brand. It’s just a different animal.”