In a thrilling new bout of transparency, Fanatics, in partnership with Topps, has thrown a left hook at skepticism by rounding up the audit powerhouse KPMG to systematically scrutinize their card distribution procedures. This fresh game plan is Fanatics’ response to enduring concerns amongst collectors and dealers regarding the level playing field of high-value card dispersals.
At the Industry Conference held in Atlanta, CEO of Fanatics Collectibles, Mike Mahan, declared to the score of stakeholders present that KPMG, after intense scrutiny spanning several months, had confirmed the legitimacy of Fanatics/Topps’ method to dodge intentional allocation of prized cards to specific purchasers.
Claims of Fanatics/Topps playing favorites with large volume buyers or notable card breakers have been tossing and turning in the collector’s arena. Such conjecture reached fever pitch in the wake of social media videos depicting card breakers landing multiple valuable cards, and stirred doubt over the randomness of pack contents. Greg Abovsky, the sharp-minded CFO of Fanatics Collectibles, put his foot down explaining that the machine-like efficiency of high-value pulls by major card breakers is a result of high volume handling rather than any cunning plot in the packing process.
Under KPMG’s intense examination, every inch of the Texas printing facility, where the trading cards are born, was exposed. The auditing powerhouse put the collation process and production logs under its financial microscope to confirm that the deal of the cards was indeed a game of chance, as continually insisted by Topps. This innovative move, a first-round knockout in the industry according to Fanatics, is intended to kick myths to the curb and attest to the good sportsmanship in their distribution play to the fan community.
Adding another layer to the thorough audit, Abovsky refuted whispers amongst collectors that Fanatics had ever dealt a loaded hand by seeding boxes with valuable cards for advertising gain. With the projection of making the randomness audit an annual showdown, Fanatics is reaching out to prove its commitment to a fair game and full disclosure in this deck of business.
With the assurance from an audit heavyweight like KPMG, Fanatics looks forward to a change in the game and hopes that this move will help them stack their deck with a new level of trust and transparency in the eyes of collectors and competitors alike. It seems that Fanatics is playing its cards right, ushering in an era of unquestionable integrity and ensuring every player in the card collecting game knows that they are getting a fair deal.
