Sports Media Report
Next year is an election year, so Topps is letting the fans pick who will be the number one card in their 2016 set. For the first time ever, the official partner of Major League Baseball is letting fans vote for the player currently active today who replace Derek Jeter with card number one when the set is unveiled next spring. Could it be MVP candidate Bryce Harper (who has been the top card before)? How about the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera, or even Alex Rodriguez (who is listed among the candidates)? We will find out in a few weeks.
The voting for the first round will conclude on October 4, 2015, giving fans 10 days to vote and pare down the official list to just five players. The Final Five Vote will take place from October 5-11, 2015, and the winner will be announced on October 12, 2015 on the Topps Blog.
“Being featured on Card No. 1 in the Topps Baseball flagship has been an honor Topps has been able to bestow on baseball players for over 60 years,” said Clay Luraschi, Topps’ Vice President of Product Development in a release. “We have featured stars such as Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, Bryce Harper and Derek Jeter. It’s a coveted spot and we wanted our collectors to be involved in that decision.”
This move for more fan engagement is the latest step as the legendary card company seeks to evolve their brand to an engagement platform that fans of a new era can associate with. Their Topps BUNT app has been a huge hit (no pun intended) and other platforms will be unveiled with instant cards that are both printable and traditional as the playoffs begin.
