The Cardfather: How Fanatics Consolidated Power and Killed a Hobby
For decades, competition defined the card market. Companies like Topps and Panini vied for licenses, which kept prices stable and quality high. But that era ended when Fanatics executed what the complaint describes as a coordinated licensing scheme that monopolized every major sport. Now the industry looks like a bad mafia movie, except Fanatics CEO, Michael Rubin, lacks the charisma of Al Pacino or James Gandolfini.
The SCORE Act Fumbles College-Athlete Rights
College sports are at a turning point. After years of legal fights and long-overdue victories, college-athletes are finally starting to receive recognition and compensation for the value they bring to billion-dollar programs. But just as real progress is being made, Congress is considering a bill that threatens to turn back the clock.
SFC Files with DOJ/FTC About Ticketing Policy
We have long led the charge for fans’ rights, and we applauded President Trump’s Executive Order 14254 for taking direct aim at the monopolistic practices plaguing the ticketing industry. In response, we endorsed the TICKET Act as a powerful step forward. For years, SFC has pushed for reform through comments to the FTC and DOJ, active participation in federal workshops and roundtables, and strong support for antitrust action against Live Nation-Ticketmaster. But there’s still more to do.
To truly protect fans, we need bold action on market abuses, transferability rights, deceptive pricing, exclusive contracts, and the rampant lack of enforcement of existing laws. The momentum is building. It’s time to finish the job and, in the words of Kid Rock, “Make America Fun Again.”
Maine Lawmakers Ignored Fans. Now We’re Urging Gov. Mills to Veto LD 913
Earlier this year, LD 913 was introduced that would have given fans the right to transfer their tickets. Then, the monopoly and its venue partners hijacked the bill and turned it into a bill that caps resale prices, which exposes Maine’s sports fans to immense amounts of fraud. In response, thousands of Mainers stood up. They wrote, called, and emailed their legislators with a clear message: “Reject LD 913.” And what did the Maine Legislature do? They ignored them. They sided with Ticketmaster and its allies instead of the fans who simply want a fair chance to see their favorite teams, artists, and events live.
Diamondbacks Venom: Bad for Taxpayers
In 1998, Arizona rolled out the red carpet for the Diamondbacks. The team’s debut season came with a brand-new stadium, Bank One Ballpark (now Chase Field), built with a whopping $238 million in public funds from Maricopa County taxpayers. There was no public vote. There was no true accountability. And there were plenty of big promises: jobs, economic growth, urban revitalization.
Now, nearly three decades later, we’re still waiting on those promises. Unbelievably, the Diamondbacks are back asking for even more. Along with American Economic Liberties Project, Sports Fans Coalition sent a letter to AZ lawmakers highlighting the faults with this deal and urging them to reject the proposal.
Stop DC’s Billionaire Boondoggle Budget
Washington, D.C. is on the verge of one of the worst sports stadium boondoggles in American history and Sports Fans Coalition, along with a coalition of local activists, are blowing the whistle.
The proposed deal to bring the Washington Commanders back to the RFK site is nothing short of a massive public handout to a private equity billionaire. It’s $2.2 billion in giveaways to a team owned by a man worth $9.8 billion. We’re talking rent-free land, a stadium exempt from property and sales taxes, and development rights that could enrich the owner to the tune of $27 billion over 90 years. All this while basic city services are being slashed in the D.C. budget.
This isn’t just a bad stadium deal. It’s a once-in-a-generation wealth transfer from working families to Wall Street; a billionaire’s playground funded by the very residents who are being pushed out of their neighborhoods.
Big Ticket and Fans Fight to a Draw
We recently fired up fans across New York with our rally cry: "Big Ticket Comes for the Big Apple." Our message was loud and clear: fans deserve a fair and transparent system, not one that forces them back to street corners to buy tickets. As the legislative session nears the end, it’s clear: progress won’t win today—not yet, anyway.
Big Ticket Comes for the Big Apple
New York has long been a standard-bearer in ticketing law — a beacon for fans who just want a fair shot at seeing their favorite teams, artists, and events without jumping through rigged hoops or getting price-gouged by Big Ticket. Now, the Legislature is considering A8651/S8221, a bill that could take things to the next level — if they fix some major flaws that hand even more power to monopolies like Live Nation/Ticketmaster and their proxies.