Trafalgar Law

"It's really frustrating... losing.”

[Matt Norlander @MattNorlander]

THE NCAA TOURNAMENT IS THE GREATEST EVENT IN SPORTS.

[Yossi Farro @FarroYossi]

Meet Michael Rubin

He turned $2,500 in Bar Mitzvah money into Fanatics, a $30 Billion sports powerhouse.

Born in 1972 to a Jewish family in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, Rubin showed entrepreneurial drive early.
• At 12, he started a ski-tuning shop in his parents’ basement.

• At 14, using his $2,500 Bar Mitzvah money as seed capital (and a lease signed by his father), he opened Mike’s Ski and Sport in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

By 16, he was $120,000 in debt. He settled with creditors using a $37,000 loan from his father—on the condition he attend college.

He briefly attended Villanova University but dropped out after a smart deal: borrowing $17,000 to buy $200,000 worth of overstock equipment at a discount, then reselling it for $75,000.

He sold his ski shops and launched KPR Sports (named after his parents’ initials), a closeout company for overstock athletic gear.

• By age 21 (1993), KPR hit $1 million in sales.
• By 1995, it reached $50 million.

In 1998, Rubin founded Global Sports Incorporated, which became GSI Commerce—a major e-commerce and logistics player.

In 2011, at age 38, he sold GSI to eBay for $2.4 billion!

eBay kept the fulfillment business; Rubin bought back the consumer brands at a bargain, including Fanatics (licensed sports merchandise), Rue La La, and ShopRunner.
He became CEO of Fanatics and focused on scaling it aggressively:

• Secured major partnerships with Nike, NFL, MLB, and over 900 leagues/teams.

• During COVID-19 (2020), repurposed an MLB uniform plant to produce hospital gowns and PPE.

• Raised big funding rounds: $350M (2020, valuation $6.2B), more in 2021, then $1.5B +
$700M (2022, valuation hit $31 billion).

• Expanded into trading cards (acquired Topps for $500M in 2022) and betting/gaming (launched 2023).

From a teenage ski shop to a global leader in sports merchandise, trading cards, and more, Michael Rubin’s journey is a classic American Jewish entrepreneurial success story built on hustle, smart deals, and Values.

[Sports Card News @SportsCardNews]

🚨Leaked Documents‼️

Internal documents from Topps & Fanatics have leaked, revealing the "Confidential" data behind their hierarchy of breakers & distributors.

These documents expose exactly who is moving the needle for Fanatics, including a 12-month rolling spend for their top partners.

Top spenders include: 
Blowout Cards: $49.7M 💰
DA Card World: $42.3M 💰
Blez Sports Cards: $17.1M 💰
WeTheHobby: $13.6M 💰
FilthBomb: $12.9M 💰
Backyard Breaks: $9.9M 💰

Besides the money, the most interesting takeaway?

The documents explicitly state that certain breaking operations are being identified for "stronger allocation support" specifically in exchange for breaking product on the Fanatics Live platform.

If you wondered why your favorite breaker suddenly switched apps, the answer is in the paperwork.

The leak also highlights special treatment for high-profile partners like Card Vault.

While the store’s 12-month spend is lower than the giants at $3.4M, the company enjoys significant executive attention, and a special pricing structure.

**link to article in comments**

[Grant Reacts @GrantReacts1]

Toosii calls Fran Brown a “bozo” and explains why he won’t be playing at Syracuse.

[Trafalgar Law @MidorimaS6]

🫖 I shall sip

[Grant Reacts @GrantReacts1]

Toosii calls Fran Brown a “bozo” and explains why he won’t be playing at Syracuse.

[Mile High Mario @VetanzeTherapy]

America disagrees

[Thuuuuney @thuuuuney]

MLB The Show 26 can easily be HEAT if:

- We go back to MLB 20 XP/Inning Paths
- Call more strikes on pitches on the black
- BR/Ranked/Events all separate path again
- Balance Switch Hitters
- Balance elevations so more stadiums get used

And….
End Team Affinity

[BoxScore @BoxScore_FB]

Notre Dame plays EIGHT teams that lost 8+ games in 2025

[Guy Benson @guypbenson]

Notre Dame coach on Gameday explaining why the program quit on the season after not earning a slot in the playoff.

Join a conference & win the big games, or stop whining.

[Dailey Joy @daileyjoyf]

my biggest issue is ND at 4.

STOP GIVING THEM CREDIT FOR BEATING ABSOLUTELY NO ONE!!!!!!!!!

[Trafalgar Law @MidorimaS6]

Cause it’s actually getting out of hand now Lol, he was a yr late it’s simple haha

[Courtney Anne @CourtAnne1225]

Can the NCAA tell us why they granted Diego Pavia a 6th year but denied Trinidad Chambliss?

[B @bmore_sports8]

John Harbaugh before Lamar Jackson

2013 8-8 No playoffs
2014 10-6 L Divisional Round
2015 5-11 No playoffs
2016 8-8 No playoffs
2017 9-7 No playoffs
2018 4-5

[Yahoo Sports @YahooSports]

A key point in John Harbaugh’s dismissal was his refusal to consider moving on from Todd Monken, per @DMRussini.

[NFL Rumors @nflrums]

NFL RUMORS: Bill Belichick could be a name to watch for the #Ravens #RavensFlock

[Trafalgar Law @MidorimaS6]

Lamar is the only reason they are relevant, Henry an their D are tied for 2nd. He is literally a terrible coach

[Calvin @FlockCwood]

The Lamar haters are truly not ready for the Harbaughless Ravens

[Colton Sports @ColtonSports]

Lamar did heroics from his rookie year to this last season and saved his job.

This year Lamar no matter how amazing he played couldn’t patch the holes this team has and they missed the playoffs. It was finally clear to everyone this was a coaching issue.

Finally.

[Nico @elitetakes_]

I think the big problem in Harbaugh’s final years is that the Ravens had a culture of cowardice

The next HC needs to bring aggression and accountability. It’s more than a scheme thing

[Michael Beck @MichaelBeck56]

Why hasn’t John Harbaugh gotten a job yet?

I was assured he’d get another job within minutes?

[MJD @Baltimore_MJD]

John Harbaugh getting fired on January 6th is so poetic 🤣🤣

[Dov Kleiman @NFL_DovKleiman]

Powerful: Steelers veteran kicker Chris Boswell immediately jogged up to and consoled Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop after his season-ending miss.

Boswell knows it's bigger than sports.

What a special moment captured 🥹❤️