Topps sent an email to their "Authorized Partners" requesting they change their Instagram profile picture to the Gold Logoman at 9am for the 2025-26 Topps Chrome Basketball launch.
They described it as a "unified switch" to show the community the product's return.
Multiple dealers complied. Sports Card Investor, Backyard Breaks, Burbank Cards, Layton Sports Cards, Card Collector 2, Sports Card Nonsense, and CardsHQ all changed their profile pictures as requested.
The coordination drew some criticism from the community.
X user @terpfan_20 pointed out that a major podcast:
"Openly says they only say positive things about Fanatics so they continue to get distribution for their breaking side"—highlighting potential conflicts of interest in hobby coverage."
Likely in referring to Sports Card Nonsense.
It seems bad that the biggest podcast covering and discussing the hobby openly says they only say positive things about Fanatics so they continue to get distribution for their breaking side. pic.twitter.com/KcAmGzSL8m
— terpfan20 (@terpfan_20) December 17, 2025
The situation illustrates the delicate balance dealers face: maintaining their relationship with Fanatics while preserving their independence and credibility with customers.
