Carlsbad, CA, Thursday September 23, 2010
The Upper Deck Company, the industry leader in sports trading cards, is in the midst of producing a 400-card set geared toward a broader sports fan base that encompasses a myriad of sports from basketball, baseball and swimming, to hockey, figure skating and mixed martial arts. Entitled “World of Sports,” the comprehensive collection will include 400 athletes and coaches from a host of different countries and be jam-packed with autographed cards and game-used memorabilia cards from many of the personalities.



Geared for an early 2011 launch, the World of Sports set will also feature more than 30 active NCAA men’s basketball coaches including headliners like Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Bill Self (Kansas), Jim Calhoun (Connecticut), Bob Huggins (West Virginia), and Tubby Smith (Minnesota). Their inclusion, with autographs, is a first for Upper Deck.



“This is an exciting venture to have college basketball coaches featured on Upper Deck trading cards. It was always a thrill opening up packs of cards as a youngster to see who you had,” said Bill Self, head coach at the University of Kansas. “With the tremendous popularity of men’s college basketball today, having college coaches on cards will continue to help grow the game.”



Upper Deck officials, who have exclusive deals in place with both the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), are very excited about the fast-approaching, multi-sport product and what it means to sports card collectors and fans everywhere.



“This is an ambitious effort to produce a trading card set that appeals to such a variety of sports fans,” said Upper Deck Brand Manager Brandon Miller. “In what other set will you ever be able to find such a broad mix of autograph cards and game-worn memorabilia cards from sports legends ranging from Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan to Nancy Kerrigan and Amanda Beard.”



Other sports stars who will be featured in the set include: Jose Canseco (baseball); Dara Torres (swimming); Landon Donovan and David Beckham (soccer); Matt Hoffman (BMX); Taylor Hall, Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe (hockey); LeBron James, Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Cousins (basketball); and Sasha Cohen (figure skating).



About Upper Deck
Upper Deck is the leading sports and entertainment trading card and collectibles company. For more information on Upper Deck and its products please visit www.upperdeck.com.