Sports Crate launches this week, and the subscription service which has partnered with MLB and MLBPA “will provide team and player merchandise products delivered in a mystery box" each month, according to Maury Brown of FORBES. The initial launch of Sports Crate, which is the exclusive licensed subscription box of MLB, “will focus on 10 teams.” Fans of the Red Sox, Cubs, Tigers, Royals, Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Giants, Cardinals and Rangers will receive “exclusive apparel items, collectibles such as figurines, and in some cases, fan experiences each month.” Sports Crate plans to roll out "additional teams over the course of the year as feedback from customers comes in.” The VIP “one-of-a-kind fan experiences that will come to lucky fans are bound to create interest.” They include “watching a game inside the Green Monster at Fenway Park” and an autographed ball from a current player. The deal means Sports Crate will “have access to work deals with all of the league’s licensed partners,” so it is “possible that a Sports Crate could have a cap from Lids, or other products that are officially licensed.” Fans will be “treated with five to seven original or unique items each month that Sports Crate claims can’t be found anywhere else in the world.” The first Sports Crate will “feature a ‘Bringing the Heat’ theme, stocked with a highly collectible, exclusive action figure of the respective team’s starting pitcher, along with everything a fan needs to ‘bring it’ on Opening Day” (FORBES.com, 3/13).
