John Elway headlines Topps’ Bowman Draft set with ad featuring Larry David’s ‘George Steinbrenner’

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There’s an axiom in sports where you never want to be the guy who follows “the guy.” That’s the challenging position Topps put themselves into when featuring Tom Brady’s Montreal Expos “What if?” moment as the top chase card in their 2023 Bowman Draft baseball set.

The trading card giant has brought an iconic quarterback from the generation before Brady who was also selected in the MLB draft before going on to NFL stardom as its 2024 Bowman Draft ace in the hole. Topps also threw in an all-time great parody of one the most famous and/or infamous baseball owners in the history of sports to kick off the set’s release this week.

Bowman Draft primarily features newly professional prospects from the most recent MLB Draft. Denver Broncos Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway stands as the star non-prospect in this year’s set with base cards, parallels and autographed variations. To power up the release, Topps called on comedian Larry David to reprise his role as the voice of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner from the 1990s sitcom “Seinfeld” for a commercial to promote the product.

You can find these John Elway autographed Yankees cards in 2024 Bowman Draft, available at 12p EST today ⏰ pic.twitter.com/0n2F4WTz68

— Topps (@Topps) December 4, 2024

The ad campaign surrounds a debate as to why the real Steinbrenner, who passed away in 2010, drafted Elway in the second round of the 1981 MLB Draft with eventual Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn still available (Gwynn was eventually drafted in the third round by the San Diego Padres).

The 90-second commercial starts with ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith condescendingly asking Elway why the Yankees drafted him instead of Gwynn.

“From my understanding, it was all Steinbrenner,” Elway said with the scene drifting into “Steinbrenner’s office,” which looks similar to the set used for “Seinfeld.”

Fictitious Yankees executives pitch Gwynn as the team’s pick to Steinbrenner.

“The basketball player?” Steinbrenner responds, referring to Gwynn’s prowess as an all-Western Athletic Conference hoopster for San Diego State. “I don’t think so. It’s gotta be Elway! I want him out in right field with that cannon of an arm.”

Then the executives boasted how Gwynn will be better than Keith Hernandez, an Easter egg for a “Seinfeld” plot line. Steinbrenner bristled at the thought of Hernandez, saying he doesn’t like the eventual Mets first baseman’s thick mustache, an ode to the Steinbrenner’s disdain for facial hair. The video also ends with Steinbrenner saying it’s “calzone time” — another “Seinfeld” reference.

Steinbrenner doesn’t budge saying, “DiMaggio, Ruth, Mantle. It’s got to be Elway!”

Before being drafted by the Yankees in ’81, Elway was selected in the 18th round of the 1979 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals after winning Los Angeles Player of the Year and a state championship in high school. He opted to attend Stanford instead, though, where he played both baseball and football. In 1981, Elway hit .361 with nine home runs and 50 RBI in 49 games for Stanford. Elway signed for the Yankees after being drafted by them and even played in the minor leagues, hitting .318 in 185 plate appearances for Yankees Single-A affiliate Oneonta in 1982.

In 1983, Elway was selected 1st overall in the NFL Draft by the then Baltimore Colts, an organization he had publicly stated he did not want to play for. Elway threatened to continue his career with the Yankees rather than pursue football, but the Colts traded him to the Denver Broncos six days later. Elway went on to win two Super Bowls in a 16-year career with Denver. His 1984 Topps NFL rookie card with a PSA 10 grade (Gem Mint) last sold for $8,199 in September, according to CardLadder, which tracks card sales across major online marketplaces.

Topps is now betting on the success of the chase for Brady last year to carry over for Elway this year. The 2023 Bowman Draft Tom Brady superfractor (a one of a kind card) autographed card sold for $158,600.

In terms of top prospects for 2024 Bowman Draft (checklist PDF can be found here), the hope will be for any player within the set to explode in popularity like Pittsburgh Pirates pitching phenom Paul Skenes, who’s Bowman 1st cards and autographs appeared in last year’s set.

Here’s a sample players containing Bowman 1st autographs from a top 50 MLB prospect list from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden published in September:

  • 4. Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians
  • 14. Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds
  • 15. Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals
  • 16. Hagen Smith, Chicago White Sox
  • 18. Nick Kurtz, Oakland Athletics
  • 19. Christian Moore, Los Angeles Angels
  • 28. Bryce Rainer, Detroit Tigers
  • 29. Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates

Required reading

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(Top photo of Elway in the 1998 MLB All-Star Celebrity Home Run Derby: Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

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