"TV fans don’t have really anything to collect … whereas this show, those cards … you can physically collect them," said Osacky.
The Certified Collectibles Group reported a separate total of six graded versions in existence.
Corporate representatives emphasized that market values remain entirely dependent on collector demand.
"As the old saying in collecting goes, a card is worth what someone is willing to pay for it," said Susan Lulgjuraj, marketing manager at Certified Collectibles Group.
Former NBC Sports executives stated that introducing European soccer to the United States required creative advertising strategies.
The network sought to convert existing viewers while educating the broader public.
"There’s the myth that televised soccer would never make it in America," said Bill Bergofin, former senior vice president of marketing at NBC Sports.
Bergofin explained that the original campaign faced significant challenges regarding viewer familiarity.
"Most people didn’t understand it. So we had a heavy lift," said Bergofin.
Advertising collaborators looked to past successful sports campaigns for inspiration.
Creative teams selected actor Jason Sudeikis based on his previous comedic performances.
"I thought, ‘Well, that would be interesting,’" said Guy Barnett, founding partner of the Brooklyn Brothers ad agency.
Barnett conceived the idea of placing an American character into an unfamiliar British athletic environment.
"Why don’t we take that character, or somebody like him, and put him in charge of an English football team, and we’ll see what happens," said Barnett.
He believed the fish-out-of-water dynamic would mirror the learning curve of the audience.
