North Las Vegas, NV, Thursday April 30, 2009
The Upper Deck Company is proud to announce another new online communication tool targeting sports fans and collectors: www.UpperDeckBlog.com. Featuring opinions, news and exclusive access to professional athletes and events, UpperDeckBlog.com provides entertaining content, while also bringing something entirely unique to the table.

�It was very important to us from the start, that this blog was more about creating compelling content and being an enthusiastic member of the already passionate online sports media community,� explained Toby Wachter, Upper Deck�s online media content manager. �Even though the blog is produced here in our Carlsbad [Calif.] offices, it�s not a �corporate blog� by any means. We�re passionate about sports here, and this blog reflects that passion.�

A recent post at the new blog site concentrated on San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman�s appearance at company headquarters for a special ESPN Magazine photo shoot. Sporting his full Bolts uniform (and pads), the 6-4, 275-pound Merriman gladly sat amongst a pile of 12,000 Upper Deck sports cards for the winning shot.

Upper Deck�s first �Brag Photo of the Week� submission showed portions of the Chicago Bulls United Center floor from the team�s 1996 to 1998 championship seasons positioned right in the company�s own warehouse, pieces of which will be used in upcoming product launches. As the year goes on, the site will help reintroduce former collectors to the hobby, while it provides interesting content for current enthusiasts.

�There�s a whole audience out there that reads sports blogs regularly, and collected cards as kids, but probably lost track of the cool things our industry is doing now. So this blog is a good way to show them, �Hey, these days, if you buy a pack of Upper Deck cards you can find a Joe DiMaggio cut autograph, or maybe a game-used jersey card of LeBron James,�� said Wachter. �And yes, we even do crazy things like putting a strand of Abraham Lincoln�s hair onto our cards!�

Even though the Upper Deck blog will feature information about the company, the bottom line will be about providing engaging content.

�If we do that, people will recognize we�re producing quality posts and keep coming back for more,� said Wachter.



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.