AuctionCards AutographsTicketsGame WornNews

Topps fixes JuJu Watkins card after photographer’s request

Photo recropped to show Watkins' hand making USC's "Fight On" gesture

Cover Image for Topps fixes JuJu Watkins card after photographer’s request
The original card, left, was changed to a version that matched the photographer's vision. (Credit: Topps)

Brian Rothmuller is no stranger to having his photographs appear on trading cards from Topps, Panini America and Upper Deck.

One recent image, however, just didn’t look right.

Taken following the USC women’s basketball team's huge victory over crosstown rival UCLA on March 1, Rothmuller’s image showed Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins signaling the school’s “Fight On” hand gesture to the crowd as she headed to the locker room.

The Topps NOW card, which was available during a limited release window that ends Friday, didn’t show that signal at all — in fact, the original crop cut off part of Watkins’ hand and wrist, reshaping the spirit of the photograph.

“I am always very honored when my photos get chosen for cards, but sometimes the crop of the photo takes away from my vision of the photo,” Rothmuller wrote to Topps on social media Tuesday. “Like in this instance of JuJu Watkins, Topps can you kindly fix the crop of her hand being cut off.”

Rothmuller’s request, which has been served to more than 100,000 people on X, eventually reached a decision-maker at the card company.

By Thursday evening, Topps had responded with a new design for the card that matched Rothmuller’s original composition.

“It’s hugely important. I mean, especially for an image of a potential generational-type player like JuJu — if it was just an ordinary no-name or even a small star it wouldn't mean as much,” Rothmuller told cllct.

“People will look back and see that image, and they’ll see it how I took it versus just seeing a hand cut off and maybe thinking it’s not that great of a card.”

Based in the Los Angeles area, Rothmuller works as a photographer for Icon Sportswire, which syndicates photographs to major companies, including Getty and the Associated Press. Both companies regularly provide photographs to the card manufacturers.

To date, Rothmuller estimates his photographs have appeared on roughly 5,000 cards from the three major trading companies. A typical month, he says, might have 100 to 150 photographs purchased by one of the manufacturers.

A card collector himself, Rothmuller can often spot when important plays, moments or expressions might make a great trading card. He also plans ahead and understands which players might be making a debut or hitting a milestone — he’ll often try to provide more photos of those players in an important moment.

He thought images from the game could soon land on a Topps NOW card, and he was right.

“I figured they would probably make a card from the game. I saw it, and my heart sunk immediately because her hand was cut off,” Rothmuller said. “They do a pretty good job of cropping stuff, but I see stuff that comes out and sometimes a pitcher’s hand is cropped off or you don’t see the ball.

“It can be weird that there’s more image for them to work with and for some reason they frame it in a certain way. But that’s me as an artist from what I see taking my picture. What they’re trying to do on their cards might be different than what my vision is.”

Rothmuller expected his request to be futile, but he thought there might be a chance a change could be made with Topps NOW cards printed to demand following a limited purchase window, which hadn’t closed yet.

He also typically doesn’t know when a photograph has been used until he receives a statement showing an image was purchased by a manufacturer.

Rothmuller remembered this photograph, however, and hoped Topps would understand his creative vision. He received a direct message from Topps on Thursday evening offering to send copies of the card, and only after that did he even realize the image was getting fixed.

“I was floored that they actually did it, it makes them look good,” Rothmuller said. “A lot of other creative people reached out to me saying it’s a win for the creatives of the world.”

Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.