Wait, who cares about trading cards?
To play devils advocate, too late for what? Let's assume this company succeeds in their evil scheme and completely takes over the sports card market for next 50+ years, using their monopoly power to mercilessly crushing anybody who tries to compete. Unless they can use that power to muscle into a market that actually matters, what difference does it make to society.
The degree to which one type of diversion “actually matters” or not should be taken in that context.
edit: to expand; a monopoly is by nature a political thing. Once you control the market, you control the suppliers and retailers, and you don't actually have to manufacture or handle the products that you control. You set your suppliers prices, you set your wholesale prices, and you set your retail prices. Your real job then consists of fending off politicians/regulators that become interested in what you have, and creating politicians/regulators that will help you get more of what you want.
I'm so glad I don't have the collecting bug.
It is crazy, people pay hundreds for a pack of new cards, just so that they can sell them for thousands later, and it works! And it has been working for decades, though it has been taking ridiculous proportions for the last few years. Now, you are probably better off printing trading cards than bank notes.