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Darth Vader Leads Disney-NFL Draft, Raiders Pairing Unveiled

7/18/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Darth Vader was the inaugural pick in the Disney Fan Draft, pairing the villain with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Disney and Champion launched a collection matching NFL teams with Disney, Marvel, Star Wars or Pixar characters, debuted at Fanatics Fest in New York.
All 32 designs will be sold August on Fanatics.com, NFLShop.com, DisneyStore.com and Lids, supporting Disney’s “Year of the Super Bowl” campaign for Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14, 2027.

History

Historical Context

Disney’s $4 billion purchase of Marvel on December 31 2009 brought the comic-book giant into its Consumer Products and Studio Entertainment divisions. After Marvel’s remaining units merged into other Disney groups on March 29 2023, the company leveraged the combined character portfolio to create merchandise for the 2027 fan draft, extending Disney’s reach beyond film into sports branding.

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Story summary

Darth Vader was the inaugural pick in the Disney Fan Draft, pairing the villain with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Disney and Champion launched a collection matching NFL teams with Disney, Marvel, Star Wars or Pixar characters, debuted at Fanatics Fest in New York.
All 32 designs will be sold August on Fanatics.com, NFLShop.com, DisneyStore.com and Lids, supporting Disney’s “Year of the Super Bowl” campaign for Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14, 2027.

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