Here’s How Fanatics Festival ‘Comic Con of Sports’ Plans to Connect 50000 Fans With Tom Brady, Derek Jeter and More

Fanatics is preparing its first live flagship event, Fanatics Fest, for August 16-18, which will be hosted at the Jacob Javits Center.

By Blesson Daniel

Published on Aug 15, 2024 | 08:33 PM IST | 54.9K

Tom Brady [Credit-Getty Images]

The inaugural Fanatics Festival, touted as "the Comic Con of sports," will take place at the Javits Center this weekend, August 16-18.

Over three days, fans will be able to meet and obtain signatures from prominent players such as Peyton and Eli Manning, Kevin Durant, and Derek Jeter, as well as attend dozens of panels and purchase heaps of memorabilia to support their favorite teams.

“I walked into Comic Con. and thought this thing was insane. There’s a quarter of a million people dressed in costumes,” Michael Rubin, CEO of Fanatics, the $31 billion sports goods and collectible juggernaut behind the event, told The Post.

“I thought, ‘How do we do this for sports?'” he continued. “I literally called the guy who ran comic con New York and said come do a Fanatics Festival for me.”

Rubin eventually persuaded Lance Fensterman, the president of Reed Pop, which produces huge events like Comic Con, to come work for him and manage Fanatics Events.

“I want to create the best sports gathering in the world,” Rubin told The Post.

50,000 sports lovers are anticipated to attend this weekend's main event. Ticket costs range from $50 to $8,990, with the more expensive tickets including exclusive seats, the ability to bypass the queue for signatures, exclusive meet and greets with players, and limited edition trading cards. However, there are great offers for all ticket levels.

Stephen A. Smith will host a podcast, ESPN will broadcast live, and every major sports commissioner, including the NBA's Adam Silver and the NFL's Roger Goodell, will appear on panels, as will other celebrity players.

Fanatics-owned trading card company Topps will release unique items, including a special collection from musician Travis Scott.

Fanatics is investing $10 million on different activations during the event, including a WWE experience that will let fans experience the excitement of making a pro-wrestling entrance and a "kids zone" where Tom Brady will distribute footballs to young children.

Rubin has also enlisted non-sports personalities such as TikTok's Alix Earle and rappers Lil Wayne and Jay-Z.

A source informed The Post that Jay-Z is spending more than $3 million to recreate a pop-up of his 40/40 Club in Javits for only three days.

The 40/40 club, named after an elite group of baseball players who have scored 40 home runs and stolen 40 bases in a season, closed in Chelsea last year but will return next year.

Rubin created the e-commerce and sports merchandise business GSI Commerce in 2002, which merged with Fanatics in 2011.

Rubin's estimated net worth is $11 billion, thanks to the success of his privately owned firm. He also serves as the executive chair of Rue La La, an online apparel retailer, and on the Gilt Group board of directors.

The annual White Party at his beachside Bridgehampton house is one of the season's most star-studded affairs. It brings together sportsmen like Brady and Eli Manning, celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajakowski, and business leaders like Patriots owner Robert Kraft and William Morris Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel.

In the city, he hosts his renowned pals in his main property, a huge West Village penthouse near Fanatics' 125,000-square-foot offices on Morton Street.

Also Read: Tom Brady's Former Team Decline Record USD 6 Billion Offer to Sell: Report