Sports fans rushed into the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City last week to be part of a four-day extravaganza that has quickly become a new hallmark of the annual sports calendar.
While navigating the exhibition floor seemed straightforward based on the layout and signage, the large crowds and blockades to transport celebrity guests made the task significantly more arduous. Yet for many, the difficulty and expense were worth it to receive a glimpse of stars like such as Jalen Brunson, Serena Williams and John Cena.
Events ranged from a press conference featuring Lionel Messi and Rodrigo Hernández ahead of the FIFA World Cup Final to a live podcast taping with LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton. Arriving at each location and securing a seat required strategic planning and a bit of luck amid shambolic execution. These areas were flooded with security guards, who had the unenviable task of controlling scores of attendees barricaded from entering popular events.
The primary showroom for Fanatics Fest was on the third floor and featured a batting cage, basketball court, miniature gridiron and UFC octagon. In one corner of the room, fans could get a glimpse at the Vince Lombardi Trophy, while the Knicks were parading with the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the other.
There were several shops with apparel and collectibles spread across over 1 million feet of space in the convention center, along with unique stages and broadcast centers for the weekend. Over 40 podcasts and live shows taped in front of an audience at Fanatics Fest, and there were countless creators recording interviews and other content from the event space.
Inside the sports frenzy
Underlying the festive atmosphere shielded from the summer heat was a pervasive yearning for virality. There was a staggering amount of credentialed media on site capturing content with cell phones and microphones, editing videos in real time and posting to social media.
Whether it was the in-house content team or visiting media members, the festival was well prepared to function as the epicenter of sports media for the weekend. Indeed, there was no shortage of memorable moments suited for social media algorithms, underscored by an ‘impromptu’ appearance and performance by musician Justin Bieber.
Fanatics Fest served as a backdrop for other marquee sporting events in the New York metropolitan area during this July weekend, undoubtedly headlined by the matchup between Spain and Argentina to conclude the FIFA World Cup. The Bronx featured a rematch of the 2024 World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, placing two baseball powerhouses under the spotlight as the league faces a potential work stoppage later in the year.
Approximately one month after hosting the NBA Finals and a high-profile wedding between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Madison Square Garden featured the latest installment of WWE “Saturday Night’s Main Event.” Several WWE superstars made the trip down 34th Street and performed their signature entrances in person.
Contrasting virality in the digital age
The kayfabe associated with WWE was obvious throughout Fanatics Fest, specifically evident in the ‘feud’ between former NFL quarterback Tom Brady and wrestler Logan Paul while on stage Friday. Brady delivered a forceful slap to the face of Paul, leading to Knicks C Karl-Anthony Towns separating them before matters escalated.
This supposed rivalry continued through the weekend when Brady whacked a ping-pong ball directly at Paul with NBA F Draymond Green watching in the background. The two athletes gave each other middle fingers from the World Cup Final with Fanatics co-founder/CEO Michael Rubin explaining that he was keeping both of them apart.
Rubin, of course, is the progenitor of Fanatics Fest, who became inspired to create an event for sports fans after attending Comic Con. The event has taken place over the last three years and costs between $80 million and $90 million to stage, but it was projected to become profitable for the first time after initially beginning as a marketing investment.
Although some may look down on the viral stunts, Fanatics Fest has unquestionably provided a new way to capture sports content during what is generally a slower time on the calendar. (Though that was less the case this year, with the FIFA World Cup taking place stateside.)
The lack of organic virality is part of the problem. Social media supplanted television and news websites as the primary means for where people receive their news, according to a study by Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford. The same study found that 62% of respondents in the U.S. strongly or tended to agree that they were concerned about “what is real and what is fake on the internet.”
Sports as a cultural driver is a reality that cannot be ignored and assists in driving awareness and fandom to athletes and competition alike. Documentaries over the years have become the center of conversation, perhaps no example more notable than “The Last Dance” filling a void while leagues shut down during the early stages of the global pandemic. Various editions of “Hard Knocks” have sparked conversation during NFL training camps and now even during the season, since the show expanded to provide behind-the-scenes access to divisions down the stretch of the regular season.
Fanatics Fest capitalizes on this trend, but some of the moments that end up going viral feel contrived and staged to favor the algorithm. Shortly after video of the aforementioned feud surfaced on social media, Brady was reported as being in discussions with WWE about facing off against Paul. WWE has involved celebrities in its storylines before, recently doing so with appearances by Brunson, Haliburton and Towns from its event at Madison Square Garden.
Several celebrities reciprocated by imitating WWE superstar entrance routines, including Wizards guard Trae Young trying to rip apart a Brunson jersey. Others consisted of AJ Dybantsa holding a Wizards championship belt, Brady emerging from a coffin accompanied by video of career highlights and Cena reenacting the routine of Roman Reigns instead of his own.
Memories from the sports extravaganza
There were plenty of other viral moments that felt more artificial than authentic, one of which was a fan attempting to have Spurs C Victor Wembanyama sign a Brunson jersey shortly after losing to him in the NBA Finals. Brady also threw a football at a dunk tank that dropped Rob Gronkowski into a pool filled with a condiment.
Other instances did appear more genuine, such as Gronkowski spiking a football for a gender reveal and Giants QB Jameis Winston signing and subsequently eating part of a cookie shaped like a “W.” TNT Sports analyst and Hall of Fame C Shaquille O’Neal also awarded $10,000 to Darius Clark after he broke a world record with a vertical leap of 53 inches, a successful attempt recorded by a flurry of content creators and other media professionals.
Joe Pompliano of Huddle Up reported that Fanatics spent $10 million on athlete and celebrity appearance fees for the festival, who all took part in activities and panels to create a star-studded scene rivaling movie premieres and marquee celebrations.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and other industry luminaries attended the CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan Summit and discussed the state of their companies and future ambitions. Pitaro said that ESPN has interest in being home to the NBA’s upcoming local streaming hub, and later in the conference, Silver voiced that he heard Pitaro’s remarks and proceeded to expound on the topic.
ESPN brought “First Take” and “SportsCenter” to Fanatics Fest this year along an array of personalities such as Stephen A. Smith, Kevin Neghandi, Shae Cornette and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo. NBC Sports had a presence through the Fanatics Games broadcast, which featured participation from Noah Eagle and Maria Taylor, along with the “Fantasy Football Hour” podcast featuring Matthew Berry.
Taylor Rooks, Adam Lefkoe and Kay Adams all hosted live programming from Fanatics Fest, including an official press conference for O’Neal’s new “Dunkman” league and a panel with former Heisman Trophy winners. Rooks also led a mock Draft featuring Disney characters cosplaying as NFL rookies to promote a new clothing line with Champion and Fanatics.
Crowds of spectators converged around podcast stages to watch live recordings of shows such as “Road Trippin’,” “Empty Netters,” “The Old Man and the Three” and the “St. Brown Podcast.” Major League Baseball brought its own content slate to Fanatics Fest as well, among them “MLB Central,” “Baseball & Coffee” and “MLB According to CC.” Center stage drew the largest crowds on Thursday with overarching storylines surrounding the two podcasts.
The basketball world had been waiting to see where James would sign and to hear him speak publicly, making “Mind the Game” a much-anticipated event. Later in the day, Brunson took the stage with teammate Josh Hart and host Matt Hillman for a special edition of “The Roommates Show” featuring Yankees OF Aaron Judge.
Whether it was the event programming, photos and autographs or camaraderie, there were various different reasons to attend Fanatics Fest. Three years into the venture, the company has succeeded in bringing sports fans together while simultaneously celebrating and monetizing fandom. Striking the right balance in that regard is a challenge the company still needs to meet, especially since the cost of attending is only the baseline of getting the most out of the overall experience.
Aside from the autographs and photo opportunities, Fanatics offered early-access passes during a presale that allowed fans to explore the convention floor while bypassing the large crowds that surfaced later, along with special VIP tickets. There were also 250 hobby shops selling cards, memorabilia and other collectibles for significantly more money than the price of general admission.
The sustainability of the event will ultimately come from fans buying into the concept and supporting the effort, and so far, it seems like Fanatics Fest will continue for years to come. There are plans for another iteration in 2027, something Fanatics Events creative director Matthew Low said in a LinkedIn post would return “bigger and better,” but what that might mean may vary depending on who you ask.
Perhaps that means even more athletes and celebrities, perhaps it means lower prices, reduced scale to better accommodate visitors and easier access to watch panels and podcasts. For now, Fanatics Fest 2026 can be seen as a way to unify sports, entertainment, music and pop culture, but it will require some necessary adjustments for the event to maintain its stature before the very fanatics themselves decide it is no longer worth the investment.
