By Mark Seavy  

Fanatics Fest was billed as a sports equivalent of Comic-Con and, much like that time-honored event, brand building was very much in play at the show this past weekend in New York. 

This opportunity for Fanatics to burnish its brand comes amid well-documented plans for a potential public stock offering and the building out of its sports betting business. For Fanatics—which started as a licensee for sports apparel and has expanded into sports betting, trading cards, events, and other businesses—the event was a success and perhaps a signal of things to come.  

“The Fanatics brand was everywhere, as was Topps in the trading card area of the event. They were clearly engaged in brand-building by creating new experiences for fans and allowing them to engage with their sports heroes in person,” said Steve Scebelo, President of sports and licensing consulting firm REP Worldwide. “It was a celebration of sports—a really well-conceived and well-executed vision of the Fanatics brand, and all its partners, via location-based entertainment.” 

That merging of sports, collecting, pop culture, and celebrity was a major lure for the thousands of attendees. Fanatics Fest featured a museum spotlighting some of world’s rarest cards and sports memorabilia, sponsored by Sports Illustrated, and boasted access to the social media, sports, and entertainment celebrities that go along with these collectibles. A number of attendees payed as much as $400 for various VIP passes that provided additional access to those personalities.  

The show stretched across 400,000 square feet of the Javits Center and traded on Fanatics’ ties to sports stars and celebrities. Celebrities in attendance included retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Ron Gronkowski, former Yankee Derrick Jeter, and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, as well as sports executives like New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and TKO Group Holdings (World Wrestling Entertainment and Ultimate Fighting Championship) CEO Dana White.  

These sports celebrities were intermixed on panels and autograph sessions with entertainment stars like actor Ben Stiller, filmmaker Spike Lee, former New York Giant and TV personality Michael Strahan, social media/gymnastics star Livvy Dunne, and TikTok personality Alix Earle, who has amassed 7.1 million followers. Rapper and music producer Shawn Corey “Jay Z” Carter had a pop-up in the middle of the show floor promoting his 40/40 night club that closed last year but is set to reopen at a new location in 2025. 

Several major professional sports leagues and players’ unions, many of whom have invested in Fanatics and count the company as a licensee, had booths at the show. Many of them also hosted interactive experiences for showgoers that ended with an exit through a merchandise store. Among these was TKO Group Holdings’ WWE booth, which enabled attendees to walk through a tunnel to their wrestler’s favorite music in an homage to the entry given to wrestlers at their matches. 

“I think it was a combination of brand building and, for them, a chance to show their muscle in collectibles and other businesses,” a sports apparel licensee said. 

But Fanatics Fest wasn’t the only trade show taking advantage of the collectibles category this past weekend. The East Coast National collectibles show took place at the same time at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. It featured about 500 booths managed by dealers (compared to about 350 sports card and memorabilia booths at Fanatics Fest) and also included an autograph lineup featuring former New York Knick Walt Frazier, former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose, and former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. Tyson did double duty by also appearing at Fanatics Fest to promote his November 15th fight with YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul.  

“If a collector is primarily interested in cards and memorabilia and minimally interested in autographs, seeing athletes in person, and other experiences, the East Coast National is the clear choice,” wrote Adam Warshaw, sports cards and memorabilia collector and a writer for Sports Collectors Daily. “If you like to be entertained and still want the chance to view some cards and collectibles with a more modern vibe, Fanatics Fest is a great opportunity. Considering the number of people who made their way to both events, it seems there is space in the hobby for both experiences.”