Fanatics Fest is open at the Javits Center in New York. The three-day event, described as a “Comic Con for Sports” by company CEO Michael Rubin incldues appearances from about 200 athletes and sports celebrities, high profile talk show hosts and podcasters in addition to a 300-table card show and other attractions.
Day 1 here at @Fanatics Fest inside the @javitscenter. Great crowds expected all weekend long! @MLB @NBA @NFL @NHL @WWE @WNBA @FansAuthentic pic.twitter.com/Fi2kOzIYUt
— Hunt Auctions (@HuntAuctions) August 16, 2024
Rubin told national media outlets this week that “tens of thousands” of sports fans would be attending.
“Trading cards will be about a quarter of the show,” he said. “We wanted to make sure it was important and relevant but that the show was really a sports festival.”
There will be autograph sessions with athletes, stages where interviews with athletes will take place. Some athletes will play catch or take on younger show attendees in competitions. Sports Illustrated will have a “sports museum” display.
For a $50 general admission, fans will be able to take it all in. Those who pay more will get exclusive access to athletes and other perks.
“There’s about a thousand trading card and collectible shows per year in the US but there’s not one big sports festival,” Rubin said about his reasons for holding the show, which is being held the same weekend as the East Coast National card show, also in the New York City area.
Fanatics Fest comes just a few weeks after the close of the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland—the third National Rubin has attended since Fanatics bought Topps and won future licensing deals with the NFL and NBA.
“It’s an incredible show but it hasn’t changed much. Hasn’t evolved,” Rubin told CNBC. “Then I went to ComicCon and said ‘why don’t we have this for sports?’.”
Rubin believes the “festival” concept will expand to other cities in the US and abroad over time.
“It’s really about creating an event for the best superfans in the world.”
On Thursday, a day ahead of the official opening, Tom Brady was already in the building, taking a flew slap shots…
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Collectors attending the Fanatics event—and two more shows they’ll put on later this year that are a little more card and memorabilia oriented—can scout out dealer inventories from their phones.
Mascot’s website and mobile app allow dealers to upload part or all of their cards to its show page where they can be searched by attendees to make finding specific cards more efficient. The app pulls up what’s been inputted and the company that’s selling those items at the show.
It’s similar to what Mascot has already done with the Dallas Card Show, Philly Show, CSA Show and Burbank Card Shows.
About 64% of what’s been uploaded for the New York show is graded. Ultra-modern cards account for 61%. The majority of the cards uploaded so far are baseball and basketball.
Mascot and Fanatics will also partner for the Pittsburgh (September 28-29) and Orlando (November 1-3) shows.
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