Why should comic book enthusiasts get all the fun?
The first ever Fanatics Festival — a massive event billed as “the Comic Con of sports” — will be held at the Javits Center this weekend, Aug. 16 to Aug. 18.
Over three days, fans will be able to meet and get autographs from top athletes such as Peyton and Eli Manning, Kevin Durant and Derek Jeter, attend dozens of panels and buy tons of merch to cheer on their favorite teams.
“I walked into Comic Con … and thought this thing is insane… there’s quarter of a million people dressed in costumes,” Michael Rubin, CEO of Fanatics, the $31 billion sports merchandise and collectible behemoth 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 ultimately convinced Lance Fensterman, the president of Reed Pop — which produces major events such as Comic Con — to come work for him and run Fanatics Events.
“I want to create the best sports gathering in the world,” Rubin told The Post.
Some 50,000 sports fans are expected at this weekend’s big event. Ticket prices range from $50 to $8,990, with the pricier passes granting people reserved seating, an opportunity to skip the line for autographs, exclusive meet and greets with athletes and limited edition trading cards.
But, there are exciting offerings for all ticket levels.
Stephen A. Smith will be recording a podcast, ESPN will be broadcasting live, and every major sports commissioner, including the NBA’s Adam Silver and the NFL’s Roger Goodell, will be on various panels, as will various star athletes.
Trading card giant Topps, which is owned by Fanatics, will be dropping exclusive products, including a special collection from rapper Travis Scott.
Fanatics is spending $10 million for various activations at the event, including a WWE experience that will let fans experience the thrill of making an entrance like a pro-wrestle and a “kids zone” where Tom Brady will pass footballs to young tots.
Rubin has also marshaled non-sports celebrities like TikToker Alix Earle and performers Lil Wayne and Jay-Z.
Jay-Z is spending more than $3 million to re-create a pop-up of his 40/40 Club in Javits for just three days, a source told The Post.
The 40/40 club — a nod to an elite group of baseball players who have gotten 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season — closed last year in Chelsea but will return to the city next year.
Rubin founded e-commerce and sports merchandising company GSI Commerce in 2002, and it merged with Fanatics in 2011. He sold a portion of the newly created company to eBay for $2.4 billion that same year but held on to the Fanatics porio=
The privately held company’s success has helped give Rubin an estimated net worth of $11 billion. He is also executive chair of online clothing boutique Rue La La and on the board of Gilt Group.
The 52-year-old is known as much for his social life as his business acumen.
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The annual White Party at his beachfront Bridgehampton home is one of the summer’s most star-studded events. It brings together athletes such as Brady and Eli Manning with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajakowski and business moguls like Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft and William Morris Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel.
In the city, he entertains his famous friends at his main residence, a sprawling West Village penthouse near Fanatics’ 125,000-square-foot headquarters on Morton Street.
While the fest is a global event with dozens of teams represented, Rubin said it’s also all about the home teams.
This story is part of NYNext, a new editorial series that highlights New York City innovation across industries, as well as the personalities leading the way.
“New York is the heart of everything w’ere doing here,” he said. “We have so many NYC elements — the Knicks, Nets, Giants, Yankees, Rangers and Mets are central to this.”
He continued, “New York is the place to do this.”
Tickets at FanaticsEvents.com.
