While hobby news is generated every day, the most prominent talk in the industry seems to be the upcoming Fanatics Fest in New York City. June 20-22 will be when the greatest athletes in the world all come together in one building for the much anticipated event. CEO and founder of Fanatics, Michael Rubin, joined First Take on Wednesday morning to talk with hosts Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith.
When asked how he would top last year's Fanatics Fest, Rubin said, “This year, we think we are going to have twice as many people…we have three times the amount of athletes, celebrities, and artists coming.”
One reason why this has happened is the fact that Fanatics Fest has been moved up a month, where it was held in August last year when many NFL athletes were not able to make it due to their schedules. This is just one of the small examples of how Rubin has created one of the most anticipated events in the world of collectibles, memorabilia, and sports fandom. He also stated that out of all the NFL starting quarterbacks in the league, about half of them are attending. The list of guest appearances can be seen on the Fanatics website (it is quite remarkable to look at).
Rubin said on First Take, “The thing that I love so much is seeing so many generations of families together…and here, athletes want to connect with their fans and we see so many moments being made and that’s what this whole thing is about.” It is clear and evident that Rubin has created a hub for not only collectible fans, but fans of all things sports, where they can create lifetime memories with their friends and family.
First Take will also be live from Fanatics Fest, at the Javits Center on Friday, June 20th at 10AM, where people from around the world will be at the center of the sporting universe.