The sporting industry’s most anticipated event of the year, Fanatics Fest, will have one of its most popular opportunities returning with Fanatics Games — a high-stakes, cross-sport competition where everyday fans go head-to-head with some of the biggest names in sports for a $1 million grand prize when the world’s No. 1 sports festival returns to the Javits Center in New York from July 16-19.
Building on the success of its debut in 2025, year two of Fanatics Games introduces an expanded format, a $2 million total prize pool, and new nationwide qualifying opportunities through an exclusive partnership with DICK’S Sporting Goods.
As part of the evolution of Fanatics Games, for the first time, fans will have an in-person qualifier option by visiting select DICK’S House of Sport locations across the country, including, Knoxville, TN, on May 9; Kennesaw, GA, on May 30; Houston, TX, on June 13; and Boston, MA, on June 28, where they have the chance to compete in a sport-specific challenge tied directly to the 2026 format. The top three performers at each event will earn a trip to New York to compete onsite in the Fanatics Games.
Fans who are not located in cities hosting in-person qualifier events will still have the opportunity to apply to compete in Fanatics Games through a video application process, showcasing their skills and sharing why they deserve to compete. Applications can be submitted via the Fanatics Games website or by posting a video to social media using #FanaticsGames.
In 2025, the event made its debut, designed to celebrate competition, culture, and fandom — while pitting celebrities, professional athletes, and everyday fans against each other. Last year, Tom Brady was the inaugural winner while UFC fighter Justin Gaethje was the runner-up. This year, Rob Gronkowski, James Harden, WWE superstars Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Cody Rhodes, and Jey Uso will be joining Brady and Gaethje to compete in the decorated event.
Building on the momentum of last year’s festival, which welcomed more than 125,000 fans, Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 will deliver the largest celebration of sports, culture, and collecting — featuring exclusive apparel and collectibles only available on-site, star-studded panels and live programming, autograph sessions and meet-and-greets, unique experiences from top leagues, teams and brands, and surprise-and-delight moments throughout the show floors.
“FanaticsFest will be going to a fourth day this year,” Fanatics owner Michael Rubin said at Topps Rip Night last weekend. “We’re going to make baseball the focus of Thursday. Of course, the Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, and Mets will be there. As crazy as it was last year, it will be even crazier this year. For us, it’s the hardest thing we do all year, but it’s such a great give back to fans. It’s like what we did times 100 today.”
In 2025, the event saw the likes of Brady, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and even rapper Travis Scott, who launched his own line of Topps basketball cards.
“For us, it’s about how do we keep getting better at what we do?” Rubin, when asked about how he envisions the future of sports merchandising with Fanatics, said. “Sports fans are different; we have to figure out how to take care of the average fan, the king, someone interested in high-tier, it’s about how we take care of each segment for fans.”
