Tom Brady's $250K card deal among viral moments to air in Fanatics Fest behind-the-scenes special
Fanatics Fest was bigger and better this year at the Javits Center in New York City, and those superfans who weren’t able to attend to see their favorite athletes and celebrities will still be able to get the full experience.
ESPN, Fanatics and OBB Pictures are releasing "Fanatics Fest: All Access" July 7, which will take fans behind the scenes of the event that merges sports, entertainment and culture with some of the biggest names in each department.
Fanatics Fest, the brainchild of CEO Michael Rubin's Fanatics, the global digital sports platform, welcomed more than 125,000 fans in New York City to be among more than 300 athletes and celebrities for once-in-a-lifetime moments from June 20-22.
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Rubin spearheaded this first-of-its-kind event last year, and he promised it would be bigger and better this time around. Three days of viral content and the first-ever Fanatics Games, which saw Philadelphia teacher Matt Dennish strike a $250,000 deal with Tom Brady for his LeBron James rookie card won at the event.
The Fanatics Games featured 50 athletes, celebrities and influencers going against 50 fans for $2 million in prizes. Brady ended up taking first place and a $1 million prize, and he gave $5,000 to each fan participant before donating $750,000 to clarity.
All this and more will be shown in the hour-long, all-access special.
"After attending many different music festivals and trading card shows, I realized there was no event dedicated solely for sports fans and there should be," Rubin said in a statement to Fox Business Digital.
"Fanatics was also uniquely positioned to rally so many of our partners — across leagues, teams, brands and the thousands of athletes we work with — to create this multi-day event that brings together so many different passion points under one roof. This is all about a giveback to fans, and the response from everyone who attended, which you get to really see in the new ESPN special, was incredible, and we’re already planning for how we can level up Fanatics Fest for next year."
Michael D. Ratner, Founder and CEO of OBB Media, added: "Fanatics Fest 2025 was the sports fan's ultimate dream, and we're excited to bring that experience to even more fans around the world with Fanatics Fest: All Access. At OBB we're always looking for ways to drive culture through innovative storytelling, which is why we partnered with Fanatics in bringing this year's event to life and are so glad we're partnering with ESPN to create this special, combining the magic of a one-of-a-kind live event with all the behind the scenes access to the biggest stars from around the globe."
The special, hosted by WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella, will also feature interviews with athletes like NBA All-Star Victor Wembanyama, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and WWE champion Cody Rhodes, who will all share their side of the experience meeting their biggest fans.
While the fans are the ones shocked and ecstatic meeting some of their favorite athletes, past and present, it’s an eye-opening experience for the guests of honor as well.
In the special, Brady meets with a Make-A-Wish recipient, which he also did last year during the inaugural Fanatics Fest. Rhea Ripley and Paul "Triple H" Levesque also surprised WWE fans with their signature walkouts.
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Among the many viral moments shown will be Kevin Durant learning at Fanatics Fest that he was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets while he was doing a panel.
From hot dog eating contests with Joey Chestnut to a surprise Travis Scott concert, Fanatics Fest had it all, and this special will recap all of it.
"Fanatics Fest: All Access" is executive produced by OBB’s Michael D. Ratner, Scott Ratner, Kfir Goldberg and Simone Spira, with Andria Parides serving as executive producer and showrunner, and Manny Gutierrez directing.
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