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Jabs thrown, foot races, celebs and more: 5 takeaways from Fanatics Fest NYC

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Jabs thrown, foot races, celebs and more: 5 takeaways from Fanatics Fest NYC

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Fanatics Fest NYC took over the mecca this past weekend.

From Friday to Sunday thousands of fans were in and out of the Javits Convention Center in New York City to attend the ultimate sports festival. People from all over the world came to see their favorite athlete, celebrities, win prizes, play games and a bunch more. I got a chance to attend Saturday and kept a close eye on the three-day event throughout the entire time. If you’re a sports fan of any kind, I highly recommend attending Fanatics Fest. Here are some of my takeaways:

New Yorkers were fully in the building at Fanatics Fest

Although fans from all over the world filed in to the convention center, it was also clear that New Yorkers were in full attendance. There was still a buzz Saturday of New York Knicks guard and New Jersey native Jalen Brunson’s meet and greet on Friday. Fans posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) about his appearance and how it was a huge crowd of people in line to meet the All-Star.

That’s not all – two-time super bowl winning former Giants quarterback Eli Manning had his jersey framed in the Sports Illustrated section of the convention along with some of his trading cards. When seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady on a panel alongside ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith threw shade at current Giants QB Daniel Jones, the crowd let him hear it. (Brady, discussing the challenges of his upcoming broadcast career, used a hypothetical of “Let’s say, Daniel Jones throws an interception…”)

Meanwhile, movie director and long-time Knicks fan Spike Lee didn’t mince words with a dig at his favorite team’s arch-rivals when he saw a Celtics fan in the crowd.

“The Knicks have always mattered,” the icon told the packed crowd during the panel discussion with Brunson, Knicks legend Walt Frazier, and Josh Hart. So yeah, New Yorkers made themselves known this weekend.

Sports media of all types were in attendance

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Rich Eisen races Adam Schefter at Fanatics Fest NYC

NFL analyst Rich Eisen races NFL insider Adam Schefter at Fanatics Fest NYC (Aug. 17. 2024)

NFL sportscaster Rich Eisen and NFL insider Adam Schefter raced off against one another in which a large crowd gathered over to film and watch. Eisen also raced Donald De La Haye a.k.a. Deestroying, a Youtuber who specializes in playing 1v1 football matchups against some of the top athletes (Eisen lost). Popular sports personality Joe Benigno from WFAN Radio had his own section and meet and great with fans in the convention center as well. There were multiple other sports podcasts from outlets such as Sports New York, iHeart Radio, and independent shows such as ‘The Pivot Podcast’ there. From Youtubers to sportscasters, commentators and more, all types of sports media received love.

WWE fandom was in full effect

Fanatics Fest had a station for nearly every popular sport one could think of, but it was the WWE that appeared to get the most recognition. From memorabilia in cases, to fans being able to have their own customized walkout, to autograph signings, and podcasts, wrestling fans traveled in large packs. On Saturday, the biggest attraction was “The Man Masked Man Show” that’s comes out on The Ringer where the live show introduced CM Punk to the stage. Fans hoisted up their phones and all rushed to see the longtime wrestler. The autograph station would be packed anytime a wrestler was there and some fans even dressed up like their favorite wrestler. Fans were able to purchase WWE belts with their favorite sports team stamped on it.

Trading card world is huge

More than half of the entire convention center was dedicated to trading cards. Everything from MLB, NFL, NBA, rookie cards, limited edition and more — fans were able to buy, trade, sell and marvel at some of the most expensive cards. Vendors were set up with tables in which tons of people walked around to haggle, converse sports, and just look at some rare findings.

Sports culture as a whole was represented

The hall of famers, trophies cases, and sports media were there but Fanatics Fest also took a step further in representing everything about sports, even down to the culture aspect – fans were able to purchase jerseys, hats, see some of their favorite rappers who are frequently courtside at games, and even drill down to the sneaker culture that’s so heavily regarded in sports.

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