SBJ Marketing: Fanatics Fest 2026 — Bigger, far more ambitious and ... profitable?

Words of Wisdom: “Great teams are not made up of many well-rounded players. Great teams are made up of a variety of players, each having their own strengths.” — Pelé

Fanatics potentate Michael Rubin has acknowledged that the original 2024 Fanatics Fest was a marketing “investment” that lost $15 million in its initial year. Version 3.0, which opens Thursday at Manhattan’s Javits Center, should get into the black, according to Lance Fensterman, the former Comic-Con show manager that Fanatics hired three years ago as CEO of Fanatics Events.

“I’d say that [profit] is probable,” Fensterman said.

Helping to swell the coffers this year: adding another day to what was a three-day event with a surfeit of non-endemic sponsors, including AmEx, AT&T, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Starbucks and PayPal. Combining the event with the World Cup final in nearby New Jersey has also been a boon.

Attendance at Fanatics Fest’s first two years grew from 70,000 to 120,000. This year, Fensterman is confident it will exceed 200,000 people, and last week, he said ticket sales were doubling last year’s pace.

Also keeping with the growth theme:

• Gross square footage is now up around 25% to a million.
• Content stages increased from three to seven.
• The collection of celebrity elite athletes, entertainers and streamers has swelled from 275 to more than 500.

“This year was more about ‘How do we scale it?’” Fensterman said. “And our answer was to co-locate with the world’s biggest sports event.”

The hope is to turn the fourth and final day of Fanatics Fest into a viewing party of sorts for Sunday’s World Cup title match. The last press conference for the World Cup finalists will be at the Javits Center on Friday, and the championship trophy will be part of a “FIFA Stadium” activation.

Breaking even or turning a modest profit is commendable, certainly. Fensterman said softer metrics remain the paramount KPIs. “Earned media and whether we are driving the conversation in sports culture across a weekend that will obviously be World Cup-heavy is important,” Fensterman said.

One of the original concepts around the launch of Fanatics Fest was eventually exporting smaller versions to additional cities. Those ambitious plans have faded, at least for now.

Explained Fensterman: “Now, the focus is, ‘How big can we go in New York City?’ Can we expand it to other venues here? There’s a real opportunity to build what could be a whole week of fandom in New York City before we look at other cities. ... Our ambition is to make this the weekend of the year for sports fans.”

Fanatics core business of licensed sports products is also getting a workout this week, managing the 16,000 square feet of retail within the Cap One-entitled All-Star Village fan fest, which is part of MLB All-Star Game festivities in Philadelphia. We saw plenty of product there commemorating America’s 250th, along with the All-Star Game.

New Era’s star-spangled headwear collection is highlighted by an on-field cap that incorporates 13 stars, a background that’s an homage to the Declaration of Independence and a “United We Stand” wordmark on the sweatband. Additional MLB licensees on site include Nike, Philly-based Mitchell & Ness, Homage, Ralph Lauren, Sportiqe, Swag Golf, Rawlings, Topps, Victus, Wincraft, Stance, FOCO, Highland Mint and Franklin Sports.

Jerseys are always a lead seller, and there are changes there that will afford more retail opportunity. All-Star players will be wearing their regular Nike team jerseys, with the National League donning home whites and the American League wearing their road grey uniforms, finished with an All-Star Game patch on one sleeve and a USA 250 patch on the other.

Home Run Derby contestants will wear Nike’s “Stars and Stripes” jersey, the ones worn during MLB’s July 4 games.

Around 23 months after licensed headwear king New Era acquired competitor ’47 Brand, the acquiree is starting to show some new marketing chops and sensibilities as it seeks to establish differentiation from its parent, which has nearly identical licensing I.P. and distribution. As a native, we had to admire ’47’s “oh-so-Philly” activation centered on the 108-year-old Sarcone’s Bakery, in the middle of the Italian Market neighborhood that “Rocky” propelled to national fame.

The bakery behind the rolls on many of Philadelphia’s top cheesesteaks is hosting a ’47 takeover Monday and Tuesday, during which Sarcone’s (“All About the Bread”) is getting ’47 branding and serving ’47 editions of some of its most popular products, like its renowned breads and signature tomato pie (don’t dare call it pizza), purchasers of which will receive a Sarcone’s ’47 hat and T-shirt as a GWP.

Of course, it took another Philly native to coalesce all of this. “We’re trying to approach the big sports culture moments uniquely and find the right partners that aren’t just obviously rented influence,” said Patrick Cassidy, VP/marketing at ’47 since last May (and said Philly native).

’47 is selling 11 different styles of 2026 MLB All-Star Game caps throughout Philadelphia, but at Sarcone’s, Cassidy said, “This is pure brand experience, not sales — we’ll judge it by social media and how people get a better understanding of our brand.”

• One might argue that FDR, the advent of World War II and the repeal of Prohibition were essential factors responsible for extricating America from the Great Depression. Author Randall Sullivan wants to give MLB’s first All-Star Game 93 years ago a share of the credit, I write in my Insiders column this week.
• In his Insiders column this week, SBJ ticketing reporter Ethan Joyce looks at how Bank of America wants to develop more relationships such as its sponsorship of Vet Tix.
• SBJ’s Mike Mazzeo checks in on the Phillies’ Capital One All-Star Village, which covers 500,000 square feet and features more than 50 activations. It drew 66% more fans on the weekend ahead of the All-Star Game than the past three such gatherings combined.
• FIFA House, an exclusive hospitality space overlooking Bryant Park, opens Thursday as a central location for corporate sponsors, business leaders and notables from the soccer world to convene, dine and learn ahead of Sunday’s World Cup championship, reports SBJ’s Joe Lemire.
• The PGA Tour is about to embark on one of the most dramatic changes in its business model in its history with its two-tier tournament approach. But despite the changes, the PGA Tour has seen a strong response thus far from sponsors, writes SBJ’s Josh Carpenter.
• Professional Bull Riders’ team-based league is entering its fifth season with sponsorship momentum continuing to accelerate, up 386% since the team league debuted in 2022 with a 13% year-over-year increase, notes SBJ’s David Broughton.