Autographs
Brady, LeBron, John Cena and more big names make Fanatics Fest NYC ‘bigger, better, bolder’
NEW YORK, N.Y.—The second edition of Fanatics Fest NYC promised to be “better, bigger, bolder.”
It turned out to be all three.
The sports and pop-culture bonanza at New York’s Javits Convention Center June 20-22 included a card show, celebrity meet-and-greets and star-studded panels headlined by some 500 sports and entertainment stars, including Tom Brady, LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Jay-Z, Kevin Hart, and John Cena.
Casual collectors and hobby veterans of all ages flooded the two-floor show for the chance to buy and trade cards, snag autographs and see rare memorabilia all under one roof. The show attracted over 125,000 attendees, shattering last year’s 70,000 attendance number.
“I came here for the cards, but I ended up seeing Tom Brady and LeBron James up close,” said Trey Morgan, a collector who drove two hours from Philadelphia to attend the show. “This weekend has been unreal. You can’t replicate this energy anywhere else.”
You Also Might Like:
The brainchild of Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, the number of participating sports leagues and organizations more than doubled from 2024, with FIFA, Formula 1, the Premier League, USTA, Nike, Netflix, NBC and Dick’s Sporting Goods joining returning partners that included the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWE, and UFC.
There was something for everyone. Brady, who took part all three days, was the show’s big star. Not only did the NFL legend win the first-ever Fanatics Games, a competition pitting pros versus regular Joes, he also took time to promote the hobby.
Brady, a co-owner of the CardVault card shop, started collecting as a kid and continued through college before picking it up again after his legendary NFL career.
“It’s been a great hobby for myself and my family,” he said. “It’s a great bonding experience for parents and kids.”
BIG DROPS, BIG TRADES
Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 also featured several exclusive drops, from trading cards to apparel. One of the most popular was the collaboration between Fanatics and rapper Travis Scott for a second Topps Chrome Cactus Jack crossover set after its debut at last year’s show. Scott even stopped by the two-level Topps booth that anchored the show to promote the release.
Two other exclusive Topps sets featured a special Series 2 Baseball release and a Formula 1 set, both featuring exclusive Fanatics Fest parallels.
A big part of Fanatics’ mission is to introduce more sports fans to collecting. One way to do that is to introduce—and in some cases re-introduce—fans to the love of cards and memorabilia collecting.
Last year’s inaugural event felt like two different shows in one building. One end featured dealers selling cards, while the other was loaded with fan activations and corporate booths. The aim this year was to unite the two elements into a more seamless show.
Organizers largely achieved that goal thanks to a larger floorplan and several logistical improvements, like moving the autograph and photo-op section to a lower floor that allowed for fewer bottlenecks.
It also better integrated cards and collectables by spreading out dealers and wax resellers across the showroom floor. Dealers spent the weekend buying and selling as large crowds of collectors—many of them children and teenagers—browsed showcases spread out across the convention center and in the nearby “Breakers Arena.”
Fanatics Collect President Chris Lamontagne said the section featuring live breaks was placed in the middle of all the action so even those who don’t collect cards could engage with it.
“It’s very strategic for us to place the Fanatics Collect booth right in the middle because we think we can stitch lots of things together—content, community and commerce,” he said.
Lamontagne said anyone who entered the futuristic-looking arena “got to rip packs with any of the breakers.”
“Why? Because I’ve heard so many incredible stories from collectors who remember their first pack rip,” he added.
As a result of the revamped floorplan, this year’s Fanatics Fest felt more like the annual National Sports Collectors Convention—only you never knew when a star athlete may just sidle up to you at a showcase. Stars who checked out the 700 tables in the “Collectors Zone” included actor Mark Wahlberg, former New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden, entrepreneur and influencer Gary Vaynerchuk, and gymnast and model Livvy Dunne.
Dunn was especially interested in seeing the #1/1 MLB Debut Rookie Patch Auto card of her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, on display at the Dick’s Sporting Goods pavilion for all to see. The sporting goods chain purchased the card this past March for $1.1 million.
“Ta-da,” Dunn exclaimed upon seeing the card, stopping to take photos with it.
Like everything at Fanatics Fest, even the deals made during Topps’ first-ever Trade Night were bigger than at other shows. Rubin, joined by Washington Commanders team owner Josh Harris, spiced things up by issuing a challenge: “Who has the best Jayden Daniels card?”
With the Commanders quarterback on hand, Harris ended up cutting a deal with one collector for $500,000 and a signed Daniels jersey in exchange for his 2024 Panini Prizm Black Finite rookie card graded BGS 9.5. Harris said he plans to display the card at Northwest Stadium this season.
MUSEUM OF GREATNESS
Another way to get everyday sports fans into collecting was the 10,500-square-foot exhibit, co-branded with Sports Illustrated, called the “Museum of Greatness.”
Featuring iconic cards, memorabilia and autographs worth an estimated $200 million, the one-of-a-kind exhibit included a T206 Honus Wagner card; Babe Ruth’s 1918 Boston Red Sox game-used bat; Mickey Mantle’s 1951 Bowman and 1952 Topps cards; a complete collection of Tom Brady’s victorious Super Bowl game-worn jerseys; and Michael Jordan’s game-used Game 3 jersey from the 1998 “Last Dance” NBA Finals.
Many of the items, under 24-hour surveillance by 25 armed guards, had never been displayed publicly before. Some hailed from the players’ personal collections (such as the Brady jerseys) and over 30 individual collectors.
Nick Connolly, Fanatics VP and head of collector relations, said such an “iconic” exhibit could help young people get more interested in collecting.
“No matter where you are in your collecting journey or where you are as a fan, the fact that you can come here and see items you’ve either recognized or heard about or that you can see for the first time, is a very special experience,” he said.
SUMMER SLAM
Modeled after the Comic-Con show that has been all the rage among sci-fi fans for years, Fanatics Fest goes beyond collecting and sports memorabilia. It bills itself as a celebration of sports culture, highlighting major events and trying to bring personalities that will make news. NBA star Kevin Durant, for example, was on stage being interviewed when news broke that he had been traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets.
Those in attendance also got to watch WWE announce the official kickoff to SummerSlam Aug. 2-3 at MetLife Stadium, home of New York’s Giants and Jets. The event featured Cena, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley, Randy Orton, and other WWE stars.
The wrestlers even used the event to showcase their ongoing storylines. At one point, Rollins and Punk’s feud spilled outside the ring when Punk confronted his long-time rival as fans shouted and security guards jumped in between the two men after getting into a “heated” confrontation.
MetLife Stadium will also host the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, soccer’s showcase event and one of the biggest tournaments in all of sports. On display to promote the 48-nation tournament were the World Cup trophy and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who boldly predicted soccer can become America’s most popular sport “in three to four, maximum five years.”
Infantino said Major League Soccer will be “top, top, top. One of the top leagues in the world, for sure” following the arrival of Lionel Messi and next year’s World Cup. The men’s tournament was last held in the U.S. in 1994.
At the same time, both wrestling and soccer collectibles have seen tremendous growth in recent years. Pairing such appearances with cards and memorabilia is exactly what Fanatics hopes can boost both interest and sales.
As for the future of Fanatics Fest, organizers are already working on plans to host the event in New York again next year. Whether the event will take place in other cities remains to be determined. Ultimately, it’s something both athletes and collectors enjoy.
“It’s a chance for us retired players to remain connected to our fans,” said former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman. “It’s what makes this convention so great.”
Clemente Lisi
