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Tom Brady steals show on Day 1 of Fanatics Fest NYC
When NFL GOAT Tom Brady arrived at his green room at Fanatics Fest NYC Friday, he was surprised to be greeted by his favorite receiver and famous teammate Rob Gronkowski.
Actually, he was greeted by several Gronks—or several fans dressed up like the legendary Patriots’ tight end.
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It was one of many fun surprises at the second annual Fanatics Fest NYC at the Javits Center in New York City.
Brady, an exclusive Fanatics partner and spokesperson, was everywhere, from tossing a football with fans to appearing on stage with brother Eli and some of today’s top current stars to making the dreams come true for a young Make-A-Wish kid.
Brady teamed with such sports legends a Gronk, Eli, Derek Jeter, A-Rod, and CC Sabathia and rubbed elbows with such A-list celebrities and actors as Kevin Costner, Mark Wahlberg, Emma Stone, Logan Paul, Michael Strahan, and rapper Travis Scott.
Highlights from Day 1 of the three-day sports festival and card show include:
• The 40/40 Club Presented by Fanatics Sportsbook, Fanatics Games and Center Stage included such star QBs and “Franchise Faces” as Peyton, Eli and current stars Caleb Williams, Bryce Young, and CJ Stroud.
• The 27 Rings panel featured New York Yankees greats Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and CC Sabathia along with New York superfan Spike Lee. Jeter, now a founding member of hobby company Arena Club, got a standing ovation as he made a triumphant return to NYC.
• The Celebrity Collectors Panel featured Brady along with celebrities Kevin Costner, Emma Roberts, and WWE star and social media influencer Logan Paul.
• Brady participated in heartwarming meet-and-greet with 12-year-old Axton Robertson. Organized by Fanatics and partner Make-A-Wish, Axton and other Make-A-Wish recipients kicked off the day with an exclusive private shopping experience. Axton’s wish was to meet Brady, while one of the other children had the chance to meet music superstar Travis Scott.
• Fanatics unveiled the Museum of Greatness, an exhibit of over $200 million worth of some of the rarest and most iconic trading cards and memorabilia in the hobby from such legends as Brady, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Shohei Ohtani, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, and more.
• Brady, Scott, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin helped Meta and Oakley unveil their latest innovation—an AI-powered Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses. The ended on a high note with a surprise performance by Scott.
• At the Raising Cane’s activation, gymnast and supermodel Livvy Dunne and DJ Khaled joined Rubin and legendary competitive eater Joey Chestnut in a high-energy chicken finger eating contest.
• Brady was the star again of the Fanatics Games, teaming with Eli and fan Matt Dennish. Brady ripped Eli’s jersey in half during the WWE Walkout Challenge, with Manning jumping on Brady’s back immediately after. Meanwhile, Gronk showed off his hockey skills, while NFL QBs Bryce Young and CJ Stroud competed in NBA’s Around the World challenge.
• Day 1 concluded with a “New York vs. the World” panel comprised of Suni Lee, Malik Nabers, Russell Wilson, Allan Houston, Stephon Marbury and Vince Carter. They got the chance to boo the crowd after host Noah Eagle quipped about how tough it is being a professional athlete in New York.
