How Fanatics Fest became the place for sports' biggest stars to be seen (and heard)
As the New York Knicks' NBA championship celebration entered its second month, the stars who won the franchise's elusive title brought their humor and WWE belts to Fanatics Fest.
The company's third annual sports and collectibles convention spanned four days for the first time and took up 1 million square feet of New York City's Javits Center. More than 500 celebrities took part in panels, played games and signed autographs at paid photo opportunities for the estimated 200,000 attendees. An expansive program included dozens of live podcast episodes, including Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart's "The Roommates Show," which taped an episode with Aaron Judge on the first day of Fanatics Fest in front of hundreds of New York sports fans.
"Roommates Show" is produced and operated by the Playmaker network, whose portfolio includes Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" and Paul Pierce's "No Fouls Given." Playmaker showcased a trio of pods at Fanatics Fest, including Shaquille O'Neal's "The Big Podcast," where Cooper Flagg and Mac McClung helped preview the newest season of Shaq's "Dunkman" show on TNT, "Man On," a FIFA World Cup show hosted by Jozy Altidore and Joakim Noah and Marshawn Lynch's "The Get Got Pod," which had Randy Moss as the special guest. But what exactly made this convention so appealing for current and former athletes turned podcasters?
"Exposure," Ahmed El-Shami, Playmaker's head of talent, told Yahoo Sports. "Fanatics Fest is one of the biggest events in this country. So getting our audience a chance to come see and meet some of the guys and help them get their names out there more is a great experience."
Before Brunson and Hart took center stage on Thursday, LeBron James made the first of two podcast appearances at Fanatics Fest. He was joined by Tyrese Haliburton for his "Mind The Game" podcast before joining Maverick Carter and Novak Djokovic for a live episode of "The Shop," where he teased but did not announce where he'd be heading in NBA free agency. Athletes including Jeff Teague, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Abby Wambach, Midge Purce, Cam Johnson, Dwight Howard, Cooper DeJean, Syd Colson, James Harrison, Draymond Green, Richard Jefferson and Gilbert Arenas all came to Fanatics Fest to bring their shows live to the masses.
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin reportedly said that of the $80-90 million production budget for Fanatics Fest, $10 million would be spent on athlete appearances alone, likely including these athlete-led pods.
"Athlete podcasts play a pivotal role in the overall success of the event," Cody DeBacker, Fanatics Events' vice president of content and talent, told Yahoo Sports. "We wanted fans to experience the shows they already love, live and in person, through live tapings of incredibly popular shows like 'Mind the Game,' 'The Shop,' 'The Roommates Show,' 'Men in Blazers,' 'What Do You Wanna Talk About with Cody Rhodes' and more. They weren't just seeing their favorite athletes for a quick appearance, they were hearing real conversations, never-before-heard stories and unscripted moments. That authenticity is central to the uniqueness of Fanatics Fest."
For podcast executives like El-Shami and Alicia Zubikowski, deals to record at Fanatics Fest were brokered months in advance. Zubikowski is the executive producer and partner for "The Pivot Podcast," hosted by former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. She connected with Rubin, DeBacker and Fanatics Collectibles' Head of Athlete Partnerships Omar Wilkes to figure out a way to feature "The Pivot" during the convention.
"The Pivot" already had a personal relationship with Rubin, who was one of the show's first guests in 2022. That combination of factors made the opportunity to produce a show at Fanatics Fest was too good for Clark to pass up.
"Look at this event, man," Clark told Yahoo Sports minutes after hosting an episode Sunday morning with guest star Tiffany Haddish. "When you have the GOATs of so many different things, it shows you the reach and power of this event. This sort of ecosystem is really starting to be the face of media."
With the hold Fanatics has over the sports industry, whether in apparel, collectibles, betting or media, Clark said nurturing a relationship with a company like that is important for the podcast and his own personal brand. He hosted a Fanatics Fest panel on Saturday with Knicks-adjacent luminaries Spike Lee, Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Allan Houston to remain in the mix in the overall convention conversation.
Even if they weren't making money off of Fanatics Fest, Clark said it still would've been worth attending and appearing.
"It validates what you're doing, to have your name on the screen and the marquee," said Clark, whose personal platform takes on even more importance in the wake of his exit from ESPN. "It's extremely important for people to feel like 'if I don't know them, why don't I?' You understand what type of platform you have, and who's watching. You want it to be a representation of what we do every Tuesday and Friday on our own show."
The representative platform Fanatics Fest provides is also seen by the shows' corporate sponsors. Tommy John, the presenting partner and apparel provider for "The Roommates Show," helps produce a live annual show at NYC's Central Park for tens of thousands of fans and understands the benefits of in-person podcast specials.
"Our partnership with The Roommates Show since 2024 has always been about showing up authentically where sports fans are," Sidney Stephens, Tommy John's director of brand marketing, told Yahoo Sports. "Jalen and Josh have built a platform that's relatable, entertaining and unmistakably genuine, making them natural partners for Tommy John. Following the Knicks' incredible championship season, Fanatics Fest was undoubtedly the perfect place to continue that partnership. It allowed us to engage directly with one of the most passionate fan communities in sports during one of the year's biggest cultural moments."
As Fanatics Fest looks to turn a profit for the first time, it seems like the convention is only picking up steam. With the athlete podcast industry only growing more crowded, the competition for spots at the convention may become more competitive. For "The Pivot" and "The Roommates Show," getting in now before FF becomes even more of an annual summer staple on the sporting scene could become a key factor to standing out as a show in the future.
