Jake Paul and Mike Tyson meeting face-to-face for a press conference. Meet-and-greets and autograph sessions with Henrik Lundqvist, David Ortiz and Peyton Manning. A panel where Spike Lee and Ben Stiller join current and former Knicks Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Walt Frazier.
Those are a few of the many events slated this weekend for the first-ever Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center, an immersive sports festival focused on fans and fan culture. Beyond the stars, music icons including Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Travis Scott, Quavo are set to appear.
“It’s like the Comic Con of sports,” Fanatics Events CEO Lance Fensterman said. He would know, as he’s also president of ReedPop, the organization that puts on New York Comic Con and other massive fan festivals. He described Fanatics Fest as a chance for fans of sports culture and memorabilia collectors to get together.
More than 70 of the stars and athletes appearing at the festival will do photo ops and live autograph sessions, with prices listed on the event’s website: $1,999 for an item Manning used in a game; $89 for a basketball signed by WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu; $199 for a puck signed by former Rangers goalie Lundqvist.
Fans can also bring their own items for autographing. Up to four people will be allowed in a photo op session, though no selfies are permitted, according to the event’s organizers.
“Sports is now not confined to a stadium or a team,” Fensterman said. “It’s informing so much of our culture, from fashion and music and entrepreneurship to design and merchandise.”
With his comics and other fandom background, Fensterman is fascinated by the supply-and-demand pricing aspects of fan culture. Fanatics has a division devoted to what it calls “Authentics,” which closely tracks the demand for the memorabilia being sold at photo ops — to set prices.
Fensterman said the events company pays a certain amount for the athlete to appear, then works out how many autographed items and photo ops the athlete needs to sell for it to break even or make a profit.
“You start to see in the marketplace what works versus what doesn’t, and that tells you if your price is accurate or inaccurate,” he said.
A collectors’ exhibition floor will have more than 350 vendors and dealers of sports memorabilia. Fensterman cautioned that Fanatics is taking pains to reserve meet-and-greet and signing events for regular fans and attendees — not commercial operators who seek to resell the items for a quick profit.
He also cited the various immersive experiences on the show floor, including a 40-yard dash simulator that pits participants against virtual wide receivers and a WWE walkout experience with the lighting and music of fan-favorite wrestlers.
“We do all generations, all sports and even all regions, but obviously a lot of great New York teams and athletes,” said Fensterman. “I don’t want to just reach the converted. I want to draw in new people that maybe aren’t huge sports fans but love the art and culture that’s associated and are curious to see what’s there.”
Fanatics Fest is at the Jacob Javits center from Friday, Aug. 16 through Sunday, Aug. 18. General admission tickets start around $23 for kids and $58 for adults after fees.