Fanatics Fest 2025: 5 Takeaways From Someone Who Worked It
This weekend, I (Sid) worked the second-ever Fanatics Fest - on the ground, in the green rooms, and deep in the crowd chaos. Not watching clips. Living it. I watched fans lose it for Travis Scott, LeBron, and Adin Ross. I heard what people were really saying in line to meet Livvy Dunne and at Topps Trade Night. I caught the unfiltered side talk during business panels no mic picked up.
Here are five real, front-line takeaways about where sports fandom is headed. If you’re building, investing, or just yelling at your TV on Sundays, this is your field report on the future of the sports ecosystem.
1. Retail, IP, and Live Events Are Merging: Fanatics Fest 2025 turned the idea of “brand interaction” on its head. This wasn’t about slapping logos on banners & tables; it was full-on immersion.
Major leagues like the USTA had fans swinging rackets, UFC had fighters interact with fans, the NBA ran a shooting competition, Formula 1 had an actual car and 90 min wait times for its racing simulators. Numerous brands including Meta, Starbucks and Raising Cane’s even had their own live activations with athletes and celebs.
These popups weren’t static; they were playgrounds. And the merch? Next-level exclusive: Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack line, OVO (Drake’s brand) collabs with Formula 1 and UFC, plus vintage sports gear that had streetwear enthusiasts losing their minds.
Before, you’d buy from these brands or stalk them online. Now? You’re living them. Experiential retail is projected to grow 8.9% annually through 2030; Fanatics is already ahead of the curve, and it’s a blueprint for anyone in sports commerce.
2. Sports as Consumer Culture Is the Real Story: We’ve said it before and better than anyone else at The 4th Quarter: “sports” doesn’t just mean leagues and teams. Today, it’s about the whole ecosystem: gaming, influencers, celebs, pop culture, streetwear, all of it.
Fanatics Fest 2025 screamed this loudest during a panel with Maverick Carter, LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Kai Cenat - the Twitch star who pulled 80M live viewers in 2024 alone. That’s not a panel; that’s a cultural Venn diagram in real time.
Sports isn’t just a game anymore - it’s a lifestyle, and the startups that get this will eat. If you’re building in this space, you need to understand the broader TAM to address.
3. Athlete Experience = Fan Engagement 2.0: The Fanatics Games changed the fan-athlete dynamic forever. We’re talking about regular people going toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and Logan Paul (and many others) in a WWE walkout, NFL 40-yard dash, or NBA shootout - with a $1M prize dangling.
This wasn’t passive fandom; it was participatory, sweaty, and real. Historically, you’d only be able to meet athletes at training camps or specific autograph sessions. Here, you’re competing with them.
Here is the next frontier of engagement: in-person, interactive, and way beyond the screen. It’s how you turn casuals into diehards.
4. Live Shopping Is Coming for Collectibles: Platforms like Fanatics Live and Whatnot are rewriting the rules of licensing and collectibles. Picture this: the rush of ripping open a card pack, amplified by live-streamed hype and online virality. It’s dopamine on tap.
Fanatics Fest 2025 leaned hard into this - breakers and collectors were buzzing about the Fanatics Live area, and Topps Trade Night was a smash hit. ⅓ of the main floor was dedicated to trading card vendors.
Fanatics Live even had a huge coliseum like activation with live shopping & pack openings happening in real time. They also got Karl-Anthony Towns to come open packs in front of the masses, which drove fans into a frenzy.
The trading card market’s already ballooned to $20B, and live shopping’s turbocharging it. It’s more than just a fad - it’s the future of how fans will buy, trade, and flex their collections.
5. FanFest Is Fanatics’ Brand Aid - and It’s Working: Here’s the stat, 125K fans showed up, Saturday sold out. This was only the second Fanatics Fest ever.
But Michael Rubin said the quiet part out loud in his Boardroom interview: FanFest isn’t meant to be a revenue driver - it’s a brand investment. And after the MLB jersey saga (a $1B deal that faced huge backlash over quality issues), Fanatics needed a brand win.
Fanatics Fest delivered. Collectors raved. Dealers made money. Fans posted clips like “Fanatics gets it now.” This was a unifying, ecosystem-wide flex. Retail, tech, athlete IP, and live engagement - all in one place. This wasn’t just an event. It was a brand catalyst in disguise. And the market felt it.
Sports-Tech Market Activity: Investors & Deals
Venture Capital
Pro Athlete Community, a post-career platform for pro athlete education and networking, raised $7.6M in Series A funding (June 25th)
Funds to scale virtual learning, mentorship, and career development programs
Platform connects former & current athletes with execs, coaches, and investors
Investment led by GSV Ventures; other investors include Maveron, among others [FinSMEs]
The Owl AI, an X Games spinoff platform focusing on objective judging, coaching insights, and language translation for streaming, raises $11M in Seed funding (June 25th)
Supporting R&D, scaling, and proofs-of-concept with major sports leagues
Investment led by S32; other investors include Menlo Ventures and Susa Ventures [SBJ]
Chronicle Studios, a social-first entertainment startup focused on collaborating with creators for animation IP, secures $11M in Seed funding (June 24th)
Funds will support studio scaling and content development across animation and IP
Combines AI with early-stage creator partnerships to build franchise-ready originals
Investment led by Patron and Point72 Ventures; other investors include Z Ventures and Sands Capital [FinSMEs]
Elfie, a digital health app incentivizing self-care among users via rewards, raises $12M in Series A funding (June 25th)
Revenue driven by enterprise deals; app remains free for individual users
App serves 700K+ users in 35 countries; expanding to 10 more markets by year’s end
Investment led by White Star Capital; other investors include LifeX, Integra, FEBE, and Hustle Fund [FinSMEs]
Prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket, reaching sports and politics sectors, reach unicorn status in latest funding rounds (June 25th)
Kalshi raises $185M at $2B valuation led by Paradigm; other investors include Sequoia, Multicoin Capital, and Citadel’s CEO, among others
Polymarket nearing $200M round at over $1B valuation, led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund [Sportico]
M&A and Investments
F1 owner Liberty Media, a diversified media and entertainment company, acquires MotoGP promoter Dorna for €3.7bn ($4.29B), to grow US fanbase (June 24th)
Liberty to acquire 84% stake, valuing business at €4.3B ($4.98B)
Boosting MotoGP’s presence in the US, starting with expansion of Austin, TX race
Focus on streaming and storytelling through MotoGP VideoPass, leveraging F1TV infrastructure [InsiderSport]
Boardroom partners with Qatar Sports Investments, taking minority stake in PSG and eyes club’s basketball expansion (June 20th)
Reported investment of a ‘single-digit million’ sum into the Ligue 1 outfit
Durant and Boardroom to advise PSG on U.S. growth, media initiatives, and potential multi-sport expansion, including basketball
Partnership aligns with PSG’s reported interest in NBA Europe and EuroLeague involvement [SportsPro]
WIN Reality, a baseball/softball VR training tool startup, acquires motion analysis insights Blast Motion to unify bat sensor tech analytics and VR training (June 23rd)
Merging Blast’s swing biomechanics with Win’s immersive pitch recognition
Blast’s tech used by 36 pro teams and 300+ college programs; over 500M swings tracked combined
Win’s TrainVR tech used by over 50% of MLB teams alongside 100K consumers and top collegiate programs [WINReality]
Seven7, a sports & entertainment investment firm founded by NHL coach Martin St. Louis, acquires minority stake in hockey gear brand CCM (June 25th)
Company supplies equipment across the NHL, AHL, NCAA, and PWHL
Joins CCM alongside Norwegian PE firm Altor, which acquired a $450M-priced majority stake [Sportico]
Fox Corp. acquires Mexican sports broadcaster Caliente TV to expand LATAM sports media and streaming footprint (June 19th)
Acquisition includes rights to Liga MX, UEFA Champions League, and Premier League, among others
FOX to launch new pay-TV and SVOD platforms, producing 3K+ hrs of original sports content
Over 350 created jobs expected as part of expanded broadcast operations in the region [Fox]
ESPN extends broadcast deal with Premier Lacrosse League, acquiring minority equity stake in league (June 25th)
Five-year rights extension runs through 2030; includes PLL and new Women’s Lacrosse League
Adds to league’s roster of owners, including Kraft Group, Chernin Group, Arctos, Raine Group, and Bolt Capital, among others [FOS]
Photo Creds: Boardroom, Kevin Durant’s media arm, acquires a minority stake in PSG.
Strategic Ventures
Paris Saint-Germain partners with crowd analysis platform CrowdIQ to quantify and enhance fan atmosphere (June 24th)
PSG debuts first-ever real-time ‘Atmosphere Index’ – a co-developed proprietary stadium environment assessment tool using vision, sound, and behavior data [PSG]
Tixr, a live events exclusive ticketing startup, nabs its first major NA league deal with San Jose Earthquakes (June 23rd)
Gains naming rights for entry plaza, DJ booth, and branding on training kits
Signs 5-year deal to replace Ticketmaster ahead of 2026 MLS season, also covering PayPal Park and Bay FC events
Backed by Verance Capital, Helium-3 Ventures, and HOF Capital; aims to expand Tier 1 presence [SBJ]
NODWIN Gaming, an esports-gaming company, partners with Chess.com & ChessBase India to elevate Indian chess esports presence (June 18th)
Aims to scale grassroots talent and IP creation across content, tournaments & pro leagues
Chess now ranks as India’s 4th most-watched sport with 24M tuning into Gukesh’s World Championship win
Rugby union team British & Irish Lions launch first connected rugby jersey ahead of 2025 Australia tour (June 26th)
Jersey embedded with NFC chip grants fans access to exclusive content via mobile platform ‘The Lions Clubhouse’
Built in partnership with Avery Dennison and Connected Fanatics to create real-time fan engagement and data insights [SportsPro]
Electric boat racing E1 Series taps Roc Nation Sports International to broaden global reach through cultural storytelling (June 23rd)
Spotlighting E1’s electric boat racing via music, lifestyle, and BTS content
RNSI to integrate E1’s athletes into its talent ecosystem; Backed by global icons like LeBron James and Nadal, E1 expands to Lagos and Miami in 2025 finale [E1Series]
Job Board & Opportunities: Week of June 28th
Here are some cool roles we found and personally curated this week - enjoy!