NEW YORK — Fanatics Fest set out to become a “sports comic-con”, and for the most part, that was accomplished last weekend at the Jacob Javits Center.
Representatives from essentially every major sports conglomerate all worked to bring in new fans and create memorable immersive experiences.
Here are cllct’s winners and losers of the weekend at Fanatics Fest.
Winners
WWE
There is zero doubt WWE owned the weekend. On Sunday, every autograph and photo-op for a WWE superstar was sold out. If anyone thought there was a large crowd for “First Take” at center stage Friday, it was dwarfed by the WWE crowds Sunday. Every time a wrestler walked out before the crowd, the cheers were deafening.
The launch of NBA, NHL and collegiate WWE championship belts certainly garnered attention as well, with Livvy Dunne being gifted an LSU belt and Kevin Durant a Texas belt. Every time you turned your head, you’d see more attendees carrying belts over their shoulders.
But the most notable was the WWE entrance experience. WWE reps told cllct that from 9:30 a.m. ET on Friday morning until 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, they averaged one person per minute, which is absurd considering some of the entrances take over a minute.
The three most popular entrances among fans were Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso and Roman Reigns, but cllct did see some throwbacks, such as when Tom Brady reenacted Hulk Hogan’s walk-out. It’s difficult to think of anything else that was even remotely as popular as this was.
Grant Williams
On his first day collecting basketball cards, Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams opened a Luka Dončić RPA rookie card that could fetch north of $1 million in a high grade.
After pulling the card Friday, Williams told cllct he had already received an offer of $500,000, but said he had to give Dončić — his former teammate — first right of refusal. He tried "FaceTiming" Dončić twice, but the Mavericks star didn’t answer.
Nonetheless, if it’s beginner’s luck, Williams was the luckiest man all weekend at Fanatics Fest. He told cllct his initial thought after buying the $10,500 box of cards was “how do I get my money back.”
Well, he did that and then some.
Kids
If you are between the ages of 7 and 18, Fanatics Fest had pretty much anything you could possibly want.
You could impersonate your favorite WWE superstar, get in the octagon with a UFC champion, run the 40-yard dash and test your hockey, basketball or soccer skills.
And then you could see your favorite celebrities and athletes joining in the same immersive experiences that you did. Imagine being 10 years old and having the opportunity to play catch with Tom Brady or watch Cody Rhodes walk out live to his entrance from just a few feet away.
Fanatics knocked it out of the park with experiences for kids.
Losers
Autograph and photograph lines
The organization for the autograph and photo lines was definitely lacking. There were barely “lines," looking much more like mosh pits in many cases.
Jalen Brunson’s line was nearly four hours long, and he left before coming close to finishing. And it’s difficult to blame him. It was an absolute madhouse and having hundreds of fans crowding around you, clamoring to meet you, would make anyone uncomfortable.
Many fans took to social media to voice their displeasure with the lines, players leaving early or the way players signed autos. The signing experience was simply not a good one.
WNBA
The WNBA is experiencing a massive boom in popularity, and Fanatics Fest was an opportunity to make a great immersive experience and create lasting memories. Instead, the WNBA booth was a disappointment.
I completed this “immersive experience,” which involved answering a 10-question quiz in the “WNBA Academy” where you could win a prize based on your score. The questions were grossly simple if you follow the WNBA, which most people going to the booth likely do. If you don’t follow the WNBA, answering questions on an iPad isn’t the way to convert you into a fan.
It’s easy to understand the “WNBA Academy” concept, but having all the women working the booth dressed as schoolgirls was not a good decision — and one that left cllct bewildered.
Blez Sports Cards
Between noon and 1 p.m. ET on Sunday there was one goal at Blez Sports Cards' “Break of the Decade,” and that was to pull a Luka Dončić Black Prizm 1/1 rookie card.
That didn’t happen. And the fans there to watch seemed pretty disinterested. Once you pull a Landry Shamet for the seventh time, people start to tune out.
That was a tough result for Blez, especially when each one of the boxes they opened cost $5,000.
Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct.