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A Fanatic’s Notes

Fanatics Fest has evolved from a collectibles convention into the closest thing sports has to Comic-Con, with enough gravitational pull to drag the ESPYs—and much of the industry—to New York this week.

Michael D. Ratner
Fanatics Studios C.E.O. Michael D. Ratner attends the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party. Photo: Anna Webber/Getty Images
John Ourand
July 14, 2026

We’re headed for one of the biggest summer sports weeks in decades, from Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia to the World Cup final up I-95. But the week’s most interesting story may unfold in between, when Fanatics Fest returns to New York on Thursday for its third edition. I was skeptical when the event launched a few years ago, but its growth rate has been sufficiently staggering that ESPN eventually moved the ESPYs to New York for the first time in years to capitalize on the attention surrounding the festival.