The newest event for Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 will be a skills competition between fans and professional athletes with $2 million in prizes, the company announced Tuesday.
Over the three-day event, which runs June 20-22, fans will compete in the Fanatics Games against 50 professional athletes in eight “fast-paced, referee-led challenges, each testing a different athlete skill.”
Athletes and celebrities currently listed as part of the competition include Tom Brady, Cody Rhodes, IShowSpeed, Kevin Hart, Jayden Daniels, Rhea Ripley, Kevin Durant, Alex Rodriguez, Rob Gronkowski, James Harden, Liv Morgan, Jordan Chiles, C.J. Stroud, Logan Paul, Micah Parsons, Druski, Odell Beckham Jr., Tyreek Hill, Russell Wilson, KSI, Seth Rollins and Draymond Green.
The eight events include:
- QB skills (football)
- Around the world (basketball)
- Goal-scoring (soccer)
- Pitching accuracy (baseball)
- Washer-dryer puck shooting (hockey)
- Superstar entrance (WWE)
- Striking challenge (UFC)
- Closest to the pin (golf)
Fans will be selected following an application process that includes a short video showing why they should be chosen to compete in the competition. The deadline for applications is June 9.
The prize pool includes $2 million in total cash and prizes, including $1 million in cash for first place, a Ferrari 812 GTS for second place and a 2003-04 Topps Chrome LeBron James Gold Refractor, which recently sold for $250,000, for third place.
According to Fanatics, if no fan finishes in the top three, the highest-scoring fan will receive $100,000.
FANATICS FEST NYC 2025:
Following its debut in 2024, which saw more than 70,000 fans visit the Javits Center for the event, Fanatics Fest NYC plans to expand its footprint in 2025 to feature more activities, more athletes and celebrities and a larger space for the sports and trading card show.
So far, Fanatics Fest has announced a number of panels, including “The QB Playbook,”, which will feature Dan Marino and John Elway, as well as the “Only in New York” panel, which will be hosted by filmmaker Spike Lee alongside former New York Yankees greats Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia.
On Monday, Fanatics announced a Fanatics Fest-exclusive Topps Series 2 Baseball set as the second of three exclusive releases available only at the show.
An exclusive Formula 1 release was announced in April, and a third is expected in the coming weeks.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.