Fanatics Games to showcase fans against athletes, get ‘more people to dream’ – NHL.com

Fanatics Games will feature a multi-day live competition during Fanatics Fest with a mix of returning and reimagined challenges across sports from DICK’S and leagues including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, FIFA, WWE, UFC. Fans will have a chance to compete in sport-specific challenges tied directly to how the 2026 Fanatics Games format will work at the festival from July 16-19. The event featured an entire section dedicated to the sports card hobby, interactive experiences for every major sport, exclusive merchandise, autograph and photo opportunities, and the chance to meet some of the world’s biggest athletes and celebrities.

In April 2020, Michael Rubin—with the help of Fanatics employees around the world—launched the ALL IN Challenge, one of the largest digital fundraisers in history. The next month, Fanatics acquired Fermata Partners to transform the college licensed sports business and a new Fanatics College division was formed. In early 2016, the company acquired UK-based internet retailer Kitbag to accelerate focus on international expansion and global soccer. Priorities such as real-time manufacturing, data, and technology would guide the company’s vertical commerce (v-commerce) model. In 2014, Doug Mack was appointed CEO and Fanatics opened a Bay Area office to tap into the Silicon Valley tech talent pool.

Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. The expanded format of the Fanatics Games includes new nationwide qualifying opportunities for fans who wish to participate through an exclusive partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods. Fanatics Games will have a total of eight skill-based challenges with specific themes to each.

Striking Challenge

• Fanatics had previously worked with the NHL, making replica jerseys for fans after a deal signed in 2017.
• In early 2016, the company acquired UK-based internet retailer Kitbag to accelerate focus on international expansion and global soccer.
• The deal cut the long-term partnership between FIFA and Panini, which had been the licensee for over five decades.
• Some of the biggest names participating included last year’s champion Tom Brady, David Ortiz, Cooper Flagg, John Cena, and dozens of other stars from across the sports and entertainment worlds.
• Depending on your location, you can bet, play or trade, all in the same app, with the same account.

Gold-medal winning defenseman Megan Keller of the United States women’s Olympic hockey team will also be in the competition. Each person’s six-best scores among the eight events were counted, with the winner getting $1 million cash, second place getting a Ferrari 812 GTS, and third a LeBron James graded rookie card (worth around $250,000). “What made Fanatics Games special in year one was seeing fans and world-class athletes compete side by side under the same rules and feed off each other’s energy,” said Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events. The 2026 competition will award $1 million to the overall champion, with additional high-value prizes distributed among top finishers as part of the $2 million total prize pool.

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"And it challenges all these athletes who feel like little kids again. Like, ‘Oh, I haven’t had to play hockey in a while, or I haven’t had to kick field goals.’ And because it’s all those new skills, it’s super compelling for the fans and the athletes competing. And the prizes are no joke." In addition, NHL players Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes and Brock Nelson, who also won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and Hockey Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time goals leader, will be some of the hockey players in attendance throughout the weekend. "How do you do something that is a competition that gets athletes to go experience all of the different leagues at Fanatics Fest? The experience of Fanatics Fest is it’s all sports in all these leagues. And so how do we kind of create something that sits across all of it? So, that’s how it started."

Candy Digital secured an exclusive, long-term agreement with MLB as its first content partner. In May 2021, Rubin co-founded the digital collectibles company Candy Digital with Mike Novogratz and Gary Vaynerchuk. In March 2021, Fanatics secured a $320 million funding round, followed by another $325 million in August 2021 that brought the company’s valuation to $18 billion as of September 2021. Using the new funds, Fanatics purchased assets from Vetta Brands, including leading collegiate headwear producer Top of the World. In August 2020, the company secured $350 million Series E funding raising Fanatics’ valuation to $6.2 billion. Also in 2020, Fanatics established the All-In Challenge Foundation, which would continue to be the philanthropic arm of the company.

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Competitors receive two attempts on a professional punching machine, with only their highest score counting. Each successful standard kick earns 2 points, while the Fanatics Casino bonus Money Ball kick is worth 5 points.

Shoot & Score

Fanatics Games will take place over a three-day span during Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 at the Javits Center from June 20-22. Here’s everything you need to know about the three-day competition. Your Fanatics experience doesn’t stop at state lines. By submitting this application I agree to the Terms & Conditions

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Fanatics estimates it will take each competitor about an hour to complete all eight challenges. A total of 50 athletes and celebrities are expected to face off against fans. Depending on your location, you can bet, play or trade, all in the same app, with the same account. Submit your application here and/or post your video to social media using #FanaticsGames. Fanatics Markets, a prediction-market platform developed in partnership with Crypto.com, was launched in December 2025 and made available in 24 states. Fanatics launched its first retail sportsbook in January 2023 in Northwest Stadium (formerly FedEx Field), establishing the NFL’s first sportsbook inside a stadium.

Since 2024, Fanatics is the exclusive ice hockey jersey supplier for all teams in the NHL. One thing is certain — it will be a memorable weekend at Fanatics Fest regardless of who wins the Fanatics Games. "We’re leaning into things like money balls and other super-exciting things that have a chance to make this really play well on social media and really give fans a chance to do well if they’re not a professional in a certain sport." Last year, Dennish was one of several fans who more than held their own against the biggest athletes in the world, several of whom have been invited back to compete this year. Fans were able to apply via video submission as well as at qualifiers held at Dick’s Sporting Goods around the country.

The company was founded in Jacksonville, Florida, by Michael Rubin in 2011 as an online retailer of licensed sportswear and merchandise for major collegiate and professional sports leagues and teams. Last year, 50 fans got to compete against 50 athletes and celebrities in eight events across all sports including hockey, baseball, basketball, football, wrestling, soccer, golf and mixed martial arts. Designed to celebrate competition, culture, and fandom, Fanatics Games once again brings together a total group of 50 professional athletes, celebrities, creators, and 50 everyday fans in a scored competition that blends athletic performance with an arena-level spectacle. Building on the success of its debut in 2025, year two of Fanatics Games introduces an expanded format, a $2 million total prize pool, and new nationwide qualifying opportunities through an exclusive partnership with DICK’S Sporting Goods.

In July 2023, Fanatics launched Fanatics Live, a live-commerce platform offering trading-card breaks, merchandise releases, and creator-hosted content. The deal cut the long-term partnership between FIFA and Panini, which had been the licensee for over five decades. In May 2026, it was revealed that Fanatics had signed an exclusive collective licensing deal with FIFA to become the exclusive licensor of collectible cards, stickers, and card games for the World Cup and other FIFA events. In 2023, Fanatics signed a deal to be the exclusive jersey supplier for the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing Adidas. The division has agreements with major professional leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Formula One, and the Australian Football League, as well as numerous collegiate programs. In addition to its website, the company operates more than 80 offices, manufacturing facilities, and fulfillment centers worldwide, including international distribution centers across Europe, Asia, and Australia.