This past weekend, sports fans flocked to NYC’s Jacob Javits Convention Center by the thousands, present to experience the first immersive and interactive sports convention of its type and most of them brought little ones. Parents brought their kids, uncles and aunties brought their nieces and nephews because it was well promoted that there would be activities for the children. What wasn’t promoted was that Hip Hop stars spanning generations would be schmoozing among the sports legends at this monumental event.

The three-day festival started on Friday, with exhibitions for fans of all sports, including a full UFC ring situated near the entrance. Hundreds of booths for sports memorabilia sale and trade, such as a box of Wheaties signed by Michael Jordan worth $5,500 to a baseball signed by Hall Of Fame legends Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb worth $300K. If you were a young autograph seeker looking to score some iconic signatures, there were HOFers from all sports like Giants legend Lawrence Taylor, Mets ’86 World Series champions Dwight Gooden and Dwight Strawberry, NBA stars Jalen Rose, Kevin Durant, Jalen Brunson, Walt Frazier, Julius “Dr. J” Irving, wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and even controversial sportscaster Stephen A. Smith were all present.

There were literally millions of sports and collectible cards(Pokemon, Garbage Pail Kids, etc.) being bought, traded, sold and given away at Fanatics Fest. There were also panel discussions for those interested in the engaging conversations surrounding sports culture with titles “Courtside Conversations” and “The Ultimate Fantasy Draft” while several live podcasts were underway via radio and internet.

There were too many live sports activations to name, from MLB’s simulated Playball Park, where the kids got their chance to get hit a couple of homers, to the NBA hoops, which seemed to be full to capacity the entire weekend. Soccer and hockey goals, boxing/punching bag challenges, mini football fields wrestling rings and everything in between filled up the ground level of the Javits Center. Children were the main participants in these activations, but their parents and guardians seemed to have their focus on something more than just the sports fanatic’s fantasy.

On any given day, music could be heard throughout the convention center, but the front of the temporary club bearing the name “40/40 Club” could only be seen from a rear entrance that only permitted press and celebrities. Those who really wanted to see what all of the camera flashing was about waited on the side near the food court to catch a peep of the celebs headed for the red carpet. The kids saw some of their favorite personalities dip into The 40/40 Club, the exclusive sports bar/nightclub founded by Jay-Z in the early 2000s in midtown Manhattan. This activation in the Javits Center was created in conjunction with Fanatics Sportsbook, who kicked off the entire event. Quavo of The Migos, Lil Baby were spotted going into the invite only club, while Travis Scott was even seen signing a pair of his own Nike Travis Scott sneakers for a young fan before falling in the spot. That’s what Fanatics Fest is all about.

The OGs got to spot some of their favs including Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, comedian Michael Blackson and even more come in the spot. The most notable was, of course, Jay-Z himself making an appearance at the club created in his honor, causing such a ruckus that fans on the opposite side of the entrance were trying to sneak a pic of Hov, whose sighting continued to fuel rumors that he will be opening a new 40/40 Club complete with casinos.

With just as many Hip Hop stars making cameo appearances at this exclusive sports event, it’s a guarantee that next year many of the attendees will pull up looking for their favorite rapper rather than their favorite ball player. FanaticsFest was a successful example of how sports and music culture aren’t far removed from each other and when it comes to entertainment, all you can do is give the people who and what they want.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Why Fanatics Fest Will Be Premiere Event For The Future Hip Hop Generation first appeared on The Source.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: Why Fanatics Fest Will Be Premiere Event For The Future Hip Hop Generation appeared first on The Source.

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