New merch, same money-grab energy
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin hopped on CNBC’s Squawk Box to talk through the company’s fresh collectibles partnership with FIFA. Translation: the company wants to keep turning sports obsession into something you can buy, display, and maybe hoard in a closet for years.
Why this matters
Collectibles sound niche until you remember how much fans will pay for anything tied to the World Cup, a star player, or a limited-run drop. A FIFA tie-up gives Fanatics a bigger global stage and another way to deepen its grip on licensed sports goods.
The bigger play
This isn’t just about selling shiny stuff. It’s about owning more of the fan wallet:
- apparel and gear
- trading cards and memorabilia
- global licensing and distribution
- recurring demand from diehard collectors
If Fanatics can keep stacking partnerships like this, it’s quietly building a sports-commerce empire that looks less like a merch shop and more like the middleman for your fandom. Big picture: the better it becomes at monetizing sports culture, the harder it gets for rivals to catch up.