Tom Brady may have retired from the NFL, but he’s not stepping away from competition anytime soon. And proof of that will come this summer, when the seven-time Super Bowl champion headlines the first-ever Fanatics Games. Think of it as a Pros vs. Joes-style showdown, mixing sports, celebrity, and fans into one big, social-media-ready event.
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Backed by the global sports merch powerhouse Fanatics, the event is part of the brand’s second annual Fanatics Fest. It will take place from June 20–22 at New York’s Javits Center. Naturally, Tom Brady, who is not only participating but also shares a strong relationship with Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, took to Instagram to promote the event by sharing Rubin’s post on his IG Story.
Interestingly enough, Brady let the world know that he is serious about the event with a warning to fans aiming to compete against him:
“Think you have what it takes? Because I’m not taking it easy… Good luck.”
Tom Brady hypes up his appearance at Fanatics Games pic.twitter.com/tUoBWwxg20
— Burner Boy (@MiraRoadKCChief) May 20, 2025
Brady’s presence in the lineup of names is more than enough to stir hype for the event, but its format also deserves props for promising peak entertainment on paper. So, what is the format?
Fifty pros, including elite athletes, celebrities, and creators, will go head-to-head against 50 fans who earn their spots by submitting video entries through the Fanatics app. From there, it’s an all-out skills gauntlet spread across eight different sports-themed challenges.
The challenges will see participants like TB12 rotate through a quarterback throwing contest, a basketball “around the world” shooting game, soccer goal-scoring drills, baseball pitching accuracy, a washer-dryer hockey shot, a WWE-style entrance challenge, a UFC striking competition, and a golf closest-to-the-pin showdown.
Apart from the Patriots legend, the confirmed celebrities joining the Fanatics Event include NFL stars like Jayden Daniels, C.J. Stroud, Russell Wilson, Rob Gronkowski, Odell Beckham Jr., Tyreek Hill, and Micah Parsons. From the NBA world, the likes of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Draymond Green are set to grace the event with their presence.
Meanwhile, WWE will be represented by big names like Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, and Liv Morgan, while the celeb content crew brings in KSI, Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, Druski, and IShowSpeed. Baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and gymnast Jordan Chiles are also confirmed to be participating in the event.
As for the prizes? They’re just as flashy as the participants. Per reports, the overall winner of the event will take home a whopping $1 million. The runner-up will reportedly win a Ferrari 812 GTS, and the third gets a LeBron James rookie card: the highly coveted 2003-04 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor, graded 9.5 and once sold for nearly $200,000 at auction.
But the best part about the competition is that even if no fan cracks the top three, the highest-ranking fan still bags $100,000.
So with Tom Brady leading the charge and the competition format promising head-to-head entertainment unlike anything else, the Fanatics Games are shaping up to be the ultimate test of skills, swagger, and maybe even a little bit of luck.
