You can now compete against pro athletes with $2M on the line

Regular Joe? Fanatics is offering you a chance to go up against the pros.

The sports-centric company this week announced Fanatics Games, a skills competition between 50 NARPs and 50 pro athletes and celebrities with $2 million in total prizes on the line.

• 1st place: $1 million in cash
• 2nd place: A Ferrari 812 GTS
• 3rd place: A LeBron James trading card worth ~$250,000

And should athletes/celebrities sweep the top three, the highest scoring fan will receive $100,000.

The talent: James Harden, Kevin Durant, A-Rod, Tyreek Hill, Tom Brady, Gronk (who goes wherever Tom does), Jordan Chiles, Kevin Hart, Druski (a regular at events like these), and more.

The Joes may kind of have a chance: The sports-skills comp involves eight activities—football passing accuracy, basketball shooting (around the world), soccer goal-scoring, baseball pitching accuracy, a washer-dryer hockey shooting challenge, a WWE Superstar entrance, a UFC striking challenge, and a closest-to-the-pin golf challenge.

It’s a growth thing. The Games will occur next month at the company’s second-annual Fanatics Fest, which drew ~70,000 people to its inaugural event in 2024.

This year, Fanatics—a $31+ billion biz that has its hands in gambling, merch/memorabilia, trading cards, and more—is hoping to draw 100,000 attendees, with the competition seen as one way to drum up hype and hit this number.

Elsewhere…More pros vs. joes competition is in the works, after NFL owners this week approved a proposal to allow players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Olympics.

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