To understand Fanatics in late 2025 is to understand that it is no longer a sports merchandise company. It is a fully integrated digital sports platform, and as of August 2025, it has officially launched the two biggest weapons in its arsenal to tie its sprawling empire together: Fanatics Advertising and Fanatics ONE.
For years, CEO Michael Rubin has been on an acquisition spree, snapping up Topps (trading cards), PointsBet (betting), and building a live events business. The “current affair” is the activation of “Phase Two”: the plan to monetize and connect this massive ecosystem of over 100 million sports fans.
The launch of Fanatics Advertising is a seismic move. The company has hired industry veteran Jeremi Gorman (formerly of Netflix, Snap, and Amazon) to build an advertising division from scratch. The strategy is to leverage Fanatics’s unparalleled first-party data. Fanatics doesn’t just know what team you like; it knows you bought a jersey on Monday, placed a bet on that team on Sunday, and collect that quarterback’s trading cards. This new division will allow brands to target this “super-fan” demographic with pinpoint accuracy across Fanatics’s commerce, collectibles, and betting platforms. It’s a high-margin, data-driven revenue stream that turns its fan database into a goldmine.
The second, and perhaps more consumer-facing, launch is Fanatics ONE. This is the loyalty program designed to be the “glue” for the entire ecosystem. It’s a tiered system (from ONEmember to ONEblack) that finally unifies the fan experience. Now, a fan can earn “FanCash”—the company’s loyalty currency—across all its businesses. You can place a bet on Fanatics Sportsbook and earn 10% FanCash, then use that FanCash to get a discount on a new hat at Fanatics.com or on a trading card from Fanatics Collect.
This is the strategic linchpin. It transforms Fanatics’s separate business verticals into a powerful, self-reinforcing “walled garden” for the sports fan. Why bet with a competitor when you can’t earn FanCash? Why buy a jersey elsewhere?
The program also offers a suite of “money-can’t-buy” rewards, such as personalized athlete memorabilia and VIP event access, leveraging its deep partnerships with leagues and players.
In late 2025, Fanatics is no longer just building its empire; it’s fortifying it. By launching a sophisticated advertising business and a sticky, cross-platform loyalty program, Fanatics is creating a flywheel. It’s building an ecosystem where the fan has no reason to ever leave, and where brands will pay a premium to get inside. It has moved from being a retailer to a true platform, much like Amazon or Apple.
