Fanatics, Inc

Fanatics is building the leading global digital sports platform to ignite and harness the passions of fans, and maximize the presence and reach for hundreds of partners globally. Leveraging these long-standing partnerships, a database of more than 80 million global consumers and a trusted, recognizable brand name, Fanatics is expanding beyond its position as the global leader for licensed sports merchandise to now becoming a next-gen digital sports platform, featuring an array of offerings across the sports ecosystem.

The Fanatics family of companies currently includes Fanatics Commerce, a vertically-integrated licensed merchandise business that has changed the way fans purchase their favorite team apparel, jerseys, headwear and hardgoods through a tech-infused approach to making and quickly distributing fan gear in today’s 24/7 mobile-first economy; Candy Digital, a digital collectibles company that is partnering with prominent sports properties, including MLB and MLBPA, to build an official NFT ecosystem; Fanatics Collectibles, a transformative company that is building a new model for the hobby and giving collectors an end-to-end collectibles experience; and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, a mobile betting, gaming and retail sportsbook platform. Additional ventures that will build out Fanatics’ footprint across the broader digital sports landscape will be rolled out soon. Fanatics’ partners include all major professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, MLS, PGA) and hundreds of collegiate and professional teams, which include several of the biggest global soccer clubs.

As a market leader with more than 8,000 employees, and hundreds of partners, suppliers, and vendors worldwide, we take responsibility for driving toward more ethical and sustainable practices. We are committed to building an inclusive Fanatics community, reflecting and representing society at every level of the business, including our employees, vendors, partners and fans. Fanatics is also dedicated to making a positive impact in the communities where we all live, work, and play through strategic philanthropic initiatives.

At Fanatics, we’re a diverse, passionate group of employees aiming to ignite pride and passion in the fans we outfit, celebrate and support. We recognize that diversity helps drive and foster innovation, and through our IDEA program (inclusion, diversity, equality and advocacy) at Fanatics we provide employees with tools and resources to feel connected and engaged in who they are and what they do to support the ultimate fan experience.

Fanatics, Inc. is the creation of e-commerce visionary and former chairman and CEO of GSI Commerce, Michael Rubin. Fanatics started within GSI with Rubin’s e-commerce deal with NASCAR in 2002. In 2011, Rubin bought a Florida-based sports e-commerce business called Fanatics that included two brick-and-mortar stores in Jacksonville, Fla., and rolled it into GSI. That same year, Rubin sold GSI to eBay for $2.4 billion and bought back the sports e-commerce business. By then the brand included online stores for all the North American sports leagues and hundreds of teams and colleges. Rubin kept the name Fanatics for the new company.

In 2012, Fanatics added FansEdge, a sports memorabilia division and more team e-commerce partners through its acquisition of Dreams, Inc. Silicon Valley veteran Doug Mack was hired as CEO in 2014. Mack immediately began transforming Fanatics from a domestic e-commerce company into a new breed of retailer – part tech company, part manufacturer, part logistics company, part wholesaler and part e-commerce expert – by putting more of an emphasis on manufacturing, omnichannel retail, data and technology.

Fanatics went global in 2016, acquiring UK-based online retailer Kitbag to begin its foray into the global football (soccer) landscape, while also offering easy access to a wide assortment of North American-based sports apparel to fans worldwide. Since then, Fanatics has expanded its international vertical-commerce (V-Commerce) model globally, opening offices, fulfillment centers and manufacturing hubs in Canada, Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Spain.

To keep up with the company’s tremendous growth and accelerate its scale, in May 2017 Fanatics acquired sports apparel company, Majestic, greatly expanding manufacturing, distribution and wholesale capabilities worldwide. Later in 2017, Fanatics closed a $1 billion funding round led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund, the largest tech fund in history. The funding round also included significant investments from the NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and NFLPA.

What began as a single e-commerce deal in 2002 has grown into a tech-fueled, omnichannel retailer built for today’s mobile-first culture. Fanatics provides the ultimate shopping experience to sports fans worldwide whether buying gear online, on a phone, in stores, in stadiums or on-site at many of the world’s biggest sporting events.

To adapt the licensed sports industry to the 24/7 on-demand economy, Fanatics introduced a new, innovative model called Vertical Commerce or v-commerce, which is the next generation of e-commerce. The brainchild of Fanatics Executive Chairman and internet entrepreneur Michael Rubin, v-commerce is owning, designing, producing and distributing our own exclusive merchandise, allowing Fanatics to sell unique, specialized and differentiated products that cannot be commoditized by the Internet.

V-commerce requires speed – and the ability to use tech and data to be nimble enough to reach fans in the exact moment that passion is highest, especially in an industry as unpredictable as sports where players and teams can become overnight sensations. This new model has allowed Fanatics to significantly broaden its roster of global partners who are looking to grow their direct-to-consumer businesses and find a better way to meet the growing real-time demand of their fan bases by providing incredible speed to market of merchandise across all retail channels.

V-commerce has also been the backbone of several transformative deals Fanatics has signed with the sports world’s preeminent leagues, including a new groundbreaking deal with the NFL and Nike. Effective 2020, Fanatics will use its vertical manufacturing capabilities to design, manufacture and distribute all Nike fan gear sold at retail, putting a wider assortment of timely merchandise across categories into the hands of fans and retailers faster than ever before.

As a company, Fanatics aims to kindle and ignite passion in the fans we outfit, celebrate, and support. That’s only possible, however, if we can come together as a team and execute our vision with championship-caliber excellence, fueled by a passion of our own. For many of us, it wells from an undying love of sports, but an office of jocks we are not. Sports is neither the exclusive topic of watercooler conversation, nor the sole wellspring of passionate work here at Fanatics. Curiosity and innovative thinking, agile creativity, an overall commitment to consistently excellent work—these together motivate our mission to amplify the already-abundant pride in the hearts of all those countless fans.

Sound exciting? We are always on the lookout for new talent to join our team, and we strive to provide an environment that will renew your motivation daily. You will be challenged, so you can end your workday satisfied with your accomplishments, but still have time to enjoy your colleagues over coffee or a pint. We are One Fanatics—built upon the cohesive, collaborative relationships of its talented individuals. We win as a team.

We have fun, and we work hard. Fanatics has a lot to offer, and we know you do too.

Our internship program (The FANternship) engages students in projects that develop their skills and apply knowledge they have learned in their coursework. Interns are exposed to our brand and our business of fueling fan passion and providing the ultimate shopping experience to sports fans.

The FANternship program is available across multiple locations, and is a year-round program intended to be a stepping stone to full-time employment with Fanatics.