Fanatics, the sports product and experience company founded by Michael Rubin, is partnering with Boardroom, the sports media company founded by Rich Kleiman and Kevin Durant, to expand its presence in the professional athlete development space.
The companies are launching Chapter: Next, a professional development program designed for athletes and their management teams. The first edition of the event will be held in June, culminating at Fanatics Fest in New York City, where the company is planning a networking room for athletes and entertainers. The companies are also planning another event in December for athletes in leagues that are in their off seasons at the time, like the WNBA, NWSL, and MLB.
Fanatics first entered the athlete development space in late 2023 with its Athlete Immersion Program, though Chapter: Next significantly expands on those efforts.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Rich, KD and the entire team at Boardroom to reimagine and elevate Fanatics’ athlete development efforts,” said Rubin in a statement. “Fanatics exists because of the incredible athletes across all sports and the connections they have to fans around the world, and we have a commitment to create opportunities for them to thrive beyond their playing careers. That’s exactly what this program is built to do.”
“The spirit of Boardroom has always been to bring people into the rooms we’re lucky enough to be in and curate spaces to share knowledge,” added Boardroom co-founder and CEO Rich Kleiman. “I’m excited to partner with Michael Rubin and the team at Fanatics to expand the work they’ve already done in this space and bring some incredible programming to athletes and their teams.”
Chapter Next is developing its plans now, though the companies say it will include “a wide range of experiences, including curriculum created in partnership with the University of Southern California, one-on-one mentorship, dinners with CEOs, entrepreneurs and industry leaders, curated panel discussions, hands-on sessions with Fanatics executives, a Mitchell & Ness design challenge, and Boardroom Meeting House at Fanatics Fest.”
