Fanatics Hosts Athlete Immersion Program to Equip Pro Athletes for Business Careers

Fanatics has launched a unique training program as part of the company’s broader Athlete Immersion Program to prepare professional athletes for success beyond their playing careers, hosting more than two dozen NBA, NFL, and NHL players in New York City this past June for an intensive three-day business boot camp.

The initiative provided participants with workshops on entrepreneurship, technology, and business fundamentals, offering a learning experience modeled after a business school and designed to continue supporting athletes as they transition into post-sports careers.

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High-Profile Coaches and Real-World Lessons

The program, now in its second year, featured an elite roster of business leaders acting as “coaches.” Speakers included Fanatics founder Michael Rubin, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Apollo Global cofounder and Philadelphia 76ers managing partner Josh Harris, Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, and Boardroom cofounder and CEO Rich Kleiman.

NBA player Cole Anthony, recently traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, said the program broadened his perspective. “This definitely opened my eyes. I’m already trying to do things on the business side with my partners, my family. It just motivates me more,” Anthony said.

Aaron Donald, a former NFL defensive star who retired in 2024, has already begun a business career that includes an ownership stake in sports nutrition company Ready. “I think it’s one hell of an opportunity,” Donald said. “I’m in a room with guys running companies worth billions of dollars. How many opportunities are you going to get to do that?”

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Blueprint for a Second Career

This year’s program is run in partnership with Boardroom, the media and advisory firm Kleiman co-founded with NBA superstar Kevin Durant. Kleiman emphasized the value of connecting athletes directly with accomplished business figures. “Being able to put them in the room with people that have the answers, that have done it, that lead industries… you get so much power and opportunity just from the information you get from watching, from learning and from being in these rooms,” he said.

Kleiman cited the example of former NBA player Junior Bridgeman, who transformed his modest player earnings into a billion-dollar fortune through investments in restaurant franchises and later in beverage distribution.

From 1.0 to 2.0 Careers

Fanatics Chief People Officer Toretha McGuire explained that the program’s goal is to help athletes use their “1.0 career” in sports to power their “2.0 career” in business. The curriculum includes lectures, case studies, and projects such as creating a limited-edition clothing line with Fanatics subsidiary Mitchell & Ness. Participants also work through real-world scenarios, including a simulation of a major capital raise conducted by Rubin in 2021.

McGuire noted the urgency of early preparation, as most professional athletes retire relatively young. “The opportunities they have in their 1.0 careers in terms of access and expanding their networks are going to be very critical,” she said.

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Hard Truths About Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship’s challenges were underscored by Graves, who told the athletes: “If you absolutely want to start a business, imagine how hard it is, multiply that by infinity to be able to make it work. You have to be passionate, you have to be in the details 100%. And you have to know what you don’t know.”

Continuing Education and Expanding Reach

Anthony observed that the traits needed for success in sports — discipline, passion, and relentless effort — are the same in business. “The common thing… is that every person I met here has been a grinder,” he said.

For Donald, the motivation is deeply personal. “It would be silly for me to stop the hard work, discipline, the structure that got me to a certain point,” he said. “I’m trying to build generational wealth for my kids.”