ABC News’ Perry Russom reports from Fanatics Fest in NYC on how sports cards were once considered a childish hobby, but are now estimated to be a nearly $20 billion industry.
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Video Inside Fanatics Fest and the skyrocketing sports card industry
Raising Cane’s owner Todd Graves on how viral Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski dunk tank came to be at Fanatics Fest
Tom Brady, LeBron, Jeter UNITE at Fanatics Fest
FOX Business’ Madison Alworth reports live from Fanatics Fest in New York City, detailing the immense gathering of sports fans and athletes. CEO Lance Fensterman reveals that mega-stars such as Serena Williams and David Beckham are attending. The festival anticipates 200,000 attendees over its four-day run, showcasing its significant growth since 2022.
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Fanatics Fest is a viral moment waiting to happen considering the plethora of superstars under one Manhattan roof, and perhaps the first one came on Thursday’s opening day at the Javits Center in the Raising Cane’s activation.
It was a legendary combination of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and 500 gallons of Raising Cane’s famous sauce filled in a dunk tank. Brady, whose accuracy with a football is still unmatched, didn’t miss his target.
Gronkowski went splashing into the sauce, as Brady and Raising Cane’s owner Todd Graves joined the masses in celebrating one of the coolest moments to kick off Fanatics Fest.
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Todd Graves, Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady attend Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center in New York City on July 16, 2026. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Fanatics)
Before Brady’s toss pulled the seat out from under his favorite tight end when they were both in the NFL, Fox News Digital caught up with Graves to find out how a dunk tank filled with his brand’s famous sauce came to be.
“I never thought of a Cane’s Sauce dunk tank, but partnering with Fanatics and Fanatics Fest, which is great,” Graves explained. “They’re amazing partners. One, Michael Rubin and I have been friends, and talk about business, help each other out in many different ways. A rising tide lifts all boats. Before we started partnering with Fanatics, I loved what he was doing, I loved the fanfare, I loved having sports and entertainment figure heads – everybody from Tom Brady to Kevin Hart , right? All that together, I was like, ‘Man, let’s partner. Let’s do this deal.’
“With Fanatics Fest, partnering with them wasn’t just like, ‘Here, come, do whatever you think of.’ No, it was, ‘Let’s put our minds together and do what we can.’ So, they came up with the idea. Actually [CEO of OBB Media] Michael Ratner was like, ‘Let’s do a Cane’s Sauce dunk tank.’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ And he was like, ‘Let’s do Brady dunking Gronk.’ Oh my God, I couldn’t think of two better people doing it.”
Graves believed the moment was going to be “legendary” and “going to be something in Cane’s lore” forever. And when the brand opened its first doors in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Aug. 28, 1996, Graves wasn’t thinking 30 years down the road two of the most recognizable athletes in the country would be making this happen.
“The crews are already so excited about it. The fans will love it. What better guy like Gronk, and to have Brady hit the target. It’s ideal,” Graves added.
Tom Brady throws football during Raising Cane’s dunk tank event, where Rob Gronkowski fell into 500 gallons of Cane’s Sauce. (Raising Cane’s)
Brady and Gronkowski got the crowd going with a little chicken Hail Mary moment, with the quarterback tossing some Cane’s chicken fingers into a cup of sauce the tight end was holding. But then, the moment of truth.
In classic Gronkowski fashion, he was chirping Brady from his seat, but the FOX Sports NFL colleagues knew what the end result was going to be with that. Brady toyed with Gronkowski at first, hitting a Cane’s logo just above the target on purpose, and did so again with a different one.
Then, on his third throw, Brady struck true, and all of the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Gronkowski caused a Cane’s Sauce explosion when he fell in. There was a splash zone if you were close enough, and it was a moment fans, media and everyone else who witnessed it couldn’t stop talking about.
As Gronkowski wiped the sauce from his eyes, and Brady calmed down from all the laughter he caused, Graves was right there to thank them both for the epic moment he’ll never forget.
Todd Graves, Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady attend the Cane’s Sauce Dunk Tank Showdown hosted by Graves at Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center in New York City on July 16, 2026. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Raising Cane’s)
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“Through growth, I have 100,000 crew members now, and we have 1,000 locations and we’re about to turn 30. For me to walk in here and see our logos up here and see people that want to come and be a part of Cane’s, it’s a dream come true. To do a dunk tank, and Tom Brady and Gronk want to do that, I built a brand that’s special to my crew and customers. So, an absolute dream. I always have to pinch myself and part of my job is doing things like this, which is great,” Graves said.
“We love what we do. I love my company, I love my crew and customers. This is just something I think we can do some fun for them, because I know how much I’m going to enjoy it.”
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First death reported in Upper East Side Legionnaires’ disease outbreak as cases rise to 67
New York City health officials warn of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak
Health officials in New York City have issued a warning about a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, with 23 confirmed cases and 17 hospitalizations. Dr. Stephanie Widmer, an emergency medicine attending physician, details how the bacterial pneumonia is contracted, emphasizing it’s from warm water in large cooling towers, not drinking water. She also discusses symptoms and curability with antibiotics.
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New York City health officials announced Friday that the first person has died in connection with a growing Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side as the number of confirmed infections continued to rise.
“I am saddened to report that one person has died in connection with the Legionnaires’ disease community cluster on the Upper East Side,” New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin said in a statement.
“My deepest condolences are with their loved ones, and out of respect to their personal privacy, we will not be releasing any additional information on the individual.”
A 3D illustration of Legionella pneumophila, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia. (iStock)
The death comes as the outbreak has sickened 67 people as of Thursday night, up from 63 cases reported a day earlier. Twelve people remain hospitalized, according to city health officials.
Investigators are tracing the outbreak to Legionella pneumophila bacteria found in 76 cooling towers across the Upper East Side and one on the Upper West Side. Buildings that tested positive, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, have been ordered to clean and disinfect their cooling towers.
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which naturally occurs in water but can multiply in building water systems such as cooling towers. The illness can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed early.
DEADLY LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE OUTBREAK SPARKS CONCERN IN MAJOR US CITY: KNOW THE SYMPTOMS
A blood sample tests positive for Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’ disease. (iStock)
Cooling towers, commonly found on rooftops, help regulate large building cooling systems and can release mist containing the bacteria. Health officials have emphasized that the outbreak is not linked to New York City’s drinking water or indoor air conditioning.
Health officials urged anyone who lives, works or has visited the affected area since late June and develops flu-like symptoms to contact a health care provider immediately.
Symptoms typically appear two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches and headaches. The disease spreads through contaminated water droplets and is not spread from person to person.
New York City health officials are urging anyone who has visited Manhattan’s Upper East Side since late June to watch for symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease. (iStock)
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Older adults, smokers and people with chronic lung disease or weakened immune systems face the highest risk of severe illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 10 people diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease die from complications.
City health officials said early diagnosis and prompt treatment with antibiotics can significantly improve outcomes for patients who become infected.
What is gazundering and how can it be avoided?
Gazundering is when a buyer lowers their agreed offer just before contracts are exchanged.
It puts a seller under pressure to accept the lower price or risk losing their sale and collapsing their property chain – potentially losing the house they want to buy.
It is possible because in England, Wales and Northern Ireland an offer is not legally binding until parties exchange contracts. Once an offer is accepted it takes an average of 120 days to complete. One in three house sales fall through before exchange.
This costs sellers £400m and the wider economy £1.5bn each year, according to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Planned government reforms would cut that time by four weeks and save the average first time buyer £650, it says.
After speaking to her dad and husband Sarah decided to put her house back on the market that same day.
The next day, her buyers “went running into the estate agent’s office saying they were happy to proceed with the agreed sale price”, she says.
“Gazundering is actually awful. It’s not just a business deal. It’s my children’s home and the fact that nothing’s been done about it is ridiculous.”
Beth Rudolf from the Conveyancing Association says gazundering is a small but growing problem.
“It’s not actually that big, it doesn’t happen very often [but] it’s started increasing though because of the change in the property market that’s made it a buyers’ market.”
There are more houses on the market than people looking to buy, she explained, which means sellers face stiffer competition, forcing them to lower prices.
The government has put plans in place to reform the house buying and selling market in England and Wales which would tackle issues like gazundering although at the moment the timetable for those reforms, external is by the end of the current parliament in 2029.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government told the BBC: “We’re stopping gazundering by introducing legally binding agreements that prevent buyers from walking away at the last minute without a valid reason, with fines for those who do.”
Tech Now – WWE: The Tech Behind the Show
Ammie Sekhon goes behind the scenes of WWE to see the tech that supports the show.
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Jazz Chisholm Jr says Knicks championship parade fuels his World Series hunger with Yankees
New York City celebrates Knicks’ first NBA championship in 53 years
After a 53-year wait, the New York Knicks captured their first NBA championship, sparking celebrations across New York City. Thousands of fans lined the streets of Manhattan for a historic ticker-tape parade, turning a Thursday workday into a spontaneous holiday as the city honored its victorious team.
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If you can dream it, you can achieve it — that’s the mindset New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. has heading into the second half of the 2026 MLB season.
In 2024, Chisholm and the Yankees were close to snapping the “Big Four” sports league championship drought in New York. The Los Angeles Dodgers, the team the Yankees will begin their second half against on Friday night in the Bronx, ended that Fall Classic in five games in their favor.
But Chisholm got to witness what a title parade looks like in New York this past month, as the New York Knicks broke a 53-year drought and sent the five boroughs and the surrounding tri-state area into a complete frenzy of joy, tears and countless other emotions.
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Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees smiles during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 25, 2026. (Natalie Reid/MLB Photos)
It’s the obvious goal for every MLB team to win the World Series in October, especially for the 27-time champions in pinstripes. But Chisholm told Fox News Digital that his conversations with Knicks players during their NBA title celebration only heightened his need to hoist a trophy himself.
“Me and a couple of my teammates talked about it, and a couple of [Knicks] talked about it as well. I talked to Jalen about it, and just seeing how it felt. Hearing it out of his voice and him getting the goosebumps all over again talking about it. It’s just a feeling you want to experience,” Chisholm said, while highlighting his collaboration with Corona as part of their limited-edition Beach Connect Series jerseys.
TRUMP HYPES JALEN BRUNSON AFTER KNICKS SECURE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP: ‘A SUPERSTAR WAS BORN’
“I talk to my boys about it, and we’re all in.”
Chisholm, an impending free agent, wouldn’t even discuss the future past the World Series because he wants to remain in the present as the Yankees try to cement their spot in the postseason.
It was a rough few weeks for New York heading toward the All-Star break, but they ripped off four straight wins to get momentum back before the reset.
They’ve also been playing without their three-time MVP slugger Aaron Judge, who remains out due to a rib injury. Despite his recovery taking longer than expected – Judge hasn’t been cleared to do baseball activities – the Yankees’ captain remains in good spirits, helping his team wherever he can.
Josh Hart of the New York Knicks and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees talk before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium in New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)
“He’s still a big voice in the clubhouse for us. He comes to a lot of road games where he doesn’t have to,” Chisholm explained. “He could stay home and rest and do his rehab, but he still makes a point to come and be with the boys and try to help lead us. Even though he can’t help us on the field, he tries to help us when he can off the field. We’re still rallying around him.
“He’s still the most positive guy in the clubhouse every day, so we can’t wait to get him back and turn everything up.”
Judge is crucial to the Yankees’ World Series hopes, as they look to hoist their first trophy since the 2009 season. For the Yankees and its fan base, that feels like a century long, but Chisholm knows he and his teammates will continue to fight to break that drought.
He wants to be on the parade float just as the Knicks were.
“You have dreams about it sometimes,” Chisholm admitted. “You sit there, you got to sleep, and you wake up like, ‘Dang, that’s what I want.’ I’ve had that dream of us partying on the parade after we won the World Series, and New York going as crazy it did for the Knicks for us. That’s all we’re looking for.”
New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. celebrates his two-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Detroit on June 23, 2026. (Paul Sancya/Associated Press)
“LA PLAYA” MENTALITY COMES TO LIFE
The All-Star break means peak summer, which Corona used to help fans savor the moment with six Corona Beach Connect Series jerseys all co-designed by six MLB All-Stars including Chisholm.
Along with Chisholm, Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, Houston Astros’ Jeremy Peña and Philadelphia Phillies Cristopher Sánchez each added their flair to a jersey inspired by their beach memories.
Corona’s Beach Connect Series brings together six MLB All-Stars, including New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr., to help fans savor the summer days where baseball and beach life connect. (Corona)
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For Chisholm, the first-ever Bahamian All-Star in MLB history showcased his fashion chops with vibrant colors, textures and sounds of his island that he calls home. There’s turquoise water, pink sand, musicians on the front to pay homage to his love for music off the field, and a conch shell patch that is a meaningful nod to his roots.
“I just feel like it was an inspiration of how I grew up, where I’m from, the person that I am. I feel like me and Corona have a lot in common, especially with the beach mindset,” Chisholm said. “I feel like the beach mindset is my normal mindset, you know what I mean? It’s all about chill, the music, the seafood. It’s playing in the sand with your family. Just enjoying the day, chilling and relaxing. So, that’s what I feel like we came up with it with the concept.”
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World Cup 2026: Argentina like to leave mark on opponents – Aymeric Laporte
De La Fuente, who said teenage winger Lamine Yamal is fit after sitting out training, preferred to talk up Sunday’s final instead of focus on Argentina’s tactics.
“On Sunday we will watch a great show, two great national teams, very similar in some aspects in terms of attitudes and talent,” he added.
“I think it is going to be an amazing final, each team will try and take the game to their own side.
“I believe both Spain and Argentina will have a gameplan where talent and good football will rule over everything else.
“The referee will be there to support us and that the football is at a level expected of a World Cup final.”
Three-time world champions Argentina are looking to become the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win back-to-back men’s World Cups.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni was not asked about his side’s tactics during his news conference on Friday.
However, he did talk about about his friendship with Spain boss De La Fuente, formed in 2017 when De la Fuente was an instructor as Scaloni studied for his professional coaching licence.
“He knows me from a personal point of view,” said Scaloni.
“We are friends but that doesn’t mean he knows what I am thinking about when it comes to football.
“We haven’t really been talking about playing style. We do have similar patterns of play when it comes to trying to have possession of the ball.
“I hope the game on Sunday will be a great show.”
Doctors didn’t spot my condition for so long I was left permanently disabled
Wentworth, who describes himself as “queer and disabled”, has recently had a series of urological problems. He says doctors often attribute his symptoms to his cerebral palsy first, rather than attempting to properly diagnose issues.
“The thing is, disabled people know their bodies incredibly well,” he says.
“So we should, I firmly believe, be trusted more than some other people, because we’ve been living in these bodies and we’ve been hyper-aware of them for so long. And the lack of trust is quite palpable.”
Wentworth says he has complained to his local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on several occasions. It aims to resolve difficulties or frustrations patients might face, but he says he has had mixed results.
With his new version of The Secret Garden, Wentworth is trying to inform young people about recognising when they might be being gaslit and how to advocate for themselves.
Healthwatch England describes itself as “your health and social care champion”, and works with the NHS to improve upon bad patient experiences.
William Pett, its interim director of policy, says what Etchells and Wentworth experienced can “unfortunately” happen all too often and it’s “common for conditions such as ADHD and endometriosis”.
Pett says the organisation hears most often from young people, women and those identifying as LGBTQ, who report being “less likely to feel listened to by healthcare professionals than others”.
Healthwatch England has called for reforms to the NHS complaints system so that patients can get quicker, more satisfactory responses with any concerns they raise, while the NHS has recently rolled out Martha’s Law, which allows patients and their families or carers to request a rapid review if their condition is deteriorating.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our renewed Women’s Health Strategy recognises medical gaslighting as a real barrier, particularly for those living with conditions like endometriosis, and our recently published Quality Strategy sets clear standards to ensure everyone – including disabled people – receives the high-quality, respectful care they deserve.
“Every patient deserves to be heard, believed, and treated with dignity, which is why our 10-year Health Plan sets out how we are putting patient voice at the heart of our NHS reforms.”
While Etchells wishes she was listened to on that first GP visit aged 13, she now feels “lucky” to be under a dedicated endometriosis team who do listen.
When it comes to the neuropathic pain in her legs, a result of the ligament damage, she says that on days where she can’t take strong pain medication due to work commitments, she has learned to pretend the pain is not there.
Ironically, she says: “I medically gaslight myself to get through the day.”
Homeland Security Secretary Mullin reiterates Trump threats about elections
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has doubled down on threats United States President Donald Trump made against states that defy his demands for election reform.
Mullin’s latest speech on Friday largely reiterated what Trump said the night before: that the administration would pursue a hardline agenda to reshape US elections.
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Borrowing a term from Trump’s foreign policy platform, Mullin pledged to pursue a campaign of “maximum pressure” to ensure compliance.
He also hinted at repercussions for those Trump accused of misleading the US public during the 2020 election, which Trump falsely claims he won.
“This isn’t about rehashing the 2020 election. This is just exposing what took place and to make sure it never happens again,” Mullin said.
He added that his department is looking at individuals within the intelligence community and the administration of former President Joe Biden as possible targets.
“Everybody that purposely misled the American people, abused their power and their authority and decided not to continue doing their job will be held accountable,” Mullin explained.
Intensifying pressure on states
But while Trump repeatedly alleged a “deep state” cover-up about election vulnerabilities in Thursday’s primetime speech, the declassified documents his White House released failed to substantiate his sweeping claims.
Like Trump before him, Mullin zeroed in on four states as the target for the administration’s immediate efforts: California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada.
All four are considered either critical swing states or left-wing strongholds. They are also fairly populous states, each endowed with an above-average number of votes in the Electoral College, the system that decides US presidential elections.
Those four states combined have 250,000 non-citizens on their voting rolls, according to Mullin, who offered no basis for the statistic.
Mullin also reiterated Trump’s claim that the government had uncovered nearly 278,000 foreign nationals in total who are registered to vote.
There is no indication of how the Trump administration arrived at that figure, and experts warn that just because someone registered does not mean they were actually able to successfully cast a ballot.
Funds to be withheld
States screen voters for eligibility requirements like citizenship, and instances of non-citizen voting are exceedingly rare.
An analysis from the Brennan Center for Justice, for instance, studied 42 jurisdictions in the 2016 elections, when Trump made his first successful bid for public office. It found that non-citizen voting accounted for .0001 percent of the ballots.
Trump has a long history of election denial. Even in 2016, Trump won the Electoral College system but lost the popular vote — a fact that he tried to explain away by falsely claiming millions of people “voted illegally”.
Election experts have widely dismissed claims that non-citizen voting is a threat to the outcome of the US elections.
Still, Mullin threatened to withhold federal funds from states that fail to comply with Trump’s demands about election security.
“We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory, meaning that if these states want a grant and they want to be reimbursed to work or to run federal elections, they’re going to have to implement security issues,” Mullin said.
“Just security issues. We’re not trying to get into anything else, but we’re saying that the machines have to be secured and that your voter registration list needs to be scrubbed.”
Raising doubts about electronic voting
Trump has long voiced unsubstantiated concerns about the security of electronic voting, pushing instead for a return to paper ballots. He has also called for restrictions on mail-in ballots, though he himself has used such methods to vote.
His administration has also repeatedly pressured states to turn over their voter rolls to the federal government. Several federal courts, however, have blocked Trump’s efforts to create a federal voter database.
Furthermore, the tool the Trump administration plans to use to consolidate voter information, the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, has been criticised for erroneously flagging foreign-born citizens as non-citizens.
Still, earlier this month, the Trump administration sent letters to election officials across the country, threatening prosecution if non-citizen voters are found in their states.
Critics have accused Trump of seeking to nationalise election administration, though the US Constitution grants the power to organise elections to the states alone.
Already, leaders in some states have responded to Mullin’s remarks with hints of further legal action.
“California has free, fair, and secure elections and we will fight for them,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on his social media feed, linking to a video of Mullin on Friday. “Try us.”
A clash with TV networks
Mullin, meanwhile, also took aim at the major television networks that did not broadcast Trump’s primetime speech live on Thursday.
The White House had requested airtime for the address, whose contents were shrouded in mystery beforehand.
But critics urged networks not to give Trump a platform to make baseless election claims that could undermine confidence in the upcoming 2026 midterm vote.
Ultimately, companies like ABC, NBC and CNN did not air the half-hour speech in full on their main channels, while others like Fox News did — but with caveats.
Trump used his primetime slot to denounce the channels that opted out.
“They and others in the media are part of a plot. They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. They want to keep it going,” Trump said.
“You can’t have a great country without free and fair elections. Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licences.”
Mullins echoed that assessment when asked about Trump’s threat, calling the networks “shameful” and implying they were part of a broad cover-up.
“What are they trying to cover up? Why wouldn’t they want to inform the American people? Why are they calling themselves a news outlet if they’re not actually trying to get the news out there?” Mullins asked.
Thursday’s speech was not the first time the Trump administration has threatened to revoke broadcast licences from channels he disagrees with. It did so last September, for instance, amid a feud with late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
In light of Trump’s latest remarks, the sole Democratic commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Anna Gomez, took to social media to reject the threat as unconstitutional.
“The FCC has no authority to punish a station for refusing to air a blatantly political speech. This is a naked attempt to bully broadcasters, and the FCC should have no part in it,” Gomez wrote.
“It is ridiculous to call for broadcasters to lose their license simply for making the same editorial decisions they’ve made under presidents of both parties, especially when the remarks were still available to anyone who wanted to watch them online.”
The First Amendment of the US Constitution offers broad protections for free speech and the news media.
FDA identifies potential culprit in cyclosporiasis outbreak as illness spreads nationwide
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