Hour 2: Michael Rubin and Craig Carton Talk Fanatics Fest & Knicks Success

**Craig Carton** (0:00)
Carton Show, Big Mac, great to have you here. You know, it's always great bringing really neat people, cool people, successful people on the show, but when you've known those people for 30 years, I gotta be honest, it's not as cool as it might be for other people. The only requirement I had for our next guest today is that because of our relationship, if he had gone on any other show here first, he would have been dead to me. Dead to you. And I would have been very upset. The founder and CEO of Fanatics, Michael Rubin, who I'm very proud and privileged to call, very close friend is here. How you been buddy?
I'm excited to be here. Yeah, you are. Mostly because I think this is really the roast of Craig Carton. You think so? I didn't come here to talk about Fanatics. I didn't come here to talk about Fanatics Fest, July 16th, the 19th. I came here to just abuse you. Yes. Listen, everybody that works with me and for me loves that. Because they can't do it. I mean, you're a pretty easy target. I am. If we're honest with each other. Yes, I am. You're talking about you slimmed down a little bit finally. I have slimmed down. Yeah, well, I've been helping you with that ever since you chased around your office with a Maggiorno needle. I decided that I mean, I just couldn't look at you anymore.
I had to stab you a few times. And by the way, that's a true story. I'm having a thank you notice from your wife. Yeah, she's appreciative. She's very happy that you got me off my ass to to work out, to box, to use kettlebells and to eat healthier, which is what it's all about. Mike, you know that? Yeah, I'm here to help you, brother.
You are. So one of your guys, Brandon actually sent me a text the other day that the New York Knicks are the most popular team in the history of fanatics, which I always knew they would be because I think the Eagles had the record, your Philadelphia Eagles before that, and the Cubs obviously were very popular in 16, when they won the World Series but nothing like what you guys are seeing with Knick fans. There is nothing like Knick fans. I mean, first of all, New York fans, incredible, been a little bit starved here from big championships, but they've shown up in the biggest way possible. It's been fun to be around the city. Were you out with them last night?
I was not out with them last night. I tried to be young and vibrant and I actually realized I was old. But Sunday night and last night, I said I'm coming and didn't come. You didn't go to the Flyfish Club on Sunday night? I said I was coming, I did not come.
Listen, the problem is I get up by like five o'clock to work in the morning. I'm always working that early. So you have all the aspiration like come on, I'm young, I'm fun, I could still do this. Then you're like, oh God, I'm going to be dead. I need to sleep five or six hours. But the Knicks fans have been incredible. This is in the history of fanatics, the single biggest hot market we've ever had. We've had some really big ones. For sure. The Cubs won the World Series in 2016 We'd never seen anything like that. That was the record center at the time. That was the record center. Yeah. I think they had it once since 1903, if I remember. It was over a hundred years, yeah. Yeah. It was 1903 Then Eagles, enormous, when they won the first time, it was incredible.
By the way, Dodgers last year, pretty spectacular, but this is just another level.
I actually took a jog Sunday morning from where I live in West Village to the NBA store that we own, and just watching people in there, just grabbing everything, shirts, asking them what do you want, anything. I want everything. There's a line at the NBA store around the block for the last two and a half days, and you didn't jog, you probably walked. I actually jogged, which is a man of my weight, 16 pounds, didn't actually jog there. A guy of your size would probably need a wheelchair or some type of scooter to get you there. You haven't jogged since I've known you. I could tell you, I'm actually jogging later today because I missed my workout this morning. I'm going to jog later this afternoon. I'd like to say you should come with me, be good for a seat. You know full eye, I'm not jogging anywhere. And I don't live in the city anymore. We'll get you a city bike, see if you're somebody who's probably crashing into something. Well, I could do a city bike. You know, it would be a great motivation for you. I'll have a bullhorn and I'll just bike right behind you on the bullhorn. Jog, fatso, jog! That'd be good for you, I think. The last competition, I remember, we participated in together. You know what it was? Oh, my. No, we might have gone to the Kentucky Derby. It's probably 20 plus years ago together. Yeah. And we might have gone to White Castle after we had about 14,000 trains. In a stretched limousine. Yeah. That's when they had stretched limousines. Yeah. And it was who could eat the most burgers.