Tom Brady, LeBron and 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 megastars including Serena Williams and David Beckham will be attending. The festival expects 200,000 attendees over its four days, demonstrating its significant growth from 2022.
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Fanatics Fest is a viral moment waiting to happen considering the sheer number of superstars under one roof in Manhattan, and perhaps the first came on Thursday's opening day at the Javits Center at the Raising Cane activation.
It was a legendary combination of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and 500 gallons of Raising Cane's famous sauce filled into a dunk tank. Brady, whose accuracy with the ball remains unmatched, did not miss his target.
Gronkowski started splashing around in the sauce, while Brady and Raising Cane owner Todd Graves joined the masses to celebrate one of the best moments from the start of Fanatics Fest.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Todd Graves, Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady attend Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on July 16, 2026. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for fans)
Before Brady's release took the seat away from 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 famous trademark sauce came to be.
“I never thought about a Cane's Sauce dunk tank, but partnering with Fanatics and Fanatics Fest, which is cool,” Graves explained. “They're incredible partners. First, Michael Rubin and I have been friends, we talk business, we help each other in a lot of 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 big figures in sports and entertainment, everyone from Tom Brady to Kevin Hart, right? All of that together, I thought, 'Man, let's partner. Let's do this deal.'
TOM BRADY GETS INSPIRED AFTER MEETING HEART TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT FROM MAKE-A-WISH TEAN AT FANATICS FEST
“With Fanatics Fest, partnering with them wasn't just like, 'Here, come, do whatever you want.' No, it was, 'Let's put our minds together and do what we can.' Then they came up with the idea. Actually [CEO of OBB Media] Michael Ratner said, 'Let's make a dip tank with cane sauce.' I was like, 'Yes!' And he said, 'Let's have Brady dunk Gronk.' “My God, I couldn't think of two better people doing it.”
Graves believed the moment was going to be “legendary” and “something in Cane history” forever. And when the brand opened its first doors in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 28, 1996, little did Graves think that 30 years later, two of the country's most recognized athletes would make it happen.
“Teams are already very excited about this. The fans are going to love it. What a better guy like Gronk, and for Brady to hit the mark. It's ideal,” Graves added.
Tom Brady throws football during the Raising Cane dunk tank event, where Rob Gronkowski dropped into 500 gallons of Cane's Sauce. (Raising the cane)
Brady and Gronkowski warmed up the crowd 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 arrives.
In classic Gronkowski style, he was chirping at Brady from his seat, but FOX Sports NFL colleagues knew what the end result would be with that. Brady toyed with Gronkowski at first, purposely hitting the Cane logo right above the target, and did it again with a different one.
Then, on his third throw, Brady hit it, and all of the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Gronkowski caused a Cane's Sauce explosion when he fell. There was a splash zone if you were close enough, and it was a moment that 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 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)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Through growth, I now have 100,000 crew members, we have 1,000 locations and we're about to turn 30 years old. For me to walk in here and see our logos here and see people who want to come and be a part of Cane's, it's a dream come true. To make a dunk tank, and Tom Brady and Gronk want to do it, I built a brand that is special to my team and my customers. So, an absolute dream. I always have to pinch myself and part of “My job is to do things like this, which is cool,” Graves said.
“We love what we do. I love my company, I love my team and my clients. This is something I think we can do for fun, because I know how much I'm going to enjoy it.”
Follow Fox News Digital sports coverage in X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
