Business
Two Billionaires Bet They Can Sell Sports Swag to the World
- Fanatics Inc. plans global push after $1 billion investment
- U.S.-style sports merchandise could be a tougher sell abroad
Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images
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Fanatics Inc. has crushed the competition in the U.S. sports-merchandise industry by selling fans things they didn’t realize they needed, like a $40 New York Yankees money clip or a $50 Green Bay Packers bikini.
Now, armed with a $1 billion investment from SoftBank Group Corp.’s Masayoshi Son, fellow billionaire Michael Rubin aims to tackle a tougher challenge: sparking an American-style hunger for sports-team gear in fans from Bristol to Beijing.