Michael Rubin
Michael Rubin is the founder and CEO of Fanatics, the global digital sports platform reshaping licensed merchandise, collectibles, and sports betting. He previously founded GSI Commerce, which he sold to eBay for $2.4 billion in 2011.
Michael Rubin's Bio
Michael Gary Rubin is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as the founder and CEO of Fanatics, a global sports platform spanning licensed merchandise, trading cards, collectibles, sports betting, and live events.
Growing up in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, Rubin showed an early entrepreneurial streak, running a ski-tuning business from his parents' basement as a preteen. He later launched Global Sports Incorporated in 1998, which became GSI Commerce, an e-commerce company he sold to eBay for $2.4 billion in 2011.
After the sale, Rubin bought back several consumer brands, keeping the Fanatics name for the sports merchandising business. Under his leadership, Fanatics expanded from an online retailer into a full-scale sports platform with exclusive league and team partnerships, including Major League Baseball, the National Football League, Nike, and hundreds of collegiate properties.
Rubin has driven Fanatics through major milestones: pandemic-era PPE production from MLB uniform plants, the acquisition of Topps, and aggressive expansion into sports betting and gaming. He is also co-chair of REFORM Alliance and created the ALL IN Challenge, which raised tens of millions for food-related charities.
Today, Fanatics operates globally with tens of thousands of employees and a growing footprint in sports media, events, and collectibles, making Rubin one of the most influential figures in modern sports business.
Career Timeline
1972 — Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Michael Gary Rubin was born on July 21, 1972, in the Philadelphia area.
1998 — Founded Global Sports Incorporated at GSI Commerce
Created the apparel and logistics company that would later become GSI Commerce.
2011 — Sold GSI Commerce to eBay
Sold GSI Commerce to eBay for $2.4 billion, then repurchased the Fanatics consumer business.
2011 — Acquired Fanatics and launched standalone sports platform
Bought back Fanatics from eBay and began building it into a global licensed sports merchandise platform.
2012 — Purchased Dreams Inc.
Acquired the online retailer Dreams Inc. for $183 million.
2016 — Expanded Fanatics into the United Kingdom
Began international expansion through partnerships and the acquisition of Kitbag.
2020 — Launched the ALL IN Challenge at Fanatics
Created a digital fundraising initiative that raised roughly $60 million for food-related charities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022 — Acquired Topps at Fanatics
Completed the $500 million purchase of Topps to expand Fanatics into trading cards and collectibles.
Books by Michael Rubin
Whistle me home
1967
In a cold country
1971
An absence of bells
1972
In the middle of things
1973
Unfinished business
1975
Men Without Masks
1980
Defending the galaxy : the complete guide to videogaming
1982
Nonlinear
1991
Into the Shadows
2001
The little digital video book
2002
iLife '04
2004
Droidmaker
2005
Apple Training Series
2005
Netter's concise neuroanatomy
2006
