Earning Access to the Access: What Fanatics Fest Taught Me About the Tables Within Tables
by Deneen L. Garrett
Press credentials get you only so far. Sometimes you need press credentials for the press credentials. And if you’ve ever navigated a room where your access had a ceiling — where you were credentialed but not quite credentialed enough — you already know what it means to earn access to the access.
Three days at Fanatics Fest in New York City as credentialed press taught me that quickly. What began as a sports and culture event turned into a masterclass in layered exclusivity — and a reminder that the most powerful tables are always the ones inside the room you already worked to get into.
The Rooms Worth Choosing
Day one brought LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton to Mind The Game — a conversation about the mental side of sport. What stood out wasn’t LeBron’s star power. It was the moment he came down to a young fan’s level, gave him space to ask two well-thought-out questions and then turned to the media and said: take note. Greatness that makes room for the next generation is always worth witnessing.
Day two brought the moment that mattered most, A Seat at the Table: The Future of Women’s Sports Ownership, featuring Taylor Rooks, Tom Brady, Lindsey Vonn, Candace Parker, Serena Williams, and James Harden — each holding a stake in various sports ventures. It overlapped with another session. There was no hesitation. As a woman who empowers women, that seat was non-negotiable.
Day three offered something unexpected — When Icons Become Art, where sports and fine art collided on a trading card. A collaboration between artist George Condo and Topps produced custom cards for 19 icons. As an art collector and advocate for Black art, witnessing that intersection firsthand was its own kind of credential.
The Tables Within Tables
Here’s what stayed after it all: the exclusivity within the exclusivity. The press pass opened the building. It didn’t open everything. Spaces like the 40/40 Club and the CNBC Sport x Boardroom activations were tables within tables — VIP inside already-VIP, requiring additional credentials on top of the ones already earned. And the overall energy of Fanatics Fest skewed young, designed for families first.
But here’s what the room didn’t advertise: the 40/40 Club belongs to Jay-Z. Jay-Z is 50+. So is the CEO of Roc Nation. The most exclusive table within the table — the one requiring credentials beyond credentials — was built and run by people our age.
So don’t let anyone tell you that exclusivity ages out. Black women 50+ have been building, investing, and showing up in culture longer than most of these brands have existed. You are not waiting for a seat at the table. You are already qualified for the room — including the rooms inside the room.
The question isn’t whether you belong there. The question is: which room are you building next? Inside the Dream Lifestyle™ Collective, we practice exactly that — building access, investing in each other, and creating tables worth being at. Join us at deneenlgarrett.com.
Have you ever had to earn access to the access?
Deneen L. Garrett is a Cultural Alchemist and Media Architect who shift shapes culture through storytelling — writing, speaking (international), podcasting and community building. She is the Founder of the Dream Lifestyle™ Collective — a community where Black women 50+ Dream, Decide/Design and Drive™ their next chapter with joy and intention. Explore the movement at deneenlgarrett.com. Deneen is also the creator and host of Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation, a Top 20 Women’s Empowerment podcast, now streaming live every Thursday at 1p ET as WOC Live on YouTube @deneenlgarrett.