Athlete Relations Sr. Associate, Appearances

At Fanatics Commerce, we’re more than just a leader in licensed sports merchandise – we’re a team united by a relentless passion for our fans and a commitment to innovation. We live by our BOLD Leadership principles: We Build Championship Teams, we’re Obsessed with Fans, we embrace a Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit, and we approach every challenge with a Determined and Relentless Mindset. If you’re ready to contribute to a dynamic, fast-paced environment that thrives on collaboration and growth, we want you to be part of our team.

 

Role Overview 

 

The Athlete Relations Senior Associate, Appearances is a trusted operational lead responsible for owning the end-to-end coordination of athlete public appearances, photo ops, and brand activations. This role assumes primary accountability for a defined athlete portfolio within the Appearances function, serves as the on-site operational lead during events, and actively supports Associates to ensure consistent, high-quality execution.

Senior Associates in Appearances are expected to operate independently across a wide range of event types — from premium live events and large-scale fan activations to retail partnerships and live Memorabilia Breaks — while maintaining strong relationships with athletes, agents, and internal stakeholders across the Fanatics ecosystem.

 

how you will make an impact:

 

 

• Serve as the primary operational lead on-site, managing appearance flow, athlete logistics, fan engagement, and real-time issue resolution
• Lead execution of high-profile activations including WWE Premium Live Events, Fanatics Fest, hobby store events, and large brick-and-mortar retail partnerships (e.g., Dick's Sporting Goods)
• Coordinate scheduling and logistics for contractual athlete live Memorabilia Breaks
• Ensure 100% fulfillment of contracted appearance obligations per agreement requirements, resolving gaps proactively before event day
• Maintain a sub-3% contract rework/error rate by ensuring all appearance assets and deliverables are prepared accurately and on time
• Serve as the primary relationship contact for an assigned portfolio of professional athletes and their representatives across appearance obligations
• Serve as the primary Athlete Relations point of contact for cross-functional partners on assigned appearances and events
• Identify risks to relationship health and surface concerns proactively to management
• Support and guide Associates during appearance preparation and on-site execution
• Provide real-time coaching and feedback to Associates during events
• Contribute to consistent application of appearance standards, SLAs, and operational best practices across the team
• Identify process improvement opportunities and share recommendations with management
• Track and report of P&L’s to Director post event

 

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what you bring to the team:

 

• 3+ years of experience in athlete/talent appearances 
• Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• Strong sports industry knowledge, including familiarity with professional athlete and agent ecosystems across major leagues
• Demonstrated experience managing athlete or client relationships with a high degree of professionalism
• Proven ability to operate independently in fast-paced, time-sensitive, and high-visibility environments
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to engage confidently with athletes, agents, fans, and executives
• High level of organization with the ability to manage multiple events and priorities simultaneously
• Ability to work well under pressure, including short lead-time coordination driven by market events
• Nights, weekends, and travel may be required for position.
• Proficient with Microsoft Applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) 
• Superior communication skills on various levels. Must have articulate speech, proper business writing skills and ability to listen to clients and quickly address any concerns.
• High level of organization with the ability to balance multiple projects simultaneously 
• Work well under pressure. This industry is often driven by hot market events which require short lead-time negotiation and coordination to deliver finished product during the critical time perio