Fanatics Fest NYC was packed with big-name athletes from all corners of the sports world. But it was the unexpected moments—like the link-up between Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and another star that had fans talking.

A memorable moment came when the two former LSU quarterbacks, Daniels and Burrow, were spotted casually tossing a football around during the action-packed weekend. It was a full-circle moment for football fans.

Burrow played quarterback at LSU from 2018 to 2019, leading the Tigers to a national championship and winning the Heisman Trophy in his senior year. A few years later, Daniels took over as LSU’s quarterback from 2022–2023 and went on to win the Heisman himself.

Now, both are recognized as stars in the NFL have both already led their teams to franchise history as quarterbacks.

At Fanatics Fest NYC, you can always expect the unexpected. With its blend of sports and entertainment, the event creates space for iconic moments, like this LSU reunion between Burrow and Daniels.

Daniels, heading into his second season with the Commanders, was everywhere throughout the weekend. From a panel with NFL legends to a conversation with team owner Josh Harris, to a WWE-style entrance set to a Travis Scott song, and then this moment with Burrow only added to the weekend.

In their passing session they weren’t worried about competition. It was a shared moment of mutual respect between the two Heisman winners, offering fans a glimpse of greatness rooted in purple and gold.

READ MORE: Commanders’ Jayden Daniels reveals matchup he’s looking forward to this season

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2025 offseason.

• 3 Commanders among NFL’s top 100 players

• Commanders make important announcement ahead of 2025 season

• Commanders face early pressure test while rivals chase legacy goals

• Jayden Daniels gets big praise from rival Giants wide receiver

More than ever before, autographs on sports memorabilia are currency, not just nostalgia. Just about every signing it may seem is the first step to the secondary market, not someone’s scrapbook. A recent incident involving the Los Angeles Sparks’ Kelsey Plum is raising the question of what the etiquette should be when making a request. Should athletes just expect to face these asks whenever they step out in public, given that the people with pens are the new paparazzi?

Kelsey Plum wasn’t a fan of WNBA fans asking for autographs outside of her hotel

(via MinnyGraphs / TikTok) pic.twitter.com/q5bn5vqIGU

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 19, 2025

What’s not disputed according to video of the incident is that Plum was outside the team hotel in Minnesota when approached by men with open books of trading cards for her to sign. The three-time WNBA All-Star is a player whose autographed cards are valued by collectors in the resale market. Plum felt it was “weird” for men to be waiting outside of her hotel with books of things to sign and called them out for it.

“Don’t you find it kind of weird, like low-key?” she asked the autograph seeker about him being at the Sparks’ hotel before they were. “I’m a little turned off right now,” she added before saying she appreciated the fan and signing one card.

For further context, teammate Dearica Hamby tweeted:

“We literally left for practice and changed hotels… so to be there the moment we got there after SWITCHING hotels without being like HEY WE’RE SWITCHING HOTELS was weird.”

When the video of the encounter went viral, people took sides, with many coming out against Plum and in favor of the autograph seekers. The man in the encounter, Nick Pedersen, “minneygraphs99” on TikTok, captioned the video by saying, “Kelsey Plum is not a fan of the WNBA fans who like to collect her autographs.”

Pederson then attempted to defend himself in a Facebook group for WNBA fans.

“I asked Kelsey and she went ballistic and started calling me weird and I was ‘turning her off.’ Kelsey has always had something against male fans who want her autograph,” Pederson wrote. “Autographs are a hobby just like fishing or sewing. It brings me and a lot of others happiness.”

Through his eBay store, Minygraphs LLC, Pederson has sold over 3,000 items, including trading cards bearing similar after-market autographs.

When asked on Facebook about Plum being uncomfortable with him knowing the new hotel where she was staying, Pederson said that there was no stalking involved since “she’s older than me.” He added that the account of her reaction to him knowing about the new hotel was, “100% true, but they went to a hotel one block down the street and they all had their suitcases in the morning before practice. They loaded them in the bus and I heard the bus driver say something about the hotel they were switching to. Nothing creepy involved.”

At Fanatics Fest over the weekend, autograph dealers and collectors were apprised of the incident and asked what the policy should be when seeking autographs from athletes in public places.

“If it’s a whole bunch of items that you’re trying to get signed and you see an athlete in public, it’s probably not going to go favorable to you as a fan,” said Ray Bartreau of Black Tie Breaks in Safety Harbor, FL. “These people are very busy. They’re getting hounded for autographs all the time. I think the best etiquette is to ask nicely with one or maybe two items at the most.

“I do signings in volume where it’s a sanctioned, paid event, and to get the athletes to those is harder (given) their time. They’re being paid. So to catch them on the street and say, ‘Hey, spend 15 minutes signing all of my cards….’ I think that’s a little reach. I side with the athlete on this one.”

Zach Haire, owner of Sports Treasures in Knoxville, TN said, “I’ve always felt if it’s at a public place, but, you know, not a restaurant, I would never approach you at a restaurant, in their own personal space…. But if they’re at the hotel and there’s the barricades up and you’re behind the barricade, being respectful, I don’t see a problem asking an athlete.”

Fans waiting on line at Fanatics Fest for their purchased autographs in personalized signings to be authenticated sided with the player.

“I think first and foremost, you should have a lot of respect for that person,” Kevin Urbanczyk of Buffalo, NY said. “And if that person doesn’t want to give the autograph or needs that personal space, everyone’s entitled to that personal space. If that (autograph seeker) went above and beyond, then, you know, whoever got the signatures had a good day.”

“Respect her space,” said Randy Singh of Paterson, NJ. “It’s not an official event for autograph signings. If she stopped to say hi or take pictures or something and you’re like, ‘Hey, would you mind signing one autograph or taking one selfie picture?’ Then that’s appropriate. And if she says no, just say, ‘Hey, thank you for your time.’ It’s not an official signing event or appearance by that athlete. And you can’t ask for multiple signings. One is the limit.”

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(Top photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

The temperatures are climbing, and we’ll do anything to stay cool, whether that means hunkering down at home with the air conditioner on full blast, setting up a “water park” in the backyard to keep the kids refreshed and entertained, or jumping into a nearby lake over the weekend. We’re always looking for new ways to beat the heat, and we just spotted another good idea, courtesy of Costco. The wholesaler is selling a SaluSpa Arctic Ice Cold Plunge Bath, and it’s currently on sale for $150 (down from $200)!

For the uninitiated, cold plunging is very popular among athletes, celebrities, and anyone with an affinity for all things wellness. By simply immersing yourself in freezing-cold water for a few minutes (you can stay in for as short as 30 seconds to one minute or as long as five minutes if you’re an expert at this), it can help with everything from muscle soreness and recovery to an accelerated metabolism to an improved mood.

Usually, spas offer a cold-to-hot (or hot-to-cold) plunge pool, but you can get this experience right at home with Costco’s sturdy tub. It has “Fortifiber Drop Stitch Walls” that are rigid and durable and come with a cover, so raccoons and bears don’t try to take a dip in your tub. The item takes only five minutes to set up and measures 27.9″ H x 36.22″ W with a water capacity of 111 gallons.

Costco shoppers are pretty pleased with this find, with one person writing that the quality is “A+++++” and even though they’re just under six feet tall, they are able to sit up in the tub and still have leg room. Meanwhile, another person said: “Love this tub. Very comfortable and it seems to insulate the cold inside from all sides except from the top. It’s already plumbed with a garden hose fitting on the underside of the unit, I only wish it was plumbed with an additional fitting midway up one of the walls so you could easily attach to a cold plunge without having to interfere with the top cover. Would also like to see an insulated top as well, but otherwise very happy with this unit.”

We don’t know about you, but when the heat starts zapping the energy out of us, a cold plunge is exactly what we need to shock our system and wake us up. Costco’s SaluSpa item is only on sale until July 6, so we recommend you add this to your cart before the sale ends and have it set up just in time for your July 4 weekend plans. If you’re worried about the price, however, rest assured, there are many highly rated cold plunge tubs for under $200, too. We found several Amazon customer favorites below.

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Professional athletes of all sports attended Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center in New York City, including Kevin Durant, John Cena, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Rob Gronkowski, Michael Chandler, Alex Rodriguez and many more. The event spanned three days and had games, interviews and more for sports fans to enjoy.

As is typically the case in the modern era, a big event such as this took social media by storm. While videos of some players on stage or during interviews at the event went viral, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow went viral for a much different reason at the event.

Taylor Lewan Teases Joe Burrow About Viral Fanatics Fest Video

Burrow participated in a pitching target game at the event, and it’s safe to say he struggled during it. Many would have expected Burrow to excel at that challenge as a professional quarterback, but that wasn’t the case.

As a result, many fans on social media ripped him for the performance. One of those to chime in and roast Burrow was former NFL offensive tackle and co-host of the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, Taylor Lewan.

Lewan took to ‘X’ to say, “Thank you Joe Burrow, thank you.”

Thank you Joe Burrow, thank you.

pic.twitter.com/QQMF3wYU7D

— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) June 21, 2025

While many may wonder why Lewan was thanking Burrow, it is likely due to Lewan’s public struggles in throwing a baseball.

In early June, Lewan threw out the first pitch at a Cincinnati Reds game, and like the pitches Burrow was throwing during Fanatics Fest, the results were not ideal.

Taylor Lewan, First Pitch Mechanics pic.twitter.com/AxqzmESufM

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) June 6, 2025

Lewan’s first pitch was eerily similar to an infamous first pitch at Citi Field by Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson. Both are lefties and threw pitches way wide of the plate in a hilariously embarrassing fashion.

“This is the worst day of my athletic career, and that includes the Chandler Jones game,” Lewan posted on social media after the wild first pitch. “I need redemption.”

Lewan and Burrow’s humorous failures to throw a baseball make it clear that just because they are some of the best in the world in one sport does not mean instant success in another. Fans had a great time poking fun at the players, but that doesn’t change anything for these two NFL stars.

Lewan’s legacy is cemented as a three-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle who has since moved on to a successful podcasting career in his post-NFL life. As for Burrow, the two-time Pro Bowler and two-time Comeback Player of the Year will look to lead the Bengals to another deep playoff run after back-to-back disappointing 9-8 seasons that resulted in missing the playoffs.