New Jersey has birthed countless sports stars, housed a number of professional sports teams, and maintained a variety of sports-related museums. Sitting comfortably between New York and Pennsylvania, sports have always been a large part of the Garden State’s culture, and one weekend each year, sports fans and athletes alike unite at the GT Sports Marketing East Coast Sports Spectacular.
Every year for the past seven years, GT Sports Marketing (GTSM), a company founded in Hawaii, has organized a sports show, featuring tons of vendors and celebrity athletes. The organization hosts events in Somerset, New Jersey; Houston, Texas; and Santa Clara, California, and has become a renowned sports show organizer.
This year, the East Coast Sports Spectacular, which took place from April 22-24, featured a ton of popular current and former athletes from several different sports. Stars like Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, DeMarcus Ware, Emerson Boozer, Carli Lloyd, Michael Irvin, and Eddie Lacey, to name a few, were among the dozens who traveled out to New Jersey to meet, take pictures with, and sign autographs for the thousands of dedicated fans who attended the event. Every celebrity guest was friendly and more than happy to interact with everyone who approached them.
The sports show also featured a variety of vendors, selling everything sports related from paintings and signed memorabilia to jerseys and helmets. The atmosphere maintained its liveliness for three straight days.
The GTSM East Coast Sports Spectacular is an incredible and extensive event. Elated fans gathered to browse through tons of exclusive memorabilia and meet their idols. The distinguished sports show next travels to Houston in May and then Santa Clara in January, before returning to Somerset’s Garden State Exhibit Center from April 28-30, 2017. For more information abut the event, you can visit this exhibit page.
All Photos: © Patrick Lombardi / Best of NJ