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  • first responders are getting a much needed helping hand this week, thanks to a baseball jersey manufacturing facility, the fanatics factory temporarily halting production of baseball uniforms.

  • Instead, the company has now committed to using that same Jersey fabric to make a 1,000,000 masks and gowns for our first responders battling the Corona virus.

  • Joining Me Now Michael Rubin, founder and executive chairman of Fanatics.

  • He's also the co owner of the Philadelphia 70 Sixers basketball team.

  • Michael, thank you so much for being here and thank you for what you're doing.

  • This is an incredible effort.

  • It was your idea.

  • How did you come up with it?

  • You know, truth be told, it was from watching the news.

  • I generally only watch live sports amount of TV watcher, but with no life sports.

  • I've been sitting home watching news.

  • I went to bed it midnight, seeing all these horrific stories about people needing ventilators.

  • People needed more testing and everything thing that people need.

  • And when the story came out about people needed Massa, I woke up with the middle of night way to say we have the factory that makes the official major league baseball jerseys here in Pennsylvania is the way we could be Convert that actually make master council shirt up.

  • Took the fabrics, make the baseball players with the same associates.

  • Were now maybe mask.

  • Yeah.

  • I mean, it is different than making baseball uniforms.

  • What was that conversion like?

  • It wasn't an easy conversion.

  • Was it difficult to walk us through the process How you made that big switch?

  • Well, you know, for May I have the fortunate opportunity just sending to just send in a note to our team and asking them Hey, is there a way you could do it?

  • And for fanatics, trip 7000 employees that are all wanted to figure out how they can help how they can make a big difference here.

  • So within a couple of days, working together with the state of Pennsylvania and also with you hospital, they kind of designed a massive thought were really helping meet the hatch.

  • We were really doing this within a week, coming up with the idea you had this live already we started should be mass last week.

  • That is so incredible.

  • I want to know that.

  • What was the reaction from the baseball commissioner when you pitched the idea the whole jersey production and to start making these gowns and masks.

  • Yeah, Rob Manfred was crowded by called Rob last Monday morning, said, Hey, I've got this crazy idea.

  • What about talking production?

  • Baseball jerseys using the same fabric that make the jurors with using the same associates start making mass and counts?

  • And his immediate reaction was, How did you do?

  • This is quickly as possible, actually said, Hey, we're gonna use all the styles.

  • Hopefully, we don't have any fabric is like like let's go.

  • Anything we can do to help We've got to make a big difference here.

  • So he was equally as excited as I was to take everyone in baseball that would've snacks behind this as quickly as possible.

  • I love that.

  • That gives me chills just hearing about the enthusiasm in the support and the excitement of doing something where we all feel so helpless in these moments, you mentioned the first batch of masks and gowns is already shipping out.

  • Who's going to get these much needed supplies?

  • Well, so ST Luke's Hospital, I think first match went to a recording with State Pennsylvania and the emergency department to figure out exactly who to get into, But we're now making more than 10,000 every day, and they're shipping them out every day's remember factions.

  • So you're getting out there pretty quickly and I keep seeing people on.

  • Social media is actually some people like, Hey, can't we hate this baseball team?

  • But I love what they're doing.

  • So pretty good patron baseball fans, you know, best pants.

  • I can't believe it worthy.

  • Shakey's passed for a police raid, saying, I can't believe I'm a Yankee.

  • So it's actually I didn't think about this when we did it.

  • We just thought about how do we take the fabrics that we have in the factory and take the associate make masters?

  • Put these possible not given consideration that you're gonna have.

  • Fans get teams wearing a mask from opposing tears, just uniting us all in a different way.

  • Michael Rubin, thank you so much.

  • What a brilliant idea.

  • And thank you for what you're doing for the people who are right there on the front lines, risking their lives.

  • Thank you for helping protect them.

  • It's a pleasure.

  • Thank you.

  • Hi, everyone.

  • George Stephanopoulos here.

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  • Thanks for watching.

first responders are getting a much needed helping hand this week, thanks to a baseball jersey manufacturing facility, the fanatics factory temporarily halting production of baseball uniforms.

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