Crypto Corner: The Sports Slice
We were off last week after an unusually quiet week in sports and crypto; don’t worry, we’re back in the mix this week with some of the latest headlines and activity across the sports, crypto and blockchain landscape. From athlete projects, to team and league partnerships, to new blockchain-based platforms, we look to cover everything that’s happening across sports and crypto.
Let’s take a look at all the biggest stories of the past week.
The sports disc
Liverpool extend partnership with Sorare
Sorare has been on fire lately, securing a major league deal with the NBA in recent weeks to join their two existing major league US deals. Sorare is keeping its foot on the gas in other regions as well, as Liverpool FC announced last week that they are deepening their existing partnership with Sorare.
It’s unclear exactly what that will look like, but the release points to “multimedia fan content and … new unique experiences.” The platform now offers all the Reds players as collectibles. Sorare is a French-based firm that has seen an abundance of European soccer partners and has recently shown investment in building its book of US-based operations as well.
Autograf secures a multi-year agreement with the PGA Tour
Tom Brady isn’t the only one scoring points this month, despite the NFL season getting underway. The Brady-led Autograph scored big this past week with a new league deal with the PGA Tour. As we’ve discussed in recent days, revenue sharing with players is expected – a fitting move considering the pressure the LIV Golf property is looking to apply.
Autograph continues to find strong established partners in its early stages – the firm’s roster of founders across virtually every sport makes a strong pitch for the platform’s future.
AC Milan press in Solana-based “Monkey League”
AC Milan have secured a new official ‘NFT Gaming Partner’ this past week after signing Solana-based football game Monkey League. The game is one of the ever-growing fantasy-style NFT games, meaning players can expect to see branded AC Milan assets in-game. The first coin between the two will launch on October 6th at MagicEden.
ENS Domains (ENS) token has performed strongly in recent months despite broader market struggles. Chain CEO Deepak Thapliyal purchased 'patriots.eth' last week following the firm's partnership with Kraft Sports. | Source: ENS-USD on TradingView.com
Kraft Sports, New England Patriots partner with chain
Kraft Sports + Entertainment secured a new partnership with Chain this past week, which will come to life through Kraft’s umbrella properties, including the NFL’s New England Patriots and MLS’s New England Revolution. Chain mainly operates around blockchain infrastructure and blockchain-related services under a SaaS model; in our report, it is rumored that the four-year partnership also included the Patriots purchasing the ENS domain ‘patriots.eth’ for $75K.
It was later confirmed and reported that Chain CEO Deepak Thapliyal purchased the domain, at a price tag of $99K. It’s a fitting response given that the partnership is a first for Chain in terms of sports partners.
Rario continues to dominate cricket
NFT platform Rario continues to take market share of cricket partnerships. We’ve called out the platform a few times in ‘The Sports Slice’ during its tenure, and the project is back in the headlines this week after securing another official talent partnership – this time with Indian ODI player Prasidh Krishna.
NBA action figures, with an NFT twist
Hasbro is rebooting its previous ‘Starting Lineup’ toys, with new developments in recent days. Except this time they will include NFTs. LeBron James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and more of the NBA’s biggest stars will be featured as six-inch figurines that will sell for $50 each.
The collectibles were last seen in the 1980s and 1990s, so they’re coming back with a 2022 web3 twist: one NFT with every purchase. Randomly allocated rarities (including only one gold NFT per player) will be sold and will operate on Panini’s blockchain infrastructure.
Hasbro hasn’t shied away from NFTs, already using them with IP properties like Power Rangers, and partnering with web3 properties like the NFT project ‘World of Women’ for a custom Monopoly game.
Featured image from Pexels, Charts from TradingView.com
The writer of this content is not associated or affiliated with any of the parties mentioned in this article. This is not financial advice.
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