NFL Players Join DraftKings for new NFT Collections
The ’22-’23 NFL season will mark the arrival of gamified NFT collections. In plain terms, this means collections of unique non-functional digital tokens presented in a competitive manner will be available to the public. DraftKings has teamed up with current NFL players to bring these idiosyncratic NFT collections to the market.
Gamified Sports NFTs are Months Away
DraftKings’ deal with the NFL Player’s Association is making waves through the industry for good reason. If successful, the gamified NFT collections will inspire football fans and investors to compete for the top NFL NFTs in the season ahead. Though the details of the new partnership are limited, the initial press release makes it clear that the new collections will be similar to the popular NBA Top Shot.
NFT buyers will have the opportunity to trade these new collections. Those who acquire the NFTs will be able to use the collectibles similar to trading cards. It is also possible that these NFTs will serve as playing cards in competitive NFT battles though the details of the gamification component have not been fully revealed.
Why the Partnership Matters
It is assumed that the NFL Players Association’s partnership with DraftKings for competitive NFTs will set the stage for fans to buy, sell and use NFTs in the context of competition. There will be a focus on digital scarcity and unique utility, possibly similar to Magic playing cards.
Polygon has agreed to lend its assistance in perfecting the NFT scarcity and utility components. Polygon and DraftKings announced their partnership prior to the news of the deal with the NFL Players Association. Polygon’s team will create an environmentally-friendly and fully scalable blockchain that allows for additional throughput, an extension of capabilities and reduced transaction fees.
The NFL is Going all in on NFTS
NFT momentum is clearly building all the more now that NFL players are hopping on board. These digital non-fungible tokens rely on the blockchain to track ownership and transactions. In fact, some NFTs have sold for millions of dollars.
The DraftKings NFL NFTs are likely to succeed simply because those who already use DraftKings to wager on athletes’ performances will be interested in making even more money through digital stores of values such as NFTs. In short, money is the focus of DraftKings and its users, meaning the opportunity to add to the bottom line through NFL NFTs will prove mutually beneficial to both parties as well as the warriors on the gridiron.
NFL teams have been scrambling to figure out how to maximize revenue with the use of digital sources including NFTs. Some teams have gone as far as attaching NFTs to tickets for certain games by way of Dapper Labs’ NFL All Day marketplaces. NFL All Day’s closed beta launched this past Thursday. If everything goes as planned, the platform will allow for the trading, minting, buying and selling of NFTs. However, what matters most in the context of the deal with DraftKings is the new NFTs will feature the players’ names, images and likeness. These breakthrough NFTs are yet another way for football fans to own a piece of the gridiron action.
