The Nation Football League Players Association (NFLPA) in collaboration with sports betting provider DraftKings Inc. announced the launch of a gamified, non-fungible token or NFT collection to be released on the DraftKings Marketplace during the 2022-2023 NFL season. Starting next year, fans will be able to play NFT-based games with their favorite NFL players, according to the company.
OneTeam, the official media business partner of the NFLPA, has facilitated the deal with DraftKings and given them the necessary licensing rights to use the name, picture and likeness for active NFL players.
In a statement divided On the Draftkings website, Beth Beiriger, SVP of Product Operations for DraftKings Marketplace said, “The future of fandom is unfolding before us, and few organizations outside of DraftKings are poised to capitalize on the increasing intersection between sport and NFTs, which will be the cornerstone of engagement and entertainment within Web3. “
The Draftkings Marketplace went live last August with his first Tom Brady NFT collection in partnership with the NFT platform called Autograph, which Brady himself co-founded. In addition to NFTs, Brady continued to show his support for crypto through give a fan 1 BTC for their 600th touchdown pass.
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The announcement indicated that DraftKings’ upcoming NFTs will allow customers to buy and sell collectibles above the polygon network and use it in games against other players. The goal of the DraftKings NFT experience is “to create authentic connections for avid fans,” said Sean C. Sansiveri, general counsel and head of business affairs at NFL Players Inc., the NFLPA’s marketing and licensing arm.
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So did the NFL last month entered a collaboration with Ticketmaster to tie NFT collectibles to selected game tickets when purchased, which underlines the wide acceptance of blockchain technology by the professional sports league.
