Category: Sports

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Binance Football NFTs Sports

Cristiano Ronaldo Partners with Binance to Launch NFT Collection

Cristian Ronaldo, widely considered one of the greatest soccer players to ever lace up the boots, has partnered with cryptocurrency exchange Binance, to launch an NFT collection as part of an exclusive multi-year deal with the exchange. 

The collection will reportedly include seven animated statue NFTs depicting various pivotal moments in Ronaldo’s life and career, ranging from important events in his childhood in Portugal through to his most iconic footballing feats.

Collection to Introduce Fans to Web3

Binance Co-Founder He Yi said collaborations with high-profile figures like Ronaldo would help bring more people into Web3:

“We believe the metaverse and blockchain are the future of the internet…We are honored to collaborate with Cristiano to help more people understand blockchain and showcase how we are building Web3 infrastructure for the sports and entertainment industry.” 

He Yi, Binance

Since it launched in mid-2021, Binance’s NFT marketplace has sought to feature high-profile creators, with some of its earliest collections from popular musician Lewis Capaldi, and professional football stars Michael Owen and Alphonso Davies.

From Ronaldo’s perspective the collection is more about rewarding his loyal fans and thanking them for their years of support:

“It was important to me that we created something memorable and unique for my fans as they are such a big part of my success…With Binance, I was able to make something that not only captures the passion of the game but rewards fans for all the years of support.” 

Cristiano Ronaldo
Source: Binance

NFTs Include Additional Perks

The collection will include NFTs of four different rarity levels, from super super rare (SSR), through to normal (N). Depending on the rarity level of the NFT, buyers may receive additional perks such as:

  • A personal message from Ronaldo
  • Merchandise autographed by Ronaldo
  • Guaranteed access to future Ronaldo NFT collections
  • Complimentary mystery boxes for future Ronaldo NFT collections
  • Entry into giveaways for signed merchandise and other prizes

Ronaldo’s first NFT collection will launch at 9am UTC on November 18 and will be available only to Binance users. Subsequent Ronaldo NFT collections are planned to launch through Binance starting in 2023.

Engaging sports fans has been a popular application of NFTs, with collections released by the US National Basketball Association (NBA) and Australia’s AFL code this year.

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Australia Crypto News NFTs Sports

AFL NFT Drop ‘Ripper Skipper’ Sells Out in Under 12 Hours

With the 2022 AFL finals season about to blast off on September 1, the Australian Football League’s first limited-edition drop of NFTs has galvanised fans of the indigenous code by selling out in less than 12 hours, raising over $130,000 in USDC:

The Ripper Skipper 2022 NFTs, so-named in reference to the captains (“skippers”) of the AFL’s 18 competing clubs, feature 78 significant highlights from the 2021 season, incorporating both video and audio.

Ripper Skipper NFT of Joel Selwood, captain of Geelong, the AFL’s No 1 team.

Another Drop on August 24

While the initial mint sold out in less than half a day, the wider public will gain access to another drop this Wednesday, August 24. The NFTs are launched to members of the public who have signed up to the allowlist, and will sell for A$49 in lucky dip packs of three cards with differing levels of rarity: common (90 percent), deluxe (8 percent), and ovation (2 percent).

Each pack features three “moments” involving selected club leaders in action. There’s also a 10 percent your pack will receive a special, extra-utility-carrying Genesis Ball NFT (pictured, below) as one of the three cards.

AFL Genesis Ball NFT. Source: afl.com.au

“Through our AFL Mint brand, we will launch exciting new moments across our men’s and women’s competitions, plus celebrate past greats and other product releases that will bring a unique fan experience we haven’t seen before,” said Kylie Rogers, executive general manager of customer and commercial at the AFL.

The AFL announced its NFT marketplace in April this year, revealing it had signed a five-year partnership with Be Media, a Perth-based subsidiary of Hong Kong NFT gaming giant Animoca Brands. At the time there was significant pushback from AFL fans who registered their disapproval at the AFL moving into the NFT space. So much for that …

AFL Mint Will Only Get Bigger in 2023

The marketplace will officially launch in 2023, allowing the selling and trading of moments between fans and collectors. AFL Mint has plans to expand on the concept and offer game-day events, tickets and the chance to meet players in the metaverse.

It appears rumours of a downturn in the NFT space, still negatively affecting the crypto world in general, have been somewhat exaggerated.

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Crypto News Crypto Wallets Metaverse NFTs Sports

Real Madrid and Barcelona FC Team Up for Metaverse Activities

Despite their innate differences and fierce rivalry on the pitch, Spanish football superclubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have filed a joint metaverse trademark application encompassing virtual reality gaming/clothing and crypto transaction management software:

Both Clubs to Offer Crypto Wallets

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid filed the application over a week ago but the news has only just been confirmed by trademarks lawyer Mike Kondoudis. The filing indicates that both clubs may be interested in offering their own cryptocurrency wallets.

The alliance has raised eyebrows in that each team represents totally different values. FC Barcelona symbolises the separatist Catalan region, while Real Madrid is linked to the royal family and represents traditional Spanish culture and nationalism.

The derby between the clubs is known as “El Clasico” and is one of football’s premier events. Both clubs have a global fanbase and are the world’s two most followed sports teams on social media.

Back on the Crypto Bandwagon

News of the joint venture has also created interest in light of the fact that FC Barcelona, along with English Premier League champions Manchester City, discarded its crypto sponsors last year in controversial circumstances.

In the case of FC Barcelona, the club announced it had cancelled a deal with NFT marketplace Ownix after the arrest of one of its consultants, Moshe Hogeg, owner of Israeli football team Beitar Jerusalem, for suspected crypto fraud.

Also in November 2021, the Catalan club announced it would be auctioning non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of memorable moments from the club’s 122 years in the game. It was whispered at the time that the auction would serve to offset a debt crisis afflicting the club.

Fan Tokens Part of Metaverse Strategy

Earlier this year, FT Barcelona confirmed music streaming giant Spotify as its jersey sponsor. It also issued its own fan token and has since been linked with fan engagement token company Socios.com in a US$100 million deal to reshape the strategies of the club in the Web3 and metaverse space.

In 2020, Real Madrid partnered with NFT collectible company Sorare and the following year announced it would issue Smart Tickets in the form of NFTs for its audience in partnership with LAVA.

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Australia Metaverse NFTs Sports

Australian Open NFT Project ‘AO Metaverse’ Wins Big in Global Advertising Awards

The Australian Open Metaverse, in partnership with Melbourne Web3 studio ‘Run it Wild’, has won the first Cannes Lions award for an NFT metaverse project in the entertainment category for sports, in this instance the annual Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne in January.

The AO Metaverse project was also awarded a Bronze Lion for “most innovative use of tech and platforms in sports” for its AO Artball, a unique feature that utilised match data from the actual tournament.

How the AO Artball Worked

To create the AO Artball feature, the match court was split into 6,776 squares, each corresponding to a tennis ball NFT. These NFTs would change based on exactly where winning points were scored during the tournament.

Since crowd numbers were affected by Covid lockdowns and many fans were unable to attend in person, the joint creative team built a replica of the Melbourne Park tennis precinct in Decentraland, where people could watch matches and interact with each other in real time.

Fans attending matches in the metaverse had the chance to buy an AO Art Ball NFT linked to a specific spot on centre court that marked the winning shot of both the men’s and women’s championships, along with all other finals matches in the tournament. The project proved such a success that the value of a single championship NFT (the men’s, won by Rafael Nadal) soared 4000 percent.

Cannes Lions Advance Industry, Not Just Business

The Cannes Lions Awards, a global advertising benchmark, is one of the world’s most respected for creative excellence. Companies from over 90 countries enter more than 30,000 pieces and are judged by members of the international creative community. The sole purpose of the awards is to recognise the best work that pushes not just one business, but an entire industry forward.

Adam De Cata, CEO of NFT Tech and founder of Run It Wild, had this to say in response to the award shared with the AO Metaverse:

There’s something truly beautiful when creative, data and technology meet. Having the faith and support of the AO, it’s been a crazy ride pushing the limits of creative and technological possibilities, elevating those we work with.

Adam De Cata, CEO, NFT Tech / founder, Run it Wild

De Cata added: “Accepting this award in the same category as major brands like Adidas, Nike, and Samsung reinforces the power of Web3 and its possibilities.”

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Football NFTs Sorare Sports

Sorare Football NFT Surge 795% After Signing Superstar Kylian Mbappe

Sales of Sorare NFTs have surged 795 percent in the 24 hours since adding French football superstar Kylian Mbappé as an investor and ambassador.

Mbappé is the latest athlete to join the NFT space, and this also marks the first time Sorare has signed a player as an ambassador. Sorare has also pledged to support Mbappé’s charity, Inspired by KM, as part of the deal.

Sorare NFT Sales Soar by $6.6m

According to data from CryptoSlam, Sorare NFTs saw a significant surge in the secondary market. In the 24 hours following the announcement, Sorare registered over US$6.6 million worth of NFT sales, an increase of almost 800 percent.

Sorare founder Nicolas Julia tweeted: “Kylian is becoming our exclusive, long-term ambassador as well as a major investor. Together, we’ll bring Sorare to millions of fans. Kylian will accelerate our mission to unite sports fans across the globe around a player-owned gaming experience.”

Nicolas added: “Kylian is more than a football player. He’s a global icon who carries strong values on and off the pitch. Together, we’ll [also] help underprivileged groups start their businesses and learn about Web3.”

Sorare has signed more than 250 international football teams and claims to have over two million users. The company claims it has brought in more than US$346 million in all-time sales, and in September last year raised US$680 million in a Series B funding round to help turn it into the next sports entertainment giant.

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Crypto News NFTs Sports

English Premier League Files Crypto and NFT Trademarks

The English Premier League (EPL), the British nation’s top tier of professional football, has filed two cryptocurrency and NFT-related trademark applications in the US, as announced this week in a tweet from licensed American trademark lawyer Michael Kondoudis:

Of the two filings lodged with the US Patent and Trademark Office, one is the EPL logo of a “lion wearing a crown in three-quarter view”, while the other is a “loving cup trophy” with lions on each handle and topped with a crown. Each covers the creation and sale of digital assets, virtual clothing, cryptocurrencies, and media files verified by NFTs. They also include the use of Premier League trademarks in “virtual, augmented, and mixed reality software”.

The EPL “loving cup” trophy, soon to be trademarked. Source: dailystar.co.uk

“The EPL is regularly watched by more than a billion people, so the value attached to the brand is substantial,” Kondoudis said in a statement. “These filings represent a logical step to protect the brand in today’s economy, which includes virtual and crypto elements, and tomorrow’s virtual economy in the metaverse.”

Manchester City Kicks Off in Web3

EPL champions Manchester City are already making inroads in the metaverse, with the club using virtual reality (VR) experts from Sony to build the world’s first football stadium in Web3.

Manchester City enters the metaverse. Source: sportspromedia.com

In March this year, champion French team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) filed its own trademark applications covering NFT-backed multimedia, crypto wallets, managing crypto transactions, virtual clothing, sports gear and electronics.

In the same month, Manchester City announced a multimillion-dollar deal with the world’s second-largest exchange by spot volume, OKX. And in February, cross-town rivals Manchester United entered a partnership with Tezos for a reported US$27 million.

Several high-profile players are also dabbling in Web3: Tottenham Hotspur forward and latest Golden Boot winner Son Heung-min has announced a project, PSG’s Neymar owns a Mutant Ape NFT, and Man U’s Paul Pogba is attached to the CryptoDragons project.

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Crypto News Football NFTs Sports

Football NFTs Set to Grow German Bundesliga’s Revenue by 280%

NFT deals on behalf of German football league Bundesliga, combined with sticker and trading card licensing, will generate US$179 million in the 2023-2024 season, almost four times the current season’s value:

Three Partnerships to Power Revenue Growth

Bundesliga has partnered up with three different projects. Topps, which has officially licensed Bundesliga’s physical trading cards since 2008, is extending the NFT rights it acquired for the 2020/21 season. Sorare will extend the partnership it undertook in 2021 to create NFTs of Bundesliga players for fantasy football until 2025. And OneFootball has acquired the licensing rights for digital trading cards collections and video-based NFTs of Bundesliga highlights. In total, these NFT partnerships are set to grow revenue by 280 percent:

As a consequence of the pandemic, Bundesliga’s total revenues dropped by almost 400 million euros (US$423 million) across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The new sources of revenue from the NFTs and collectibles deal is important for all the league’s teams, particularly lower-ranked teams that depend on ticket revenue.

According to Lucas von Cranach, founder and chief executive of OneFootball, “We couldn’t have imagined when we first started working with the Bundesliga that we would build the partnership and achieve official partner status.” He added:

Now as official partner of one of the most innovative leagues in the world, we have the chance to build an even longer-term relationship that gives us the chance to take tens of millions of football supporters from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0.

Lucas von Cranach, founder and CEO, OneFootball

The partnerships undertaken by the league mark an evolution in the Bundesliga’s nascent NFT strategy and will provide much-needed additional revenue. Bundesliga’s international chief executive, Robert Klein, said the short-term deals reflect what is a rapidly evolving market.

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Australia NFTs Scams Sports

Aussie Crypto Project Sportemon Go Token Collapses Leaving Investors Fuming

Australia-founded crypto NFT project Sportemon Go has ceased trading on its native token SGOX, leaving investors disgruntled, to say the least.

The news has spread across all major UK news media as Sportemon Go was sponsoring Scottish football clubs Rangers and Hibs. The brand removed all presence from social media on Monday night and locked up its website before resurfacing with a notice:

The SGOX Token has ceased trading. The community voted unanimously to redeem SGOX for L1TF token. This was [a] great result for Token holders, with 1 x SGOX Token being redeemable for 1 x Liberty One Treasury Fund Token. This was overwhelmingly voted in favour by over 90% of holders, with more than 95% of tokens. Also note the Team, Athletes and other IP are currently being removed or deleted, as we finalise amicable termination agreements. These will all be removed once finalised. For further partner and token information or information on how to redeem tokens, please email: [email protected]

Notice on Sportemongo website

Rangers signed a two-year deal with Sportemon Go in October 2021 and the club has since featured the Sportemon Go logo on its player strip and TV ads for the brand.

The Edinburgh Evening News reported that Hibernian FC, aka Hibs, began to distance itself from Sportemon Go after it showed signs of financial difficulty some months ago, with commercial director Greg McEwan telling the paper: “Knowing Sportemon Go’s difficulties, we had been planning for a mutual termination of the partnership and have a new partner in place for the upcoming season, which will be announced soon.”

What Now For Sportemon Go?

Sportemon Go co-founder Ricky Jackson has taken to Twitter and Telegram to try to calm the FUD caused by the SGOX token collapse:

At the time of writing, there was no information about the new “Liberty One Treasury Fund Token” referred to in Sportemon Go’s website notice and there are reports that SGOX token holders were not adequately notified about any voting poll. With the brand’s Telegram channel history deleted, there is nothing in the discussions.

Investors took to Twitter to voice their frustrations, with some writing off their DeFi investment in the project:

SGO Biting Off More Than It Can Chew?

Crypto News Australia reported last August that Sportemon Go was to create NFTs for Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist. Since then we have followed the project, and it has promised more and more platforms, features and tokens, including (but not limited to):

  • an SGO NFT marketplace
  • Australian ‘Home Town Heroes’ sports NFTs
  • SGO Bot NFTs
  • NFTs for NRL team the South Sydney Rabbitohs
  • NFTs for Scottish football team Rangers
  • Metarace virtual dog racing NFTs
  • Virtual Metaverses Play-to-Earn
  • eSports Integration for Personalisation
  • Rewards for gaming
  • Physical and Virtual Fan Experiences
  • SGO token launch on ETH
  • SGOX token launch on BSC
  • SGO/SGOX Staking Pool
  • Stablecoin Liberty Project

Delivering on all of these features would be quite a task, and it may simply be that Sportemon Go has bitten off more than it could chew.

Crypto News has contacted Sportemon Go for comment and will update this story once a response or further information is received.

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Algorand Blockchain Markets Sports

ALGO Rallies Amid Blockchain Deal with FIFA for 2022 World Cup

The native cryptocurrency of the US-based proof-of-stake blockchain Algorand (ALGO) has spiked following the announcement of a sponsorship and technical partnership deal with global football governing body FIFA.

According to CoinGecko, in the 24 hours since the announcement the price of ALGO increased from US$0.58 to $0.73, a gain of 25 percent. At the time of writing, ALGO was trading at $0.64, around 10 percent above its pre-announcement price – it’s currently the 31st largest crypto by market capitalisation.

Algorand is Now FIFA’s Official Blockchain Platform

As the official blockchain platform of FIFA, Algorand will provide the body with a “blockchain-supported” wallet, help FIFA implement blockchain technology, and develop its digital assets, including NFTs.

Romy Gai, FIFA’s chief business officer, cited transparency and sustainability as important factors in its decision to partner with Algorand:

At FIFA, we must constantly strive to identify and explore the most cutting-edge, sustainable and transparent means of increasing revenues to continue to support global football development. Algorand is clearly a forward-looking, innovative partner that can help us achieve these goals. 

Romy Gai, chief business officer, FIFA

Deal Provides Valuable Exposure

As part of the sponsorship agreement, Algorand becomes a FIFA World Cup 2022 Regional Supporter in North America and Europe and a FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 Official Sponsor, providing the blockchain network with valuable exposure and promotional opportunities.

Algorand was founded in 2017 by the Turing Award-winning scientist Silvio Micali, who this week said he was excited about the opportunity this new partnership represents to showcase the capabilities of the blockchain network:

“This partnership with FIFA, the most globally recognised and distinguished organisation in sports, will showcase the potential that the Algorand blockchain has to transform the way we all experience the world’s game.”

Silvio Micali, Founder of Algorand

Algorand is regarded as one of the most efficient and environmentally sustainable blockchains and has been used by over 2000 organisations worldwide, including Blockchain Solutions Australia, who partnered with Algorand in late 2020.

Algorand isn’t the first crypto-related organisation to become a FIFA 2022 World Cup sponsor – in March, leading exchange Crypto.com became an official sponsor for the event.

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Crypto News Fantasy Sports NFTs Sports

PGA Golf Tour Close to Deal With ‘Sorare’ Giving Players NFT-Based Income

Following the lead of major league baseball, basketball and various football codes, the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Tour is on the verge of launching NFT programs in concert with digital platforms Sorare and Autograph.

In a deal yet to be finalised, players stand to earn revenue based on the sales performance of NFTs using their name, image and likeness (NIL).

Autograph was co-founded last year by American football player Tom Brady as a platform for athletes and celebrities to market branded NFT collections, with former golf superstar Tiger Woods – among other sports celebrities – an equity holder and board adviser.

PGA Shoots for Fantasy Sports Par

Until now, Sorare has focused on soccer and acquired NFT video partnerships with major associations in Europe and the US. However, its main product is a digital fantasy sports game based on NFTs.

A deal with the PGA Tour for fantasy trading cards could lead to Sorare expanding into other sports. One of those is tennis, and to that end the company has signed multiple grand slam winner Serena Williams as an adviser.

Golf Perceived as ‘Crypto-Friendly’

With its appeal to a wealthy audience, golf is one of the more crypto-friendly sports. Market research shows that 37 percent of PGA Tour fans own crypto, compared to 32 and 27 percent of NBA and NFL followers, respectively. Another indicator is that golf startup LinksDAO raised US$11 million earlier this year to build a course.

Unlike team sports, the PGA needs only athletes’ individual approval to use their NIL. Golfers will have to “sign up” for Sorare to mint their trading cards or for Autograph to sell NFTs featuring their highlights packages.

NFT Royalties Tied to Performance

PGA Tour golfers who opt in will earn a lump sum based on their performance at the previous year’s FedEx Cup, the sport’s season-long points competition. Additionally, they will earn pro-rata royalty payments based on the market performance of their respective NFTs and trading cards. Golfers can still launch their own NFT collections, but they will not be allowed to use Tour-licensed images.