The National Football League (NFL) is continuing to push into the non-fungible token (NFT) market by offering free digital keepsakes to all ticket holders for Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.
The game will take place on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles and is historically one of the most-watched sporting events in the world. The move by the NFL to gift customized NFTs to fans to commemorate their experience brings more attention to the already buzzing nascent technology.
NFTs are verifiable digital assets that are stored on blockchains like Ethereum, Solana, and Polygon. They are quickly becoming popular in sports and have been used by the NBA and the Australian Open in creative ways to enhance the fan experience.
Here’s what we know about the Super Bowl NFT collection from the NFL:
• The NFL is partnering with Ticketmaster and Live Nation for the collection.
• The NFTs are available on Ticketmaster’s NFT marketplace on Feb. 2.
• Each NFT will be unique and include the section, row, and seat of the actual ticket.
• The NFTs are created and stored on the Polygon blockchain.
The NFL is also dropping a series of seven historical NFTs to commemorate Super Bowls of the past that took place in Los Angeles (I, VII, XI, XIV, XVII, XXI, XXVII). These will be released one at a time starting Feb. 6 and ending Feb. 13.
The NFL has been dabbling with NFTs all year, including a playoff collection called “Road to the Super Bowl,” where virtual ticket NFTs were released as teams progressed from the Division Rounds up to the Super Bowl.
The League also made news recently by putting out a call to hire a senior manager in charge of “crypto projects and AR/VR strategy and development.”
Several brands are pushing NFTs for the Super Bowl, including Bud Light and Rolling Stone Magazine, and multi-million-dollar commercials are expected from Crypto.com and other cryptocurrency exchanges. In fact, so much is happening on Feb. 13 related to crypto and NFTs that some are dubbing Super Bowl LVI the “CryptoBowl.”
But perhaps most exciting of all for the NFT community is the anticipation surrounding the halftime show by Eminem and Snoop Dogg. Since both rappers are Bored Ape Yacht Club members, rumors are circulating that they are planning to incorporate their Apes into the performance.