On Monday, the Los Angeles Times released its first NFT collection to commemorate the Rams’ historic season that finished with winning Super Bowl LVI.
The back-and-forth battle between the Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals was played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and ended with a 23-20 Rams’ victory. With the win, the Rams became the second team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl in their own stadium.
The Times has been L.A.’s hometown newspaper since 1881, and although they have covered the NFT phenomenon in recent months, this is their first NFT collection.
For the collection, the Times collaborated with NFT ecosystem platform GuardianLink and L.A.-based artist and designer Mister Sampson. Sampson, originally from Syracuse, has been drawing cartoon characters and portraits since an early age and has designed album covers for artists like Meek Mill, Ne-Yo, Mariah Carey, Young Jeezy, and Nas.
The drop featured 3 tiers of NFTs:
- Collectible 1. Priced at $30, the NFT features a cartoon-style image of the Rams helmet with protruding horns and the city of L.A. resting on top. There are 100 editions.
- Collectible 2. Priced at $50, the NFT features a cartoon ram in a football uniform with a jersey that reads: “Go L.A.!” There are 100 editions.
- Collectible 3. The minimum auction bid started at $100 for this NFT, which features the front page of the L.A. Times celebrating the Rams’ win on Sunday. There is one edition.
The historic collection was dropped at 9 a.m. PST Monday and the first two tiers quickly sold out. The current bid on “Collectible 3” at the time of writing is $650. The sale ends Wednesday, Feb. 16th at 9 a.m. PST. The NFTs are stored by the L.A. Times and can be resold or traded at a later date.
An NFT and Crypto Super Bowl
The L.A. Times weren’t the only ones thinking about NFTs this Sunday. Several brands and major companies launched new NFT projects, including the National Football League.
Some of the most notable crypto and NFT-related happenings at the Super Bowl included:
- Anheuser-Busch, one of the largest American brewing companies, featured Noun glasses NFTs in their Bud Light Next ad.
- A Bored Ape NFT made a cameo in Toro’s Super Bowl commercial.
- All attendees were given a customized NFT Super Bowl ticket.
- Snoop Dogg, who recently released an NFT album with Gala Music, performed at the halftime show.
The Super Bowl is watched by millions around the world and is one of the most important cultural events in the United States. The amount of NFT projects that launched this past Sunday looks like another sign of mainstream acceptance of NFTs and crypto.