In May of 2014, Kevin McCoy minted what is widely regarded as the world’s first Non-Fungible-Token (NFT) – a video clip called ‘Quantum’ – telling its story through “colour, line, and movement”. Since then, the NFT market has amassed a value of over $11 Billion with no signs of slowing down. 

According to a report by Grand View Research, the NFT market is expected to grow to  $211.72 Billion by 2030 – bigger than the current GDP of World Cup host, Qatar. Subsequently, mainstream brands and institutions have become increasingly interested in the space; unwilling to be left behind amidst such a rapidly evolving digital era. Excitingly, many sporting organisations are not only creating partnerships and announcements but are incorporating interactive non-fungible utility into their products. So let’s take a closer look at some of the most creative campaigns to date. 

With sporting organisations leading the charge in terms of widespread adoption, fans are eagerly picking up their favourite team’s NFT collections in the same way that they semi-religiously accumulate memorabilia. What might be trivial to some can be seen by others as a representation of passion and loyalty. Seemingly, one collection that has captured the hearts of supporters and fanatics alike is Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shots – a set of digital trading cards displaying unique video highlights. The NBA has had an outstanding track record when it comes to brand awareness and this time has been no exception with the collection ‘slam-dunking’ its way to over $1.03 Billion in trading volume;  bringing thousands of fans into the Metaverse and establishing the organisation as a powerhouse in the space. By owning one of these digital trading cards, fans are able to feel as though they own a moment of history in the same nostalgic way that they possess their own distinct memories of it happening. 

Similarly, the Australian Open has released a digital collection that allows fans to feel as though they own a part of the experience throughout its 2023 tournament. ‘AO Art Balls’ give holders ground-pass access to the second week of the tournament, but most innovatively are linked to a unique plot on the court. If the winning shot in any of the tournament’s 400+ matches lands on one of the 9,230 plots, then its holder’s Art Ball is instantaneously updated with details such as the player’s name, type of shot, and the speed at which the ball was hit (through the same data and technology that officials use). Additionally, the tournament has partnered with the crypto education platform, ‘Collective Shift’ to help introduce tennis fans into the space. Every Art Ball holder will receive a one-year membership to the platform along with personalised experiences such as workshops and tutorials to guide them along their web3 journey. Hopefully, such a dynamic and responsive new way to experience live sport will provide fans with the opportunity to not only be a viewer but feel as though they are on centre court as well. 

However, this is not the first time that a major sporting event has tried to create a unique virtual experience for its fans. In 2021, ‘Zed Run’ partnered with the prestigious 158-year-old ‘Victoria Racing Club’ to create a virtual edition of the ‘Melbourne Cup Carnival’ – an event that is watched globally by over 750 Million viewers. Unfortunately, stringent COVID-19 regulations in Melbourne restricted the event to only 12% of its full capacity, forcing thousands of eager race-goers to miss out. Whilst it may not have been the same as attending the event live, fans stuck at home were still able to participate in the ‘fashions of the field’ (or ‘fashions of the metaverse’) competition, listen to a live performance by DJ Havana Brown, and watch a stream of the race amongst other virtual attendees. As such, this campaign certainly epitomised one of the greatest use cases of the Metaverse by allowing people to be a part of “the race that stops the nation”, regardless of where they were in the world. 

It appears that Socios has taken this to the next level though by providing opportunities for fans to have a direct say in the decision-making process of the teams they support. Since launching in November 2019, Socios has partnered with over 150 clubs and associations across 25 different countries – including the likes of FC Barcelona and the LA Lakers. What Socios offers these organisations is the opportunity to give fans the chance to influence team decisions and feel as though they are contributing to the success of the club. For example, fans of Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain can choose a message to be displayed on the captain’s armband by voting in the official Socios poll – an action exclusively offered to holders of the $PSG ‘fan token’. This is a revolutionary way for clubs to unify their fans around the world as decisions like this in the past have typically been left to club officials. Now, anybody in the world whether it be a local Parisian or a boy from Morocco -dreaming of being the next Achraf Hakimi- can own these fan tokens and ‘own’ a part of the club. It will be interesting to see how this process develops and to see what decisions fans could be influencing in the future. 

In essence,  Fans thrive on the emotion of the occasion and that is precisely what these digital collections are there to give them. As organisations continue to build on campaigns like the ones mentioned, we could see a significant shift in the way that we watch, support, and interact with the sporting world. With infrastructure like AutoMinter being developed to support these campaigns, what sort of non-fungible utility can you see being dreamt up?