NFL Draft NFTs launch on Polygon

The NFL has released 52 NFT collectibles on its Polygon-based NFT marketplace to commemorate the April 28-30 NFL Draft. 

The NFL is taking a deeper dive into NFTs

The National Football League (NFL) has released a series of 52 card-themed NFT collectibles dedicated to each team that plays in the league. This launch is set to commemorate the NFL Draft slated to take place between April 28-30 and indicate the league’s willingness to dive deeper into the NFT space. 

The 52 NFT collectibles are now live on the league’s Polygon-based NFT marketplace, which the league has also used to promote playoff game ticketing. The NFL, however, stated that the NFT platform is still in its testing and learning stage but that it has witnessed prominent results since its launch in November last year. Each NFT in the collectibles depicts a playing card and costs $52.  

The NFT launch is one of the league’s ventures into NFT. It previously created the NFL All Day in partnership with NBA Top Shotmaker Dapper Labs. Both Top Shot and All Day are built on the Flow blockchain. The league’s policy regarding blockchain partnerships remains lucid and developing but has seen movement in the realms of fan tokens and crypto endorsements in recent weeks.

The league’s players association (NFLPA) has also dabbled into a  few crypto-related partnerships. This includes an NFT tie-up with sports betting giant DraftKings and a partnership with the metaverse game Upland.

The NFL draft-themed NFT collectibles 

The NFTs within the draft collections are inspired by the 32 teams in the league and serve to mark the upcoming NFL Draft. Unlike past NFL NFT drops, the 2022 draft-themed NFTs were created on the Flow blockchain rather than the Polygon blockchain. 

Although the league dubbed the NFT as a “virtual commemorative ticket” for the upcoming NFL draft, it does not give an actual access pass to the live events in Las Vegas. Instead, the NFL makes some of its virtual ticket NFTs available for purchase by the wider public. 

NFTs in the collectibles are expected to be given out to members of this year’s “Inner Circle” club, including fans selected to represent each team on draft night.

The NFL NFT marketplace continuing success 

NFT marketplaces allow users to buy and collect digital collectibles, which in the instance of the league would be fans being able to buy and collect digital highlights from the NFL. The NFL has recorded remarkable success in the NFT space since the launch of its NFT marketplace NFL All Day. NFTs from its initial “Regular Season Clubs” collection were at one point trading hands for thousands of dollars apiece but have since cooled off to the $300-$600 range for the more popular teams.

According to a league representative, the NFT marketplace has issued more than 500,000 NFTs tied to ticket purchases since the marketplace’s release, with a 42% owner-NFT interaction. Sam Rubinroit, the league’s director of club business development, in an interview with CoinDesk, stated that the league is building on these successes and is coming up with more extensive plans cued up for the upcoming NFL season.

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