Fellow professional sports leagues certainly have close eye on the revenue potential being generated by NBA Top Shot. And two football players now have beat the NFL to the punch to make money off digital collectibles featuring their likenesses.
The latest? Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski on Tuesday became the first pro athlete to launch his own collection of non-fungible tokens (or NFTs) in the form of digital trading cards.
Mahomes apparently was inspired by this, or had a similar idea already in the works, because the Super Bowl LIV champion Friday announced he was launching "The Museum of Mahomes" in an interview with CNBS.
“I’m looking to break boundaries and make history on and off the field,” Mahomes said. “That’s the great thing about being an athlete these days, you have so many outlets and opportunities to expand your brand and make an impact.”
Some profit from the sale will go to his foundation as well as the Boys & Girls Clubs in Missouri.
The digital exhibit of sorts will feature six different pieces of art for sale, some minted and copied -- ranging from $2,500 to $15,000. The virtual gallery also will feature a mystery item up for auction, along with 10 signed helmets and jerseys to be given away randomly to customers.
In the interview, Mahomes discussed his fascination with "how blockchain auctions are growing, so when the opportunity to get into digital memorabilia came my way I jumped.”
Mahomes' NFT collection launches March 17 on the digital art market MakersPlace, an internet commerce market for crypto collectibles.
The NFT market has witnessed 299% year-over-year growth in 2020, according to one study. We'll see who the next athlete is to get in on the craze.
