What’s up everybody, it’s LG Doucet here.

All eyes are on NCAA March Madness this week, and for some reason there are no NFTs to be found for such a popular event (more on that below).

But first, news that just broke this afternoon: Instagram will no longer be supporting their own NFT project.

This comes as both a non-shocker (Meta can only copy, it cannot innovate) and a major bummer to our community as the IG integration was a pretty big leap forward despite being very short lived (it just launched last Fall).

Of course, there is no one to blame here but Meta itself which…renamed itself Meta to try and fit in with the web3 crowd (lol).

☆Chris☆ @PRguitarman

@nftnow Bullish on Reddit to pick up the slack

This news broke shortly after we recorded the pod, so we don’t touch on it here.

But that’s fine, because we got a lot of other stuff to say…

🎙️203 - Free Packs Don't Work, Strategy for NCAA, Power Slap League, and Swearing In Front Of Your Parents

Alright I think we nailed the timing this episode (about 1:24). Although Phil did join us from his car and kept cutting out, so you’ll notice a few choppy edits.

Sports NFTs were a bit slow this week, mainly because the sports world is focused on March Madness, of which there are no NFTs (??).

We’ll have a newsletter later this week that recaps all the projects running brackets, including the one we’re doing with our partner, Bleacher Report.

Click here to join the Watch-2-Earn bracket, highlighted by LG and Phil D, directly on the NCAA website.

In today’s pod:

04:30 - Phil in the parking lot
09:00 - Mom & Dad listening to our podcast
13:00 - Do our parents swear when we’re not around
15:30 - Phil’s car trouble
23:30 - Why Are NCAA Brackets So Hard
37:00 - Why Are There NO March Madness NFTs
53:00 - Big Top Shot Sales on Weekend
58:00 - Can Free Packs Onboard People
1:08:00 - Power Slap League is Gross
1:14:00 - Hot Take of The Week

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🔥Hot Take: How To Onboard The Masses To NFTs

Last week we debuted the hot take of the week, where we ask YOU the community for your best take on a spicy question.

We then read the best ones on the show, and award a prize to our favourite one.

TheFirstMint @TheFirstMint

CONTEST ALERT🚨 Every week we'll ask for your Hot Take. Best answer gets a PRIZE🎁 🔥HOT TAKE🔥 What is the missing ingredient that will onboard millions of fans to sports NFTs? HOW TO ENTER 📢Retweet 📢Comment your HOT TAKE to the question We'll pick a winner on the pod 🎙️

And today’s winner, as chosen by Phil D, was Infinity Sports with their take that Sports NFT platforms should make late night informercials to advertise the product!

InfinitiSportsPicks @InfinitiPicks

@TheFirstMint You guys are too young but remember infomercials? Dapper has enough products where they can do a 30 minute infomercial late night. Teach them how easy and fun it is using Dapper wallet. Start with @NBATopShot and then the rest of Dapper products. @TheReelPhilD

This week’s prize is a BALLERZ and SNEAKERZ bundle, courtesy of Ballerz! Be sure to check out the BBL Team Builder and build our your Ballerz team today.

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Every week we gather the data on licensed NFT sports collections, and track their volume and unique buyers. This covers Monday to Sunday.

This week looks like overall volume dipped quite heavily as there were no drops on Strike, ALL DAY, or Top Shot.

However, cricket platform FanCraze continues to climb up these charts, and may soon flip ALL DAY or even Top Shot in weekly volume!

TheFirstMint @TheFirstMint

Top Traded Collections | Last 7 Days🗓️ Overall volume dips 14% this week📉 Golazos double their volume⚽ and FanCraze continues to climb the weekly chart 👀

On the Unique Buyer side, FanCraze has also made inroads and held steady around 2,000 for a few weeks now.

Meanwhile the majority of platforms dipped, and the baseball units remain calm despite opening day in just 2 weeks.

TheFirstMint @TheFirstMint

🛍️ Sports NFTs | Weekly Unique Buyers 🛍️ Some large dips on the Dapper side as the prior week featured various pack drops📦 Candy numbers were omitted as their Getty Images totals could not be separated from Baseball product⚾

Man, the people are really loving the nostalgic throwbacks on Twitter!

TheFirstMint @TheFirstMint

Are you this old

Aaron Gray @thegraymatters

@TheFirstMint the GREATEST arcade game every. I've always wanted to get one for my house!

Dave Sentenn @dave_sentenn

@TheFirstMint loved that game. if not for this post I would have never thought about it again.

Top Shot Yoda @TopShotYoda

@TheFirstMint Just died a little on the inside LG

On a more serious note, people had a lot to say about Sorare:

TheFirstMint @TheFirstMint

We know our community is divided on Sorare. So tell us: what is the biggest reason for why you have NOT tried the platform?

Underdog (Betting) Specialist @UnderdogSpecial

@TheFirstMint TS ruined the hobby for everyone I know. We had a group of 12 of us buying, trading, selling, talking for months and months.

Shake Hands With Danger @Brahbocop

@TheFirstMint Zero faith in any NFT project right now. Watched Top Shot crash and burn due to oversupply. Sorare might have the gamification aspect but if you want a DFS experience, why not just play DFS where the barrier to entry is lower and there's no initial investment?

EGT @EGT_FLOW

@TheFirstMint Try is one thing, being active is another. It feels like a day job to me having to register my team. Maybe it's just not my thing. I still do it from time to time tho. I feel like the fun is not there yet. Lacking some sort of engagement but idk what's that.

And to celebrate this coming week’s action, a question on the GOAT of college hoops:

TheFirstMint @TheFirstMint

Who is the GREATEST college hoops player of all time?

MrElvishPiper 🏀 🐀🎈 @MichaelWhalley3

@TheFirstMint Pistol Pete. Played 3 years averaged 44.2, 6.4 and 5.1 for his collegiate career.

FriarTuck @FriarTuck1897

@TheFirstMint JJ Redick was best college player I have ever seen. We all know it wasn’t going to transition like that to next level but guy probably even outdid expectations in nba as well.

Nba Top Shotter @TheBarn220

@TheFirstMint Tyler hansborough

Catchup on everything you might have missed in the world of sports x web3!

The First Mint

Baseball NFTs: We Deserve Better ⚾

Spring is a wonderful time in sports. March Madness. Formula 1. Golf. NBA/NHL Playoffs. NFL Draft. And of course, Opening Day of MLB. Plus this year we’ve got the World Baseball Classic to kick of baseball season. What a treat! My MLB fandom has wavered over the years, generally aligning with the Blue Jays success. But I’ve been brought back it, like I ha…

20 days ago · 3 likes · LG Doucet

The First Mint

How To Mint The Next Big Thing 🚀

Before we start: Bombshell news today as a scathing article came out attacking the CEO of Dapper labs for bullying and a lavish lifestyle. We recorded an emergency pod here…

a month ago · 1 like · The First Mint

The First Mint

🎙️The Bull Case For Web3 Gaming

What’s up everybody, it’s LG Doucet here. Basketball prom is over - and thank goodness. I think we all need a little break! February was a busy month for the NBA: LeBron broke the record KD, Russ, and Kyrie were all traded The All-Star Weekend went down…

a month ago · 2 likes · LG Doucet

**This is not financial advice. Nothing in this newsletter, podcast, or publication should be considered financial or trading advice of any kind. Please do your own thorough research and make your own trading decisions. This is not advice.”

About The First Mint

A web3 sports community. Collectibles, NFTs, and Metaverse.

Tweets and Newsletters are not endorsements.

The First Mint

🎙️The Missing Piece to Mass Adoption