This Week in NFTs🏆
Featuring a rant on innovation, a Top Shot halftime drop, a Nike video game play, and a rookie sensation in the MLB.
What’s up folks, happy weekend.
I riled up some feathers this week when I returned from the wilderness and rocket launched the following tweet:
They didn’t like that.
And by they, I mean the people out there that think sports x web3 starts and ends with Top Shot, and thought I was sub tweeting the platform’s efforts (I was not).
But that’s ok. I don’t hold it against them. After all, the industry and the leagues have failed them on the experience and promise that is crypto sports.
I wrote this tweet not as criticism, but as a request.
I want someone to come and bake this cake.
Right now in the industry, we literally have all the tools needed:
League and team-level commitment (Top Shot, etc.)
Major brand-level commitment (Nike, Google, etc.)
Ticket provider commitment (Ticketmaster, Live Nation, etc.)
A strong base of true believers in the tech.
A culture of buying internet pictures for money.
The potential for sports x crypto goes far beyond advertising and collecting.
It could go as far as to define the culture.
When Top Shot first came out, we literally thought it would change the way basketball is played. Players were literally yelling “put that on top shot” at each other!
But then the over mint happened and the casuals moved on. Yet, the potential remains for a truly evolved experience in sports.
So who will take up this task?
Heck, maybe its the broadcasters and TV companies who spent the last decade adapting to the age of online content, and are now fully equip with agile decision makers and a mandate to stay relevant (i.e. innovate).
That’s a very good start.
Now on to the top stories of the week.
This newsletter is brought to you by Pooky.gg ⚽
With the MLS heating up this Summer, there is no better time to step into a world of Fantasy Soccer and add a little hint of web3.
Pooky is a blockchain soccer prediction game that is free and easy to play. All you have to do is show up, grab your Pooky Ball, and pick the scores of each match for the chance to win some $MATIC and other prizes.
Key Details for playing Pooky:
Free to play
Multiple tiers of balls and competitions
660 $MATIC in prizes per league per game week
On Polygon, so very low gas fees (like 2 cents!)
Sign up right here and start predicting today 🔮
Here is what’s on tap:
🛡️ Stand With Crypto FREE NFT | 30 seconds
In case you haven’t heard, crypto is under attack in the United States! And instead of posting things like #CryptoStrong to social media, we get to mint an NFT.
🦍 Play Rumble Kong Legacy Arcade Game | 5 minutes
Alright I actually played for a few minutes and the game is legit! Its FREE and you basically shoot hoops in a mini game. Rumble Kongs (RKL) is a staple of the space and definitely one of the projects that will make it through to the next run. Worth a shot!
🪂 Top Shot Drops Packs at Halftime
I totally missed this because I was away during Games 1 + 2, but NBA Top Shot has been finding additional playoff success by dropping packs during halftime of NBA Finals Games.
Last night, it was 2,500 “Quick Rip” packs sold for $5.99 each.
Game 3, it was 500 Rare Rip packs sold for $18.99 each.
The packs were quickly gobbled up each time as they were available exclusively in the Top Shot app (in which Dapper loses 30% of sales to Apple fees on iPhone).
The platform is also releasing LeBron’s THE BLOCK Moment from the 2016 Finals, and are doing it exclusively via a burning leaderboard.
💣 Candy Drops Elly De La Cruz Debut
Elly De La Cruz was the hottest thing in baseball this week.
The guy absolutely crushed a ball for his first home run…
…and then also ran the fastest triple so far this year.
So naturally, Candy Digital released his first HR as an NFT, limited to 100 mints for $50 a pop (they currently sit at $70 floor price)
🕹️ Nike NFTs Coming to EA Sports
If you’re my age, the first thing you thought when you read the line above is “E…A…Sports…It’s In The Game” which honestly would be awesome as an NFT.
Nike and EA are going to integrate on NFTs in a much-needed dose of good news for the industry. What we know:
EA Sports Games will integrate with Nike’s .SWOOSH (their crypto arm)
Players will be able to “express their personal style through play”
The projects will be based on Polygon
Only fun ones this week folks.
**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.
I’m pretty stoked to see what dotSwoosh does with different collabs and partnerships, rewards for SNKRS drops etc..i feel pretty confident if any company can do this the right way it’s them, plus they have a reach like no other! Having the mint for only $19 was good start too, i max minted!