Crypto Coin: The Sporting Slice

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Last week’s installment left sports fans with less to chew on than usual. Don’t worry, fans: sporting engagement with crypto was back in full swing last week.

In the US leagues, the NBA, NHL, and NFL all had some sort of commitment last week – whether it’s athletes, teams, or leagues. Let’s dive into it.

The Sports Slice Crypto.com Secures Staples Center Naming Rights in One of Biggest Sports Sponsorship Deals Yet

If you pay attention to crypto, it’s hard to imagine missing this news over the past week. Crypto.com Arena is now a reality in downtown Los Angeles. A new branding should take place by Christmas Day.

The 20-year, $ 700 million deal consolidates Crypto.com as the largest consumer in the history of sports naming rights in the United States. The platform’s native token, $ CRO, responded well with a nice price increase after the announcement. Crypto.com has been one of the last most aggressive sports sponsorship spenders in the space.

StormX builds on Pacific Northwest roots and partners with CJ McCollum

StormX forged regional ties with the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this year, becoming the first NBA jersey patch partner (the Sixers have also partnered with Crypto.com since).

Now, StormX is building on those peaceful Northwestern US roots, signing Blazers goalie CJ McCollum as Brand Ambassador. According to the right folks at SportTechie, McCollum will appear in StormX marketing materials and on-site events on the Blazers’ site, the Moda Center.

Sports side: Malcolm Jenkins to release three NFTs

NFL safety Malcolm Jenkins has made his presence known in the league. Now he is also looking to make an impact on NFTs. The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion sat down with the folks at Bloomberg this week, sharing his intention to release three NFTs.

One of the three will celebrate Jenkins’ sixth birthday in Philadelphia. Jenkins said the NFTs will be “a vehicle for telling my own story and cementing my legacy and maintaining control over my own image.”

As the old crypto saying goes, it’s safe to say it’s GMI.

NFL Enlists Polygon To Explore NFT Ticket Collectibles

The NFL has been relatively silent with the crypto engagement after telling teams in recent months that they should halt crypto trading. Last week, we reported on Socios.com’s latest deal with the NFL’s New England Patriots – a deal we believe could signal the league’s opening to crypto deals.

This week, the league released 125 different NFT collectibles that include each of the league’s 32 teams. The move should be the first batch of others to come, and will be running on Polygon. The move comes less than 60 days after the NFL announced its official partnership with Dapper Labs, which operates the Flow blockchain, to release NFTs from league athletes. As of today, the market is basically waiting for a Top Shot-esque product, which will most certainly be built on Flow. However, the NFL is showing it won’t stop with Dapper when it comes to crypto.

Related reading | NFT in brief: a weekly review

While many altcoins have had bumpy rides lately, AVAX has risen like few others. AVAX supplies Orange Comet, the most recent partner of the New York Islanders. | Source: AVAX-USD on TradingView.com FC Barcelona pumps the brakes

It had only been a few weeks since FC Barcelona announced its partnership with the NFT Ownix ​​platform. Earlier this week, the club announced the cancellation of the deal. The termination came after an alleged Ownix ​​affiliate, Moshe Hogeg, was arrested on charges related to cryptocurrency fraud.

The next steps for FC Barcelona in integrating club NFTs are unclear.

It’s “Shottime”

LA Angels star Shohei Ohtani will be paid in crypto and take a stake in FTX after a new announcement last week that made Ohtani the latest brand ambassador for the exchange.

Ohtani joins Steph Curry and Tom Brady as brand ambassadors – by no means bad company.

NFT Marketplace sports partnerships continue with NHL Islanders and Orange Comet

While some doors close, others seem to open. We haven’t had too much coverage on the ice in recent weeks on the sports side. The NHL New York Islanders gave us a reason to change that recently, teaming up with Orange Comet.

Orange Comet is an Avalanche-powered NFT Marketplace focused on Arts, Sports and Entertainment. The partners released their first NFT drop on November 20, celebrating the Islanders’ new location, UBS Arena.

The @OrangeCometNFT Marketplace brings elevated NFT experiences to #Avalanche, partnering with some of the biggest brands in sports, music and entertainment.

The first drop is tomorrow with the @NYIslanders to celebrate the opening of @UBSArena https://t.co/ZHlO5VkFSG

– Avalanche (@avalancheavax) November 19, 2021

Manchester City reconsider?

Manchester City has integrated a regional crypto partner, 3Key, as one of the club’s very first decentralized financial partners. However, suspicions about the company’s lack of an online presence have led the club to put the partnership on hold while they examine the crypto firm’s track record in more detail. A recent report from The Guardian claims that the company’s top executives are showing up without a digital footprint.

Related reading | Will Xbox keep NFT projects at bay? Phil Spencer says some seem “exploitative”

Featured image by Pexels, charts from TradingView.com

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