Crypto Corner: The Sports Slice

 leaving mixed reviews around the new deal. While we highlighted that story in last week’s Slice, we’re on to the latest action this week, covering the biggest stories in sports and cryptocurrency from the past seven days.

Dapper Labs continues to roll out it’s latest products, built primarily on the backbone of Top Shot, Tom Brady’s NFT platform Autograph closes out it’s latest fundraising efforts, and Serena Williams is a new board advisor for one of the biggest sports NFT platforms on the market.

It’s all of these stories, and then some, with each week’s Sports Slice. Let’s jump in.

The Sports Slice

UFC And Dapper Labs Launch NFT Product

UFC Strike, the latest platform debut for leading sports NFT firm Dapper Labs and it’s Flow blockchain, is set to go live today, as the company began making strong marketing strides this week leading up to launch.

The UFC has been no stranger to NFTs, as fighters have been releasing their own, as well as finding blockchain partners left and right. The league previously signed a major multi-year deal with crypto exchange Crypto.com as well, as has launched their own league fan token.

The move for Dapper Labs is the latest in a series of major sports milestones, including the unveiling of their NFL product, NFL All Day.

Serena Williams Joins Sorare As Board Advisor

Tennis legend Serena Williams is joining NFT platform Sorare as an advisor to the company’s board of directors, according to reports that emerged this week. Sorare takes a fantasy-style approach to sports NFTs, and is a dominant player within the NFT market when it comes to European football; Sorare has been looking to build beyond that market lately as well. In a press release, the tennis GOAT stated that Sorare “understand(s) the relationship between athletes and fans unlike anyone else in the category, and I believe Sorare will be setting the culture and tone of the future of sports entertainment.”

Williams is the holder of 23 Grand Slam singles and has been a dominant athlete in sports for over two decades.

Autograph Closes Latest Fundraising With $170M Secured

Tom Brady’s Autograph has announced round of funding this week, reeling in $170M in Series B from the likes of a16z, Kleiner Perkins and other notable firms. Brady has been a notable crypto advocate recently, partnering with FTX and launching Autograph in the last year alone. The Autograph platform has already secured deals with Lionsgate, DraftKings, and Slam Magazine – as well as some of the most prominent athletes in sports leagues that run the gambit. Additionally, Autograph has noteworthy board members that include the likes of FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried, Apple’s Eddy Cue, and ‘The Weeknd,’ Abel Tesfaye.

Autograph is arguably the clear leader in athlete-centric NFTs, which have been explored by many others but not to this level. Tiger Woods, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, and many more have gotten involved with Autograph’s NFTs, which typically sell out swiftly – leading to stacked rosters for Autograph inside and out. The platform is only 6 months old, but looks to be right on track for strong growth looking ahead.

Source:bitcoinist.com