Rob Gronkowski, 87 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, caught the ball after scoring a 17-yard touchdown in the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 7, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.
Patrick Smith | Getty Images
Rob Gronkowski enters the digital collectible space and releases his own NFT.
The National Football League narrow group teamed up with OpenSea from the non-consumable chip market (NFT) to launch five digital trading cards with Super Bowl moments. The NFTs will feature highlights from Gronkowski’s career and are designed by the Black Mother visual arts studio.
Gronkowski’s NFTs will not include the logos of NFL teams, as OpenSea does not have a league license permit. The handwritten illustrations will mimic iconic representations made of the Super Bowls in which he participated and Gronkowski will sign the digital cards.
In an interview with CNBC on Monday, Gronkowski said he heard about digital collectible space during the 2020 NFL season. He referred to Mark Cuban’s endorsement of the NFTs as another reason he wanted to enter space.
“I see what’s going on, and it’s just exploding,” Gronkowski said. “I wanted my fans living in the digital world to be able to get a part of that action.”
NFTs are becoming increasingly popular in the sports world, especially since the National Basketball Association’s collaboration with Dapper Labs gained momentum after recording more than $ 230 million in sales.
Digital collectibles are tied to a blockchain, a digital book similar to the blockchains used for digital currencies like bitcoin. This effectively provides each NFT with a unique certificate of authenticity that cannot be hacked. Gronkowski is just the latest notable name to jump on the NFT trend. For example, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sells his first tweet as NFT, with bids of up to $ 2.5 million. Taco Bell even joined the trend this week, selling a digital artwork with tacos.
Gronkowski’s NFTs will be available on the Ethereum blockchain, where Dapper launched his CryptoKitties game. The collectibles are four moments, 87 editions each, of Gronkowski’s appearances at Super Bowl XLIX, Super Bowl LI, Super Bowl LIII, and Super Bowl LV in February.
Along with the 348 NFT, a “refractor card” will also be auctioned. The owner of this NFT will host a meeting with Gronkowski in an NFL game next season.
“I think the unique aspect of the way Rob approaches his particular NFT is how he commemorates the four Super Bowls and signs them by hand. He creates a unique offering different from everything else,” said Joe Silberzweig, co-founder of Medium Rare, a management and events company that works with Gronkowski.
“I think when Rob saw how the success of the NBA Top Shot earned millions of dollars, he had the entrepreneurial feeling of taking it in his hands and creating something for him and his fans,” he added. Silberzweig.
Are you going back to Tampa?
Gronkowski, 31, is an unrestricted free agent after spending last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won the Super Bowl LV. Asked if he plans to re-sign with the Bucs and play with Tom Brady again, he said it’s “a great possibility.”
“I’m a free agent, so I’m not going to sit here and say I’m going back 100% to Tampa,” Gronkowski added. “That’s where I want to be and I hope they want me to be there too. You still have to go through that process, but I’ll definitely be playing football [in 2021]. “
Gronkowski has earned $ 62 million in his career, earning about $ 9 million last season with the Bucks. His investments include a fitness product company – Gronk Fitness – and an Italian restaurant (Rocca) located in Tampa, Florida. Gronkowski also has a endorsement with T-Mobile.
Gronkowski’s NFTs will be available Thursday through Gronknft.com. Consumers can purchase the digital work using Ethereum currency. The auction will conclude on Saturday.