Monumental Sports & Entertainment Simultaneously Launches NFT Collections for Two Teams in Two Different Leagues
Teams have commissioned two renowned D.C. artists to create unique collectables for the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards fan base. A first-of-its-kind free NFT will be available to fans within the Wizards Collection.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the ownership group of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards, today announced the first-ever NFT (non-fungible token) collection simultaneously being launched for two professional sports teams in two different leagues. Monumental Sports & Entertainment partnered with OpenSea as their marketplace for this first-time NFT collection.
“We are thrilled to share these incredible digital collections with Caps and Wizards fans and provide them an accessible entry into the exciting world of NFTs, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrencies,” said Ted Leonsis, Founder & CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
“Monumental Sports & Entertainment is a digital-first company, and we consistently innovate to provide fans the richest, most immersive, and state-of-the-art experiences. To have the chance to do that and partner with Naturel and Rob Zilla III, two renowned D.C. digital artists – and Caps and Wizards fans, respectively – has been phenomenal.”
NFTs are one-of-a-kind digital assets that have an exclusive owner and exist through blockchain technology. NFTs are akin to collector’s items, albeit in digital form. Whereas a tangible asset may be held physically, its provenance may be difficult to validate. But an NFT’s unique metadata allows ownership to be verified and the buyer and seller operate with full transparency of all transactions and costs associated with the individual piece. Additional information on the concept of NFTs is available on each team’s website. To learn more please visit www.WashingtonWizards.com/NFT (Wizards) and www.WashCaps.com/NFT (Capitals).
See an example of one of the Wizards NFT offerings: here
See an example of one of the Caps NFT offerings: here
Monumental Sports & Entertainment has partnered with two acclaimed, Washington D.C.-based artists with deep community roots on a respective NFT collection that celebrates the teams, their collective hometown of D.C., and the teams’ extraordinary fan bases. Famed graphic designer Lawrence Atoigue, professionally known as Naturel, has been commissioned to create the Wizards NFT collection, and renowned illustrator Robert Generette III, professionally known as Rob Zilla III, has been commissioned to create the Capitals NFT collection. These leading artists have channeled their unique abilities in design to create powerful art which is visually captivating, taps into the passion Wizards and Capitals fans feel for their teams, and celebrates the unique bond each team has with the community for which they play.
This announcement comes ahead of making the NFTs available to the public and to educate and generate excitement for the fans ahead of the expected mid-July drop dates. And in a first-ever move for a professional sports team, the Wizards are creating a special edition NFT within its collection which will be available free of charge for the first 500 fans through a creative marketing effort, to be announced by the Wizards later this week.
The Washington Wizards NFT Collection
“The Washington Wizards Starting Five” is a five-part NFT series that celebrates the diverse and powerful hometown of the team, Washington D.C. The starting five of a basketball team represent the strongest players to go up against an opponent, and this Wizards NFT series does just that – it is designed for the great basketball fans in the DMV, highlighting the energy and culture that makes The District so unique.
As part of the collection, the Wizards will also feature a specialty option, “The Sixth Man.” The sixth man is an invaluable member of any basketball team and, in many ways, is key to its success. Through this offering, the Wizards are celebrating their most invaluable asset: the Wizards fan. As a thank you to these dedicated supporters, The Sixth Man NFT will be a free NFT collectible – a first-ever such concept and disbursement program amid professional sports teams. The Wizards organization chose to create these free-of-charge NFTs to ensure that more fans have an opportunity to participate as a founding member of “The Wizards Starting Five” NFT program.
The NFTs will be sold on OpenSea in five distinct package levels – and some package levels are available to a single buyer and others purchased by multiple buyers. (Details on how fans can pursue The Sixth Man package will be announced shortly.) But regardless of which NFT a fan purchases, the metadata authenticating the purchase will always remain unique to the individual NFT. Some packages also offer additional experiences tied to the individual NFTs being sold.
· First Starter: Artist Focused Auction
This is a 1 of 1 minting to be sold in an auction format that includes unlockable content accessible only by the winner (including Naturel behind the scenes content), courtside tickets for a Wizards home game with the famed artist, Naturel, a personally commissioned portrait from Naturel, a game-worn jersey, and a meet and greet with team owner, Ted Leonsis.
· Second Starter: Team Focused Auction
This is a 1 of 1 minting to be sold in an auction format that includes courtside tickets for a Wizards home game and exclusive game access (early entry, watching pre-game warm-ups, attending a post-game media availability with players and coaches, etc.), dinner/meet and greet with a member of basketball operations and team alumni, a game-worn jersey, and a chance to meet team owner Ted Leonsis.
· Third Starter: Team Focused Option
There will be 50 minted, available at $299.99 each that includes two tickets to a Wizards home game and a jersey from the Wizards City Edition collection.
· Fourth Starter: Team Gear Focused Option
There will be 125 minted, available at $149.99 each that includes a jersey from the Wizards City Edition collection.
· Fifth Starter: Simple Option
There will be 200 minted, available at $49.99 each.
· Sixth Man: The Sixth Man NFT
This is a minting of 500, available to fans free of charge.
About the Artist
The Wizards have commissioned Lawrence Atoigue, professionally known as Naturel, an illustrative-based artist who has quickly emerged in today’s postmodern scene. His futuristic illustrations have successfully blended methods of Pop and Cubism with a surrealist vision. A social influencer counting numerous NBA stars among his 90,000+ Instagram fans – his talents have attracted the eyes and ears of other celebrity clients such as Macklemore, Swizz Beatz, and countless others.
On Sale Date
“The Washington Wizards Starting Five” NFT Collection will go on sale at 9:00 a.m. EDT on July 12 through 9:00 p.m. EDT on July 14, exclusively on OpenSea. The timing of the Sixth Man offering will be announced on Wizards social media channels and on the team website in the coming days. Ahead of the date of the sale, the Wizards Marketing and Communications teams will sustain a campaign to educate fans new to NFTs, create excitement around the collection, drive interest in this new frontier of digital collectibles, and introduce the artist to the Wizards fan base.
ALL CAPS All-Digital Fan Collectibles
The Washington Capitals are offering two themed collections. The first is a celebration of the 2018 Stanley Cup Championship. For the first time ever, fans will be able to own a digital piece of Capitals history marking the 2018 Stanley Cup Championship. The Capitals are honoring the championship through two unique collectibles within this theme to commemorate the memorable season.
· Capitals Stanley Cup Ring
This is a 1 of 1 minting to be sold in an auction format, featuring the artwork of the 2018 Stanley Cup Championship ring. Ted Leonsis will also present the winner with a physical replica of the Championship ring, which was designed by Jostens and presented to the Capitals players who won the 2018 Stanley Cup trophy. The package also includes VIP access to a Capitals Open Practice at MedStar Iceplex, an autographed puck, a street pole banner from the 2018 Stanley Cup parade, and a personalized, white Away Jersey, the same style worn by Capitals players during Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.
· Capitals Stanley Cup Banner
There will be sixteen minted, available at $499.99 each. Sixteen corresponds to the sixteen wins it ultimately takes to win the Stanley Cup. The Capitals raised the 2018 Stanley Cup Championship Banner at Capital One Arena on Oct. 3, 2018.
The second theme is the Capitals Screaming Eagle Collection. The Screaming Eagle logo was first introduced and featured on Capitals jerseys in 1995 in the blue, black, and bronze color scheme. The symbol of the screaming eagle preying in the downward design direction evokes the energy, power, and speed of an attacking eagle. The Capitals will offer an exclusive Capitals Past to Present VIP experience as outlined below. To honor the year 1995, when the screaming eagle jersey was introduced, fans may purchase a limited number of 95 digital Screaming Eagle exclusive jerseys.
· Capitals Past to Present Experience
This is a 1 of 1 minting to be sold in an auction format. In addition to the NFT, the buyer will receive two glass seat tickets to a 2021-22 regular season Capitals game, be able to watch warm-ups from the penalty box, participate in an ice resurfacer ride during intermission, receive a personalized Screaming Eagle jersey, and participate in a meet-and-greet with a Capitals legend.
· Screaming Eagle Digital Collectible Jersey
There will be ninety-five minted, available at $100.21 each.
About the Artist
Robert Generette III is an award-winning illustrator, educator, and self-proclaimed “vector art monster” based in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. Under the pseudonym Rob Zilla III, he uses an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil to create compelling sports illustrations and portraitures for clients ranging from Nike, NBA (Wizards & Warriors), Major League Soccer (L.A. Galaxy & DC United), ESPN, Cycle, XBOX, and Adobe.
On Sale Date
ALL CAPS All-Digital Fan Collectibles will go on sale at 9:00 a.m. EDT on July 15 through 9:00 p.m. EDT on July 17, exclusively on OpenSea.
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About Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Monumental Sports & Entertainment is America’s leading sports and entertainment family. Our people, players, teams, and events bring excitement and joy to millions. We invest and innovate to consistently raise the game so we can deliver extraordinary experiences that will inspire and unite our community, our fans, and our people. To learn more, please visit www.monumentalsports.com.
Sorare’s Ethereum NFT-based fantasy soccer platform has become one of the most popular blockchain-based games, with a $4.3 billion valuation. This summer, the company hopes to apply that technique to a whole new sport: baseball.
Sorare said it had signed agreements with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association to develop a new baseball fantasy sports game based on the American league. It’s Sorare’s first additional sport, following the introduction of its original soccer game in 2019.
The MLB game will also sell and buy digital trading cards of professional players, represented as Ethereum-based NFT artifacts. Users can enter their NFT player cards into fantasy lineups and get points based on how well the pros perform in real-world MLB games.
“Many people, including myself, have never played fantasy sports before,” Sorare COO Ryan Spoon said. “It’s a very rhythmic, math-driven, and stats-driven sport, with many roles and players, scouting and prospects, and stars against call-ups. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Spoon also mentioned baseball’s lengthy history of trading cards and collectibles, which Sorare hopes to perpetuate in the digital realm.
Along with Sorare, sports collectibles have been a significant component of the NFT market boom. NBA Top Shot and Tom Brady’s Autograph platform are two of the most well-known examples. An NFT is a blockchain-backed digital item receipt that may be used to represent artwork, collectibles, profile images, and unique video game items.
Major League Baseball has an existing NFT partnership with Candy Digital, a majority-owned startup by Fanatics Sportswear. Although Topps was acquired by Fanatics earlier this year and is now under the same banner as Candy, the company has launched digital MLB trade cards.
Sorare’s MLB card artwork is still being finalized, but Spoon says it will keep the approach of current soccer NFTs—with visible stats and edition numbers—while reflecting the spirit of baseball. Every MLB player will have the same total number of NFT cards available in various rarity levels; however, the exact quantity has yet to be determined.
The current soccer game is a free-to-play experience that includes a starter pack of player cards that are not tradeable NFTs, albeit the NFT cards are more useful for those wanting to win fantasy leagues and earn incentives. The MLB experience is also described as a free-to-play game that does not necessitate the purchase of NFTs.
Unlike Sorare’s soccer game, which includes relationships with roughly 250 teams from other foreign leagues, the baseball game will focus solely on Major League Baseball and its 30 teams.
Sorare claims that its soccer game now has 1.8 million monthly users and generated $325 million in NFT trade volume in 2021. In addition, the company claims that it will double that amount this year. Sorare was valued at $4.3 billion in September after a $680 million Series B fundraising round, as previously announced.
Following a March deal with Major League Soccer, which brought the American league and its teams to Sorare’s platform, the MLB partnership is the latest move in the firm’s American push. Sorare’s head of business development, Michael Meltzer, said that the company hoped to announce two US league collaborations in the coming months.
Sorare will be able to target a primarily American audience by launching a Major League Baseball game, although in a sport with global talent and followers outside of North America.
“We now have a worldwide reach, both in terms of users and partners and our players,” Spoon said. “We believe we can translate a lot of the software platform’s background into a way that makes a lot of sense to baseball.”
Though Ethereum produces some of the most popular NFTs, at least a dozen other blockchains also produce the digital collectibles, including Terra, which has attracted collectors due to its lower gas prices.
Following the demise of Terra’s stablecoin TerraUSD (UST) and its sister token LUNA, NFT (non-fungible token) projects based on Terra have experienced a significant increase in trading as astute traders seek to profit from price disparities.
According to data aggregator Flipside Crypto, the daily volume of NFT trading on major Terra marketplaces Random Earth, Knowhere, and Luart is at its highest level since March 1. Terra’s daily NFT volume was 3.1 million UST ($2.1 million) on May 11, up from 384,769 UST the day before.
On May 11, Random Earth and Knowhere saw their biggest trading volume days. Random Earth’s volume soared to 438,665 LUNA ($485,263) after never exceeding 11,000 LUNA before, while Knowhere’s volume hit 6,005 LUNA at the time of publication.
Galactic Punks, Hell Cats, Derby Stars, and Luna Bulls are among the most popular Terra NFT collections. The fast repricing of NFTs, particularly on Random Earth, was noted by Twitter user @RyanBethencourt, who wondered if their worth would hold if Terra were to “sink into a death spiral.”
Source: Twitter
Users of OnePlanet, another Terra NFT marketplace, turned to Discord to complain about transaction delays, claiming that the digital assets did not appear in their wallets immediately after the transaction was completed.
Those who didn’t delist their NFTs in time were told that Discord moderators will look into it.
A look at cryptography Investor sentiment was divided on Twitter. “All nfts on terra are now as useless as the luna token,” said user @PostmanNay.
@c4chaos, another user, urged sympathy for individuals who may have lost their life savings.
NFT Terra collection PolyEgg asked Twitter followers which blockchain they should transfer to because “continuing to mint on Terra is not a good idea.” While Solana was a popular choice, “LUNAtics,” or experienced LUNA investors, continue to buy Terra NFTs.
Voyage in Paradise (“ViP/ the Project”), the world’s first global top DJ and artist-enhanced “listen-to-earn” project, announces a new Top 100 DJs official partner today, Rave Republic. Co-developed by Catheon Gaming (“CG”) and King Pillar Limited (“KPL”), ViP partners with top DJs and musicians to bring audiences an all-encompassing music experience on the blockchain.ViP invites top artists from around the world to be a part of the ecosystem, and Rave Republic (2021 DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs) is the latest addition to the list. Formed by Matthias and Stas in 2014, Rave Republic’s debut release ‘Far Away’ in 2015 went straight to the No.1 spot on the iTunes Dance Chart. 2022 marks their 8th year in the music space, the fourth time Top 100 DJs listed duo has gone from obscurity to playing at some of the biggest clubs and events, as well as producing global chart-topping tracks. Rave Republic also actively collaborates on new songs and releases music on W&W’s record label – Rave Culture, among many other top-tier labels.
The project itself is conceptualized by Catheon Gaming, the fastest-growing integrated blockchain gaming, and entertainment company, and the music industry leader and festival IP owner, King Pillar Limited, to create a whole new way to enjoy music and entertainment. The project aims to integrate blockchain technology into the music community by elevating real-world entertainment with the virtual and decentralized world of Web3.
ViP’s concept centers on a “listen-to-earn” model, metaverse concert venues, NFT album release service, music incubator, and a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). The aim is to foster an authentic, symbiotic relationship with listeners and musicians. Listeners will be rewarded for listening to curated music, artists will be able to co-create an engagement ecosystem with their fans, and producers and artists will be able to release their music in the form of NFTs on the blockchain. Additionally, NFT holders will be entitled to access rights to related tracks and albums, and music-related perks and giveaways.
The project itself is conceptualized by Catheon Gaming, the fastest-growing integrated blockchain gaming, and entertainment company, and the music industry leader and festival IP owner, King Pillar Limited, to create a whole new way to enjoy music and entertainment. The project aims to integrate blockchain technology into the music community by elevating real-world entertainment with the virtual and decentralized world of Web3.
ViP’s concept centers on a “listen-to-earn” model, metaverse concert venues, NFT album release service, music incubator, and a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). The aim is to foster an authentic, symbiotic relationship with listeners and musicians. Listeners will be rewarded for listening to curated music, artists will be able to co-create an engagement ecosystem with their fans, and producers and artists will be able to release their music in the form of NFTs on the blockchain. Additionally, NFT holders will be entitled to access rights to related tracks and albums, and music-related perks and giveaways.
The Rave Republic, official partner of Voyage in Paradise & 2021 DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs, commented: “We are very excited to be a part of Voyage in Paradise, in developing this one-of-a-kind experience for our fans and all music lovers. Empowered by the project’s revolutionary features on the blockchain, the barrier between artists and fans in the traditional music consumption model will be greatly reduced and unlock possibilities for new avenues to enjoy entertainment. We look forward to taking the project to new heights and cultivating a community of entertainment and music lovers in the Web3 era”.
William Wu, Founder of Catheon Gaming,said: “We are delighted to have KPL as a partner on this exciting new venture, who will play a significant role in presenting us with the opportunity to tap into their vast network of connections. The goal of the project is twofold, to deliver an immersive entertainment experience on the blockchain but also to develop a more efficient model of distribution, whereby the artists and producers will be incentivized to provide the audience with maximum entertainment value.”
J.C. Chao, Founder & CEO at King Pillar Limited, commented: “This is the first step for Voyage in Paradise to revolutionize the music industry with blockchain technology. We are thankful to Catheon Gaming for providing invaluable advice and expertise in elevating the project to the next level. KPL will continue working with our partners with the same goal of building a sustainable music ecosystem, which will look to disrupt the current music and entertainment profit model, and ultimately give back power to the community and entertainers.”
About Voyage in Paradise
Co-developed by Catheon Gaming and King Pillar Limited, Voyage in Paradise is the first “listen-to-earn” music ecosystem enhanced by top global artists and DJs. The project aims to foster an authentic symbiotic relationship with listeners and musicians by integrating GameFi, metaverse concert venues, NFT album release service, and a music incubator in a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO).
Catheon Gaming is the fastest-growing integrated blockchain gaming and entertainment company globally. The company’s flagship franchise, SolChicks, entered the market following successful fundraising from various venture capital investors, institutions, and launchpad partners. The company brings technical, gaming, and marketing expertise together with deep roots in the blockchain industry. The company’s strategy is to partner with leading game developers and IP-holders to incubate and launch “best-in-class” blockchain games and bring them to the widest possible audience.
For media inquiries, please contact: media@catheongaming.com
King Pilliar Limited (KPL) is a leading pioneer multi-entertainment group with a die-hard love of music, spot-on execution with trustworthy localization, and global networks to create unique entertainment experiences that fuse western and eastern culture to its fans in the greater region of China. KPL offers full-service event solutions including world-class festival event production, cultural and tourism planning, creative event promotion, localized ticketing channels, event operation, and international IP collaborations, and also holds the exclusive Asia licenses for Groove Cruise Asia and We Are Electric China.
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