Issue 57: Trademarks, marketplaces, marathon rewards

Here's your weekly review on what happened at the intersection of NFTs and Sports:

• ⚽ English Premier League files crypto and NFT trademarks
• 🛒 New marketplaces: WWE Moonsault and ARIA
• 🏃 xG Studios with half marathon NFTs

Let's have a closer look! 👀

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⚽ English Premier League files crypto and NFT trademarks

"The English Premier League (EPL) has filed two cryptocurrency and NFT trademarks in the U.S., a sign the world’s most-watched sports league is gearing up to expand its brand into the digital scene. The trademarks were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) last week and brought to light in a tweet by licensed trademark attorney Michael Kondoudis on June 6.

The trademark filings are expansive in scope, and cover the creation and sale of digital assets, virtual clothing, cryptocurrencies, and media files verified by NFTs. They also include the use of Premier League trademarks in “virtual, augmented, and mixed reality software.”

🛒 New marketplaces: WWE Moonsault and ARIA

"WWE and BCL launched WWE’s official NFT marketplace, “Moonsault,” (...) during SMACKDOWN on FOX, and promoted the debut across WWE and FOX media platforms, as well as on WWE Discord. The first 10,000 fans to create a wallet on the platform received a free Moonsault Genesis NFT, all of which were claimed within only a few hours. In the future, more limited-edition Cases of NFT Flips, and other video highlights and digital collectibles centered on WWE Superstars and iconic moments from the company’s history, will be dropped on “Moonsault,” timed to major WWE premium live events throughout the year."

"Launching in the summer of 2022, the ARIA Exchange is an innovative NFT marketplace for rare collectible NFTs. Also, users can collect untold stories from contemporary sports stars such as Jayson Tatum, Max Scherzer, and Alex Bregman. In addition, the new NFT marketplace by ARIA will feature many other all-time sports legends. The list includes Bill Russell, Jerry West, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Honus Wagner, etc. ARIA Exchange is leveraging its portfolio of culture-leading athletes, brands, and superstars. Further, it is reimagining collectibles and fan engagements, aiming to disrupt the current NFT space."

🏃 xG Studios with half marathon NFTs

"xG Studios has announced a groundbreaking partnership with LimeLight Sports Club to reward runners of their prestigious events with NFTs. Starting with the Hackney Half Marathon in East London, podium finishers and a select group of LimeLight Sports Club Members were rewarded with xG Genesis NFTs. This is the first use of the new xG platform to encourage and reward sports participation by adding a gamified web3 collecting layer to real life sporting activity. xG unlocks web3 rewards for in-real-life sports participation – in an experience built for the next generation of athletes who value digital assets and express their identities online."

🤓 Wrapping it up

So what have we learned in this week's issue?

• New marketplaces pop up like eCommerce shops did in Web 2.0. With the overall market sentiment being down, this is the time to build great offerings, as we have seen it during other down-phases. And while the NFT rush of 2021 is still fresh in our minds, does it really come as a surprise that many projects already prepare for the new upswing aka gold rush? Time to double down and to secure the future rewards. WWE and ARIA try to do exactly that.
• Rewarding real-life actions is highly interesting. We often read about "bridging the gap between digital and physical life", so this is not a new approach. However, it is fun to watch which offerings are going to succeed and which not. Activity-based rewards, e.g. in the fitness sector, seem to be a good playground, as the audience is already used to track their performance and receive some sort of benefit though it, for example in the form of badges or leaderboard fame. If this leads to something more tangible, like the well known Stepn app, even better! Let's see if xG Studios delivers more than "just" an NFT collectible or if this is the modern form of a trophy.

And that's it for this weeks issue! And as always: Feel free to reach out for feedback and to discuss all things NFT and sports! To stay up to date: Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for stats, drop announcements.