The Next Generation of Online Sports
Portuguese fantasy sports company RealFevr has announced that they will be launching the world’s first marketplace for football-related non-fungible tokens, which can be openly purchased and traded within the space.
This is a huge step towards the growth and integration of digital art in the sporting world, combining the next era in digital technology with world-class athletes. RealFevr aspires to create an online space similar to that of NBA Top Shot, which had reported a revenue of $230-million near the end of February.
How Does it Work?
RealFevr will utilize blockchain technology, which means that there is a decentralized ledger that proves authenticity to a specific piece of digital media at the core of every transaction. No NFT is exactly like another and cannot be originally duplicated, due to the log that is at the center of each creation.
RealFevr also sees NFTs as an extension of the fantasy sports world and plans to implement a system in which NFTs can be used to power up fantasy teams. This would involve the sale of packs, as seen with sports cards, and a currency unique to the marketplace.
We are not joining the NFT fever just because of the current market trend, but because we believe in its intrinsic value, and we are here for the long term,” said Fred Antunes, CEO of RealFevr. “In 2015, we started this path with the creation of Fantasy Leagues, and now we are taking the next step, keeping the vision of revolutionizing sports fan engagement as an objective.”
NFTs and Football
Football is the most popular sport with an estimated 3.5 billion fans worldwide; it is accessible to those of all incomes and locations and has produced some of the greatest spectacles in sporting history.
Whether it was Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal, Lionel Messi’s solo run against Getafe in 2007, or Robert Carlos’ reverse-curl free-kick against Tenerife, transforming historic football moments into a collectible digital art form will usher in a new era of sports fandom.
“The way in which blockchain technology makes possible the transformation of historical moments of sport into true art in motion is absolutely exciting and has been one of the main sources of the extremely high motivation to which the whole team is committed,” said Antunes.
A Unique Marketplace
RealFevr will facilitate NFT transactions with its native currency known as FEVR. This will present itself as a token that can be used to buy packs directly, or buy into a subscription. RealFevr envisions a world in which patrons will wager FEVR in their fantasy leagues, which adds another arm to their operation.
This announcement is not only in line with the growing popularity of NFTs and professional sports, as seen with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s plan to combine NFTs and ticket sales, but it is directly bridging the gap between fantasy and reality.
Fantasy sports were already seen as a separate entity from real athletics, though they were inherently related, and RealFver’s plan would double down on the possibilities for sports in the online world.
The next task for RealFevr will be to develop a functional marketplace capable of sustaining growth and expansion in a user-friendly system that is catered towards sports fans.
An official release date has not been announced, but the eyes of the NFT and sports worlds will be fixed on RealFevr as they prepare to break into a new, unique space in the ecosystem.
