Welcome to The Hype Report where we break down the latest news, stories & insights at the intersection of sports, artificial intelligence & web3.

Here's What You Need To Know This Week 📝

• Cristiano Ronaldo Drops Highly Anticipated Second NFT Collection On Binance ⚽

• Credit Suisse Teams Up With Swiss Football Association For NFT Collection 💰

• MLB Reveals New Virtual Ballpark ⚾

• Quick Hype 🎯

Let's Dive Into It 🤿

Cristiano Ronaldo Drops Highly Anticipated Second NFT Collection On Binance ⚽

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most recognized athletes in the world.

So when he makes a move, it makes noise.

This past week he dropped his second NFT collection exclusively on the Binance marketplace.

Let’s dive a little deeper…

Features of the NFT Collection:

The NFT collection, called ‘Forever CR7: The GOAT’, focuses on Ronaldo’s big career achievements.

Especially his goals on the soccer field.

It has 20 different designs, each representing a significant goal from Ronaldo’s career, and they also come in four tiers of rarity:

• Super Super Rare

• Super Rare

• Rare

• Normal

The Super Super Rare tier represents special collections that come with advantages such as:

• Once-in-a-lifetime training session with Cristiano Ronaldo

• Binance football shirt signed by Ronaldo

• Free ticket to a future Binance Blockchain Week

• Several other benefits

Holders could only benefit from the Super Super Rare NFT sale during the 48-hour auction, which started July 3rd.

There were only seven Super Super Rare NFTs, and six of them were available through a bidding system.

Binance is also distributing 120 Super Rare NFTs and 1200 Rare NFTs.

The Super Rare NFTs will go for $300, while the Rare NFTs will go for $30.

The lower-priced options are tagged ‘Normal NFTs’.

Those can be obtained through the ForeverCR7 boxes, which also have 7 NFTs in each box and go for just $10.

I spoke with Tim Mangnall, founder of Capital Block, who worked directly with Binance and Ronaldo on this collection.

He provided some really solid insight as to what goes into a drop like this.

Here’s what he had to say:

Why was now the time to launch this 2nd collection and how did you all think through the utility aspect of it?

The decision to launch the second collection of Cristiano Ronaldo's NFTs at this time was driven by several factors.

Firstly, we've seen a growing interest and acceptance of NFTs in the mainstream market.

This, coupled with Cristiano's ever-growing fan base, especially in the Middle East, presented an opportune moment to introduce a new collection.

Secondly, we learned a lot from the first drop.

We took into account the feedback and insights we gathered from the community, which helped us refine and improve the second collection.

We believe that this collection will provide an even better experience for fans and collectors.

As for the utility aspect, we've given it a lot of thought. We understand that NFTs need to offer more than just digital ownership of an artwork.

They need to provide real utility to their holders and that is why you can actually train with Ronaldo for some of the lucky holders.

With this in mind, we've incorporated several other utility features into the second collection.

For instance, holding a Cristiano Ronaldo NFT gives fans access to Binance blockchain week, signed shirts, video messages from CR7, and as mentioned the opportunity to be flowed out on an all-expenses paid trip to Saudi Arabia to train with Ronaldo.

We believe that by adding these utility features, we're not just selling digital collectibles, but also providing a new way for fans to connect with Cristiano Ronaldo.

This approach aligns with the broader vision of leveraging blockchain technology to create more engaging and rewarding experiences for fans.

Given the current market of NFTs, what should athletes, teams, and organizations be thinking of when they’re looking to launch something of this nature?

When athletes, teams, and organizations are considering launching an NFT project, there are several key factors they should keep in mind:

Low Entry Cost: The cost of entry should be kept as low as possible to ensure that a wide range of fans can participate.

High prices can be a barrier to entry for many fans, which could limit the reach and success of the project.

Ease of Purchase: Purchasing the NFTs should be straightforward and user-friendly. This includes everything from the platform used for the sale to the payment options available.

Remember, not all fans are crypto-savvy, so the easier you make the process, the more likely they are to participate.

You have to look at what we did with McLaren where we have had over 1.6 million downloads and all you need is an email address.

Utility: This is perhaps the most important aspect. The NFTs should offer real utility to their holders beyond just digital ownership.

This could include access to exclusive content, special privileges (like voting rights or early access to tickets), or even real-world experiences.

The more value the NFTs provide, the more desirable they will be.

Community Engagement: NFTs offer a unique opportunity to engage with fans in a new and exciting way.

Think about how the NFT project can foster a sense of community among fans, such as through exclusive events or forums for NFT holders, and how this can be then used to help develop further sponsor relationships.

Long-term Vision: It is important to have a long-term vision for the project. This could involve a series of NFT drops, ongoing benefits for NFT holders, or even integrating the NFTs into a broader fan engagement strategy.

In summary, the focus should be on creating an NFT project that is accessible, provides real value to fans, and contributes to a long-term strategy for fan engagement.

With these elements in place, athletes, teams, and organizations can leverage NFTs to deepen their connection with fans and open up new revenue streams.

Can you give a little more context on the role that Capital Block played in this partnership and the ideation process of it all?

Capital Block, as a leading strategy and creative agency specializing in WEB3 solutions, played a pivotal role in the partnership between Cristiano Ronaldo and Binance, as well as the ideation and execution of the NFT project.

Our role as the lead agency for both Cristiano Ronaldo and Binance allowed us to leverage our deep understanding of both parties to create a strategy that would resonate with fans and collectors alike.

We recognized the potential of combining Ronaldo's iconic career moments with the burgeoning NFT space, and Binance's robust platform.

The ideation process was a collaborative effort. We wanted to go beyond just creating digital representations of Ronaldo's best goals.

Instead, we decided to reimagine each goal through the lens of a modern artist, creating unique and visually striking NFTs. This approach allowed us to capture the essence of each moment while also offering something new and exciting to the collectors.

Capital Block was responsible for building and managing the entire strategy. This included everything from conceptualizing the NFTs, and coordinating with the design team, to marketing the collection.

Our creative team was instrumental in bringing the project to life, ensuring that each NFT was not just a collectible, but a piece of art.

In essence, Capital Block served as the bridge between Cristiano Ronaldo, Binance, and the NFT community, guiding the project from concept to launch.

Our expertise in WEB3 solutions, coupled with our deep understanding of our client's needs, allowed us to create a unique and successful NFT project.

Credit Suisse Teams Up With Swiss Football Association For NFT Collection 💰

Seems like a weird time for Credit Suisse to get into the Web3 space given the recent issues the company has had.

But with what we’ve seen in the space throughout the past year or so, nothing surprises me.

This week Credit Suisse announced a collaboration with the Swiss Football Association (SFA) to reveal an innovative NFT collection.

The focus of the partnership is to not only promote the sport and league but to also provide financial backing for the national team players and aspiring young female soccer talent in the country.

Features of the NFT Collection:

The collection showcases 756 digital art portraits of Swiss women’s national team players.

• The NFTs will be available for purchase exclusively through Credit Suisse’s CSX app, starting from July 11th and continuing until August 31st, as stated on the bank’s website

• The NFTs will be for sale across three packages, ranging from 150 to 10,000 Swiss francs – about $167 to $11,000

• The packages also come with corresponding benefits including a physical artwork counterpart, a meet and greet with the players, and a signed jersey

Sandra Caviezel, Head of Partnerships and Sponsorship at Credit Suisse, had this to say about the partnership:

“These funds will on the one hand provide direct support to the women's national team and on the other hand will be used for girls' football projects and are thus earmarked for the promotion of young talent.”

No crypto or crypto wallet is required to purchase an NFT and ALL the proceeds from the collection will be donated to support women’s football in Switzerland.

Initially, buyers won’t be able to resell or transfer their NFT outside of the CSX app, but Credit Suisse has expressed interest in adding this functionality in the future.

Why This Matters

Brands aren’t shying away from NFTs entirely, but partnerships like this have to make sense.

For Credit Suisse, this benefits them in a few ways:

1. Paves the way for the innovative use of digital assets in new types of financing and service models. Credit Suisse is well-positioned to work with issuers seeking regulated partners.

2. The bank can further establish itself on the crypto scene. Virtually all wealth management banks have included digital investments in their strategy.

3. Help to onboard a “broad client base” to Web3 and digital assets while gaining exposure to a new audience.

It’ll be interesting to how this project plays out over time.

MLB Reveals New Virtual Ballpark ⚾

Who says the metaverse is dead?

Yesterday, the MLB launched a new virtual ballpark to bring immersive digital experiences to fans.

The virtual ballpark opened to fans for the first time with a special online watch party for the MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.

It also included celebrity interviews that couldn’t be seen anywhere else.

This is just the first of multiple events planned for the virtual ballpark in 2023.

Features of the Virtual Ballpark

• The virtual ballpark will be an online space where baseball fans from all over the world can connect and experience live events

• It's designed like a real baseball stadium in an effort to bring the actual MLB ballpark experience to the virtual world

• Fans can create an avatar, customizable with their favorite MLB team's jersey, to enter the virtual ballpark

• They can also participate in the live-event experience, explore the ballpark, and interact with the other users around them

All of the fans who attended the event at the virtual ballpark also received a commemorative digital ticket created by none other than Candy Digital.

Candy has an exclusive partnership with the MLB to create unique digital collectibles, which have included commemorative tickets for events such as:

• 2022 World Series

• 2022 Postseason games

• Field of Dreams game

Fans could also play mini-games tied to real-time events happening in T-Mobile Park in Seattle, where the Celebrity Softball Game took place, as well as participate in a Sorare card scavenger hunt, and entered into a drawing for a chance to win tickets to the 2023 World Series.

The MLB hopes the virtual ballpark will continue to evolve in the future, with more events, new features, and potential integration with more platforms.

The ballpark was developed in collaboration with London-based technology firm Improbable, which develops virtual spaces to connect brands and consumers in the digital landscape.

You can check out the MLB virtual ballpark here: MLB.com/virtual-ballpark.

Quick Hype 🎯

Manchester City Agrees To £55 Million Sleeve Partnership Deal With OKX.

European Games Athletes Set To Receive NFT Medals.

Mobile Sports Platform Buzzer Shuts Down.

Why Spanish Soccer League La Liga Is Relaunching Its App As Part Of A DTC Play.

AI To Assist Football Managers With Players' Substitutions In Near Future.

EA Sports FC Will “Blur the Lines Between Real and Virtual Football.”

Sport1 Partners With Starzz To Build Web3 Experiences For Sports And Entertainment.

‘The VR Open’ Golf Experience To Launch On July 15th.

Raine Group Raises $760 Million For New Sports + Media Fund.

NFL Extends Deal With Betting Data/Integrity Firm Genius Sports.

Thank you for reading this week.

Talk to you again next Sunday.

Malcolm

This newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not financial or business advice in any capacity.

The information shared is my thoughts & opinions and does not represent the opinions of any other person, business, entity, or sponsor.

The contents of this newsletter also should not be used in any public or private domain without the author's express permission.

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