🔊 A First-Of-Its-Kind Sports Blockchain Goes Live

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

It was definitely a slower week in the world of sports and web3.

Nonetheless, we make do with what we got so we still have a pretty solid rundown of a few key events that took place.

Hopefully, you get something out of this edition.

As always, I'm open to any thoughts, feedback, or suggestions as to what you want to see more or less of in this newsletter ([email protected]).

And a huge shoutout to the 49 subscribers who joined since last week's report! Thank you for your support.

Without further adieu...

Here's What You Need To Know This Week 📝

• Chiliz Launches Layer-1 Blockchain To Bring Sports Brands To Web3 🔥

• Super League Acquires Metaverse Experience Developer Melon 🤝

• GW Basketball Coach Releases An Experiential NFT Collection 🏀

• Founder Feature Of The Week 📰 

• Quick Hype 🎯

Let's Dive Into It 🤿

Chiliz Launches Layer-1 Blockchain To Bring Sports Brands To Web3 🔥

Chiliz is clearly one of the leaders in and around sports and web3.

This week they gained more steam as they announced the launch of the Chiliz Chain public mainnet.

This is a significant step forward in their mission to help sports teams and brands build direct relationships with their fans using blockchain.

How It Works:

Okay, we're getting into the technical weeds here, but stay with me...

Chiliz Chain is a Layer-1, interoperable blockchain ecosystem and is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

In simpler terms, it's a basic, primary underlying blockchain layer that is able to communicate with other blockchain networks.

They’re also bringing on a network of 11 active Proof of Stake Authority (PoSA) node validators.

This includes some established blockchain firms and leading sports entities.

(A validator node is a special type of full node that participates in “consensus.” By participating in consensus, validator nodes become responsible for verifying, voting on, and maintaining a record of transactions on the blockchain.)

Each will be responsible for proving transactions and securing the Chiliz ecosystem to enable developers to, “build the projects that will form the backbone of web3 in sport.”

So far these are a few platforms have been named as validators:

• Jump Crypto

• Paribu

• Meria (formerly known as Just Mining)

The Benefits:

Chiliz Chain’s PoSA model is expected to provide:

• Lower fees

• Support shorter block time

• Use significantly less energy

All network fees will be paid to validators using the blockchain’s native $CHZ token.

Currently, Chiliz has a network of over 150 major sports teams.

They're also the creator of fan tokens and the popular fan engagement app Socios.com.

The Socios.com and fan token ecosystem has over 2 million wallets and features major sports teams including these soccer teams:

• FC Barcelona

• Paris Saint-Germain

• Manchester City

• Juventus

• S.S.C Napoli

• Inter Milan

• AC Milan

• Arsenal

• Atlético Madrid

• A.S Roma

A few months ago they launched the Chiliz Labs accelerator and incubator, to empower early-stage web3 sports projects looking to build on the Chiliz Chain.

They're actively looking to attract developers interested in building web3 sports projects by holding hackathons in major stadiums and sports arenas all over the world.

The details of these hackathons haven't been announced yet, but I'll keep you posted when they are.

Super League Acquires Metaverse Experience Developer Melon 🤝

Super League has been making big moves lately.

This week, they acquired the development studio Melon to help further its capabilities as "a one-stop solution for brands that want to build communities across gaming metaverse platforms."

With this acquisition, Melon will serve as an in-house studio.

Currently, they specialize in building experiences in Roblox.

So far they've worked with brands such as:

• Chipotle

• Mattel

• PacSun

• NFL

Melon has also been a pioneer in bringing musicians to Roblox.

It was the first independent studio to create an avatar-based music performance for the platform.

Since then, Melon has worked with high-profile artists such as:

• KSI

• Ava Max

• Tai Verdes

• Zara Larsson

Super League teased plans to tap this music expertise right away.

Together, the two have worked with more than 100 brands building audiences on metaverse gaming platforms.

Ann Hand, chair and CEO of Super League, is bullish and focused on Super League helping companies prepare for the transition to immersive web experiences.

Even though many are considering the metaverse "dead," acquisitions and partnerships such as this prove there is still an appetite for consumer-facing brands to explore this new frontier.

GW Basketball Coach Releases An Experiential NFT Collection 🏀

Last week we saw Pokes With A Purpose release a collection of digital collectibles for Oklahoma State University fans.

This week Friends of George (FOG) NIL collective and George Washington University Head Basketball Coach Chris Caputo are getting in the mix.

This release is an experiential NFT drop to benefit the GW Basketball Team on the ReserveBlock RBX Network.

It's also honoring Coach Caputo’s 2023 inaugural season and the team’s appearance in the Atlantic Ten Tournament at the Barclay’s Center in Caputo’s hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y.

The “Raise High” collection, as it's called, features six one-of-one NFTs each as a multi-asset token minted on the RBX network.

Each contains one-of-a-kind digital and physical assets with unique experiences to be redeemed by the holder including IRL experiences in the form of interactions with coach Caputo and the GW Basketball players.

It’ll also enable student-athletes to receive direct compensation from the use of their name, image, and likeness in a digital asset.

Fans, students, FOG sponsors, and anyone else will have direct access to bid on the tokens, without any need to interact with a third party.

Furthermore, the collectibles can also be traded peer-to-peer through the RBX Web Wallet and may potentially unlock benefits for holders associated with FOG NIL events in the future.

The series dropped on Coach Caputo’s RBX Web Wallet Auction this past Friday and will end tomorrow at 1:00 PM ET.

Users will need RBX native coin to participate and bid, which can be purchased on various global crypto exchanges.

All proceeds will be donated by Coach Caputo to benefit the program and its student-athletes.

That's NIL done right.

Founder Feature Of The Week 📰 

Not everyone can become a pro athlete.

Nor can they build a billion-dollar business.

Eddie Lewis has done both.

The 14-year soccer pro, played in both the United States and England, for teams such as San Jose Clash, Fulham, Preston North End, Leeds United, Derby County, and Los Angeles Galaxy.

After retiring he went straight into building TOCA Football, which is a technology-enabled soccer experience and entertainment company that aims to transform the sports experience and build communities that inspire everybody to play.

He sat down with us to discuss the vision for TOCA, how they're implementing new tech into their product, advice for founders building in the sports tech space, and what he learned from sports that's made him a great entrepreneur:

Quick Hype 🎯

LaLiga and Sportboost invite startups to find AI-based solutions. LaLiga's program aims to find solutions that help improve the sports industry.

Electric racing team Veloce thinks web3 can make audiences bigger for sustainable motorsport.

Karateka – Bringing Web3 Entertainment to Combat Sports with Karate Combat

Betr has acquired the Chameleon platform from Canadian sports technology company FansUnite for $7.45 million.

Sports streaming platform Buzzer will stop supporting its consumer app as it pivots to become a technology provider for leagues, teams, and networks broadcasting directly to fans.

Thanks for reading this week.

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Talk to you again next week,

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. The contents of this newsletter should not be used for any commercial activity, for example, research report, consultancy activity, or paywalled article, without the author's express permission.