Welcome to The Hype Is Real where we break down the latest news, stories & happenings around sports & web3.

Here's What You Need To Know This Week:

• STAN Becomes India’s First Platform To Launch NFTs Of Esports Athletes

• Mavs Owner Mark Cuban Expands Fireside Platform Into Sports

• New Zealand Women's National Rugby Team x World Of Women NFT Community

• University Of Michigan Releases Hail To The VICTORS NFT

• Meta Avatars Team Up With Liverpool

Let's Dive Into It...

STAN Becomes India’s First Platform To Launch NFTs Of Gaming Creators And Esports Athletes

India-headquartered and blockchain-based e-sports fan engagement startup STAN recently announced the roll-out of a first-of-its-kind NFT (Non-Fungible Token) and LDC (Limited Digital Collectibles) collection in collaboration with over 50 well-known gaming creators and esports athletes in India.

STAN claims to have now become India's first platform to launch the NFTs of gaming and e-sports industry content creators and gamers.

As a part of the strategy, STAN will launch more than 10,000 NFTs and over 2,000 exclusive LDCs over the next two months or so. They will also be conducting multiple in-app NFT drops and NFT sales for each of the signed creators on pre-specified dates.

All the creators whose NFT and LDCs are going to go live on the STAN platform will additionally be engaged in a plethora of cross-marketing and promotional activities mainly aimed at notifying their users about the sale.

Nauman Mulla (Co-founder and COO of STAN) on the launch:

"We at STAN are excited to launch the NFTs of an array of esports athletes and creators in India who are associated mainly with the Free Fire and BGMI games; and at the same time, we are extremely proud to be the first in India to do so. Soon, our users will be easily able to purchase NFTs and Exclusive Limited Digital Collectibles through the STAN mobile app. The idea and objective behind this is to enable the users – including non-crypto-native ones – to tap into the burgeoning NFT gaming economy, while also engaging them actively along with their favorite esports creators and idols."

Why does this matter?

India's sports culture is heating up in a major way.

And it's largely due to technological advances. The rise of smartphones throughout the country has a strong correlation to the increase in sports investments and technology.

Web3 will push this forward even more.

Keep your eye on India as sports is becoming big business there. 

Fireside Adds WWE & NBC Sports Veteran Kevin Endsley To Lead Sports Expansion For The Platform

Fireside, the first interactive Web3 streaming platform, recently their expansion into sports and esports by bringing on Kevin Endsley. 

Co-Founded by serial entrepreneurs, Falon Fatemi and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Fireside is revolutionizing how fans and audiences engage with their favorite athletes, celebrities, and creators.

Unlike traditional media and entertainment platforms that have provided fans with the same static and one-sided content for decades, Fireside offers audiences a truly unique interactive, and immersive experience.

Fireside allows fans to enjoy behind-the-scenes and exclusive access to their favorite athletes and stars and become a part of the virtual show in real-time.

Why does this matter?

History shows that Mark Cuban is a visionary. 

Fireside's expansion into sports is an excellent move because the next generation of athletes are natural content creators.

Having the ability to go live and allowing your fans to become an integral part of the experience creates deeper interaction, turning fans into super fans. 

New Zealand Women's National Rugby Team Partners With The World Of Women NFT Community

The New Zealand Black Ferns, the women's national rugby team, dominates the world of the women's game. Now, they are joining the World of Women.

The team announced this week that it has secured 33 World of Women Galaxy NFTs in an unprecedented move, which was enabled by MoonPay.

The World of Women is a popular NFT project created by the artist Yam Karkai. The NFTs are extremely popular, but more so is their message and the community they have built. They are incredibly welcoming and inclusive and value equal opportunities for all.

But this move didn't come without a ton of backlash. Many fans were displeased with the purchase and let it be known across social media.

The number represents the 32 members of the Black Ferns and one that represents the fans. The Black Ferns took home the win against Australia’s Wallaroos 41-17 in the opening match of the Rugby World Cup. 

Why does this matter?

This might have been a peculiar move by the Black Ferns, but the World of Women community deeply aligns with the overall team values.

This shows that NFTs are not just a symbol of our taste in art or fandom, but they can also represent ideologies that we stand for and truly believe in such as inclusivity, and equal opportunity.

Graduate Ann Arbor Launches NFT Gallery To Give A New Way For Fans To Support University Of Michigan Athletes

The University of Michigan football team is now 6-0, ranked in the top-five AP Poll, and the favorites to win the Big Ten so far. 

To capitalize on this recent success, Graduate Ann Arbor and MORE Management have partnered to create a Michigan athletics-inspired NFT art gallery called VICTORS NFT.

The one-of-a-kind space unveiled on Tuesday is in the lobby of Graduate Ann Arbor — a boutique hotel across the street from U-M’s campus.

The first exhibit will feature current and former Wolverine athletes, including legendary QB Tom Brady, Cade McNamara, Mazi Smith, and Zak Zinter.

Peter Klamka (President of MORE Management) said:

“From classic Michigan images to a blue chip NFT collab, this installation is a first in crypto and athlete marketing.”

Participating college athletes are able to generate a profit from sales. This is also in collaboration with Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs where fans purchase branded apparel from the gallery’s online marketplace called Bored on Campus. 

There is even an NFT that features Brady’s personal resume that he created when he was contemplating his NFL future.

On3 said fans could soon see this gallery concept expanded to more college campuses.

Why does this matter?

The last sentence says it all.

NFTs are becoming mainstream across collegiate athletics. 

I even mentioned this last week in regard to the Legacy League x Clemson partnership. Schools are trying to get ahead of the web3 and NIL curve by exploring ways the university and athletes can share in revenue as well as drive fan engagement with digital collectibles.  

Meta Avatars Store Adds Liverpool Merch

Fans of Liverpool F.C. can now outfit their Meta Avatars on Facebook and Instagram with the club’s home and away kits, as well as fashion wear looks, via a merchandise collection that was added to the Meta Avatars Store.

The virtual merchandise is available in Canada, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Thailand, the U.K., and the U.S., currently for Facebook and Instagram, with virtual reality to be added later this year.

It marks the first time Meta has ever made sports apparel available for purchase in its Avatars Store. Look for more clubs to unlock the metaverse economy in similar ways as Meta further builds out its cross-platform Avatars functionality and customization.

What To Watch:

NFTs Break Into Sports:

Why? That is the number one question sports organizations should be asking themselves regarding any web3 or NFT drop.

This was a great panel that took place in London back in September where the focus was placed on NFTs, with the sports market providing a huge playground for commercial opportunities in conjunction with Web3.

Panelists featured: 

• Tim Mangnall: Founder and CEO of Capital Sports Media & Capital Block

• Joanna Rindell: Senior Legal Counsel for OneFootball

• Harriet Browning: Biz Dev at Consensys

• Brandon Mason: Pro Football Player for Crawley Town and web3 startup founderProfessional Football Playerf

• Petrit Berisha: Founder of Sporting Crypto Newsletter

Check it out below:

What To Read:

That's it for this week. Hope you have a great Sunday.

I'll check back in again next week,

Malcolm

P.S - Let me know your favorite sport, athlete, or team!