NFL, NFLPA and Dapper Labs Announce NFT Deal

The National Football League (NFL), The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and Dapper Labs have announced a collaboration to create exclusive digital video highlight NFTs (non-fungible tokens) for NFL fans. OneTeam Partners facilitated the deal. 

“We believe blockchain is the future for sports collectors and we are excited to join forces with such an innovative partner in Dapper Labs and our colleagues at the NFLPA and NFL to distribute truly electrifying player-driven moments that NFL fans can collect, trade and own forever,” says Henry Lowenfels, chief product officer, OneTeam Partners. 

“We are thrilled to partner with Dapper Labs in its launch of NFL digital video collectibles,” says Joe Ruggiero, senior vice president, consumer products, NFL. “We believe blockchain technology has great potential to enhance the NFL fan experience in the future and we are excited to have Dapper Labs as one of our first collaborators in exploring this emerging space.” 

The digital collectibles will give NFL fans the opportunity to collect and own NFTs featuring in-game moments from players week-to-week throughout the season, including current-day athletes and those from the past. Additionally, fans will get the chance to collect plays from NFL history. 

“The irreplaceable nature of the NFT captures what is special about sports fandom,” says Steve Scebelo, president, NFL Players marketing and licensing arm of the NFLPA. “Our players are immensely excited for the NFLPA – in working with our enterprising partners at Dapper Labs and OneTeam – to make this significant push into the digital collectibles market. The unique greatness of NFL players will continue to fuel memorable moments both in history and in real-time during the season, which will only deepen the connections they have with their passionate fans.” 

Fans will have the option to purchase and open NFT packs featuring NFL players, show off their digital NFT collections and trade moments with other fans. They can also buy, showcase, sell or trade any of their moments in a dedicated marketplace on Flow. 

The exclusive NFT experience launches later this season and will give fans access to features, fan activations and community engagement. 

“From the Hail Murray to the Minneapolis Miracle, magic happens in NFL stadiums,” says Roham Gharegozlou, chief executive officer, Dapper Labs. “As a league that continually raises the bar, we are proud that the NFL and NFLPA have chosen Dapper Labs to deliver for NFL fans worldwide the Moments they’ve been waiting for. We can't wait to give the more than 300 million NFL fans the opportunity to own the game that matters to them and engage with the sport in a whole new way.”