Popular sports channel ESPN announced a multi-year partnership with non-fungible token platform Autograph, co-founded by NFL star Tom Brady, on April 6. The partnership will foresee the release of ESPN’s first NFT collection, which is based on Tom Brady’s 10-part ESPN+ documentary series ‘Man in the Arena: Tom Brady.’
Just set my alarm. #ManInTheArena @Autograph https://t.co/Sn0RVV9g8B
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) April 6, 2022
The collection is available to view on Autograph.io and its sale will be carried out on sports-based NFT marketplace DraftKings. The documentary will be released on ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ on April 6, 3PM ET, the same day as the NFT collection.
According to the press release, the collection consists of three ESPN magazine cover-style NFTs based on Brady’s greatest career moments and achievements. The NFT series, minted on Polygon, will contain 250 editions at $100 each, 100 editions at $250 each, and 50 digitally Brady-signed editions at $500 each.
In addition, the two platforms will also drop a second collection, called “Back in the Arena,” to coincide with the 10th episode of the series.
“This unique collection around Tom’s ‘Man in the Arena’ docuseries marks the beginning of our relationship with ESPN,” said Dillon Rosenblatt, Co-Founder and CEO at Autograph in a statement. “As the first NFT partner for ESPN, the possibilities across sports and technology are endless.”
Launched last year, Autograph quickly went on to become a popular NFT marketplace, predictably due to its association with Tom Brady. The website features several NFT collections by popular athletes including Naomi Osaka, Tiger Woods, Simone Biles, Tony Hawk, and more.
In January, the platform raised $170 million in a Series B funding round co-led by Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z fund and Kleiner Perkins.
