The National Football game League Players Association, or NFLPA, in collaboration with sports betting operator DraftKings Inc., announced the launch of a gamified nonfungible token, or NFT, collection to drop on DraftKings Market during the 2022–2023 NFL season. Starting next year, fans will be able to play NFT-based games featuring their favorite NFL Players, according to the company.

OneTeam, the official media business organization partner of the NFLPA, helped facilitate the deal with DraftKings, giving them the necessary licensing rights to use the name, image and likeness for active NFL players.

In a statement shared on the DraftKings website, Beth Beiriger, senior vice president of product operations for DraftKings Market said, "The future of fandom is unfolding in forepart of united states of america, and few organizations beyond DraftKings are as equipped to capitalize on the increasing intersection between sports and NFTs that will be cornerstones of date and entertainment inside Web iii.0."

The DraftKings Marketplace went alive this past August with its countdown Tom Brady NFT collection in partnership with the NFT platform co-founded by Brady, himself, called Autograph. Likewise NFTs, Brady further displayed his backing of crypto by giving a fan 1 BTC for his 600th touchdown pass.

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The announcement suggested that DraftKings' upcoming NFTs will enable customers to buy and sell collectibles via the Polygon network, and use them within games against other players. The goal of the DraftKings' NFT feel is to "create accurate connections for avid fans," according to Sean C. Sansiveri, general counsel and caput of concern affairs at NFL Players Inc., the marketing and licensing arm of the NFLPA.

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Last month, the NFL also entered a collaboration with Ticketmaster to tie NFT collectibles to select game tickets when purchased, emphasizing the pro sports league'south wide adoption of blockchain technology.