With the continued growth in digital assets such as NFTs and cryptocurrencies across the world over the past few years, some would say it would only be a matter of time before people within the sports industry began to take a keen interest in the developments.
Introduction
After Forbes reported that significant players in the industry lost tens of billions of dollars in revenue during the various shutdowns brought on by the pandemic, it kickstarted a sea change, as many organizations started to turn to digital. Now, there are several massive names from sports embracing the new technological age as they’ve had to innovate to boost their income streams.
Although some are still to leap into this developing realm of all things digital, they’d be foolish to ignore it for much longer, as many who have moved forward with the times are seeing considerable success. Already Tyson Fury has earned over $1 million in sales of NFTs in his image, and huge soccer clubs like Inter Milan, Arsenal, and Barcelona have added millions to their balance sheet by getting on board with blockchain technology.
What are fan tokens and who uses them?
Barcelona are one of several clubs worldwide that have offered their supporters the chance to purchase Socios fan tokens, which are uniquely identifiable digital assets branded in their club colors. But aside from being digital merchandise, the tokens also have an added value. This value comes in the form of granting the token owner access to exclusive owner’s merchandise, special VIP events, and voting rights on various club matters from choosing what messages should be emblazoned on club scarves, to the designs of new kits and naming rights to training facilities. It’s bringing a new level of interaction with sports fans, who are among the most invested stakeholders globally in any organization or industry.
However, not only have fans profited from being able to get closer to their clubs through this new means of direct engagement, but investors have also been seeing great benefits from supporting the tokens.
With collaborations worldwide, the 4ART coin is establishing itself as the trend of the future.
Current Investment Value
The most prominent example of that comes from another club that adopted the asset in Europe, Paris St Germain. The French club initially offered the assets for just $2 to potential investors, and when they signed Lionel Messi, one of the world’s best ever soccer players, the value of their token shot up to over $55 per token. Although their price has since subsided somewhat, they’re still worth 500% more than their initial value at the time of writing, more than proving their worth to potential investors.
Future investment potential
No matter if you’re looking to get hold of an NFT+ in the image of Diego Maradona from 4ART, or one of the fan token-based offerings, sports memorabilia built on the blockchain continues to be very popular and very lucrative in various forms. And what’s exciting is that the options could expand even further as increasing numbers of organizations begin to realize the benefits they can earn from these digital assets, creating more demand and more sales. So, the fan token may prove to be one of the best, low-cost investments to get your hands on.
Conclusion
As that shows, the fan token is an attractive alternative digital asset. However, some still suggest they’re not classed as an investment, as they’re pitching them as an entertainment product or something more akin to a modern-day membership. There’s no doubt that the added value they afford their owners is aimed squarely at the supporter, as a fan who buys them to influence things at their club wants to vote on those added extras won’t want to trade. But what needs to be kept in focus is that fan tokens have consistently proven to be a sound investment choice, not just something for the dedicated sports fan.
About the author:
Ricci Jasmine
Superpower: flexibility
Ricci Jasmine is a jack of all trades. She enjoys digital art, finance, and writing. In her spare time, she reads Stephen King novels.
She lives by the motto: “You are the small things you do every day.”
