New York Rangers fan David Arends had never bought an NFT, but when he learned his favorite hockey team was releasing a set of digital tokens to commemorate the retirement of legendary goalie Henrik Lundqvist, he thought it could be a unique addition to his collection of jerseys, pucks, and other sports memorabilia.
For $20 apiece, Arends purchased two NFTs: images of tickets to the night dedicated to Lundqvist’s 15-year career with the Rangers, when a banner bearing the player’s name was hoisted to the top of Madison Square Garden as fans cheered. Arends would later print out screenshots of the NFTs and have them framed, hanging them on his wall next to a signed photograph of the goalie.
“I’ll never trade it or anything—like it’s mine, and I’m going to keep it,” Arends told Decrypt. “To me, it’s more of a sentimental thing.”
The world of sports is becoming more saturated with cryptocurrency advertisements, sponsorships, and collaborations every day, and those appear to be pushing more people into the Web3 space.
A recent Seton Hall University survey of 1,500 U.S. adults shows an increasing overlap among sports fans and people who’ve purchased NFTs or cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. The poll found that 57% of households with an avid sports fan have owned digital assets, more than double the rate of households without one, at just 24%.
“Although we are in the early innings of crypto and NFT ownership, sports fans have shown a real proclivity for engagement in these markets,” said Daniel Ladik, a Seton Hall marketing professor and poll methodologist.