Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will likely be the first player taken in the 2021 NFL Draft on April 29. He is wasting no time building an endorsement portfolio, even prior to being selected and receiving a guaranteed payout of millions of dollars from his rookie contract. Lawrence signed what could be called a traditional endorsement More
Patrick Mahomes recently sold $3.7 million worth of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). It followed Rob Gronkowski’s sale of $1.75 million in NFTs. Each athlete successfully auctioned off a limited number of digital art pieces connected to their respective NFTs, which has caused many others in the world of professional sports to take an interest in learning More
Image of a Patrick Mahomes trading card with blockchain technology, courtesy of Panini America. The physical and digital trading card market is exploding. A Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor card recently sold for $1.79 million and, in January 2021, a 1952 Topps Micky Mantle card sold for $5.2 million, which is currently the most expensive sports trading card to be sold on the secondary market. One person who does not believe that the boom in trading cards is close to being a bubble is Jason Howarth, Vice President at Panini America. He says that people are purchasing rare trading cards like the 1-of-1 Luka Doncic that went for $4.6 million this year as an alternative asset and justifying acquisitions as another form of investment. In fact, Howarth proudly makes the claim that trading cards have historically outperformed the S&P 500, which is something commonly heard from people in the industry. On the latest episode of the How to Play the Game podcast (Apple/Spotify), I spoke with Howarth about Panini America’s commitment to digital trading cards and building on the blockchain, how he views the rise of non-fungible tokens (NFT) like NBA Top Shot, what makes him most optimistic about […]
At some point in the future, college athletes will be earning money based on brands using their names, images, and likenesses (NIL). Currently, 6 states have had legislation to provide such rights to athletes signed into law by their respective governors. None of the laws have yet to go into effect, but Florida plans to More
The NFL has announced that the salary cap for the 2021 season is set at $182.5 million. What exactly does that mean? It is the first time that the salary cap in the NFL has ever decreased year-over-year (the cap was $198 million for the 2020 NFL season). However, take into consideration that the salary More
At the end of February, Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a contract with the San Diego Padres that ensures he will never need to worry about money again in his lifetime. The deal is worth $340 million over 14 years and it is a lot of cash even after considering his expenses, which include the typical More
Over $10 million has been spent on NBA Top Shot moments over the last 24 hours. Hoping to take advantage of the craze surrounding basketball-related non-fungible tokens (NFTs), Bleacher Report is minting and preparing to sell its own NFTs on March 7. The media platform has partnered with four hip-hop artists — Quavo, Lil Baby, More
The best basketball players aged 16 to 18 will be given the opportunity to start earning money early in their careers as long as they are comfortable with giving up their eligibility to perform in college sports. Overtime, an online community of over 45 million followers across numerous social media networks, is launching a new More
It must be really embarrassing to sign on to a brief, filed in a pending U.S. Supreme Court case, and not have any idea what the brief is arguing. That is the situation that some athletes find themselves in today. Former NFL running back Darren McFadden, former NBA player Walter Bond, and former college basketball More
