NFL Launches NFT Ticket Campaign During 2021 Season

Digital methods of buying tickets to sporting events have eliminated the need for actual physical tickets, but the desire to collect memorabilia has remained.

As a means of giving fans something to take home from the experience, the NFL launched an NFT ticket campaign for select games beginning with the 2021 Thanksgiving slate.

The complimentary "Virtual Commemorative Tickets" will be available across all 32 teams via Ticketmaster's NFT marketplace on the Polygon network.

"Creating more one-to-one experiences through innovation and technology is a high priority across the League and clubs," Bobby Gallo, senior VP of club business development of the NFL said in a release. "Leveraging the emerging world of NFTs is a new and exciting way for us to create additional value and to further engage with fans who attend select games by providing a virtual commemorative ticket. There is no better time than the upcoming holiday season to kick off this fun and engaging fan experience, starting with the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day matchup."

This is the second time the NFL has dabbled with blockchain technology. The first Virtual Commemorative Tickets debuted Nov. 7 for a Week 9 matchup in San Francisco between the 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.

The NFL and its players association partnered with Dapper Labs in September to create its own NFT marketplace featuring exclusive highlights on the flow blockchain.