The Super Bowl has long been considered the “holy grail” of advertising, and every year companies spend ludicrous amounts of money for access to these millions of viewers. Even though the costs might be outlandish, to them the rewards are well worth it – even for a 30-second commercial. This year, the Super Bowl is set to embrace NFTs and cryptocurrencies on a scale never seen before. It’s yet another sign that NFTs have gone mainstream.
Everyone Who Attends the Super Bowl Gets an NFT
Those who attend Super Bowl LVI have no choice – they’re going to become an NFT investor whether they like it or not. That’s because each ticket comes with its very own custom NFT that features their section, row, and seat number. Ticketmaster is the mastermind behind this campaign, and it’s not the first time they’ve explored the idea. They tested it out during the regular NFL season, and claims that it was a real hit, so they’re doing it again for the Super Bowl. One NFL executive even compared it to collecting ticket stubs – a hobby that sports fans have been doing for a very long time.
The NFL Releases Additional Super Bowl NFTs
The NFL is also releasing special commemorative non-fungible tokens, having released the first batch on February 6th. These are intended to celebrate the Super Bowl’s return to Los Angeles for the first time in almost 30 years. The NFL has also released virtual commemorative tickets from Super Bowl I and Super Bowl VII. Bidding started at $500 for this year’s NFTs. A final NFT will be released on February 13th, and it will feature artwork from a local South California artist. And last but not least, two NFTs were released for the two finalists – one for the Rams, and one for the Bengals. These tokens were reportedly sold for upwards of $10,000.
What Does This Advertising Surge Actually Mean for the Crypto Space?
Many people aren’t really sure what to make of crypto taking center stage at this year’s Super Bowl. The most obvious conclusion is that NFTs and cryptocurrencies have simply become more mainstream, and that these tokens are finally losing their scam-like reputation.
In a way, this shift was somewhat inevitable. After all, the leading figures in the crypto world are almost impossibly wealthy. Binance CEO Zhao Changpeng was working at McDonald’s starting out, and now he has a net worth of almost $100 billion. While some companies might balk at the $6.5-million price tag for a 30-second advertising spot during halftime, this number is almost laughable to someone like Changpeng.
Others like Peter Schiff have argued that this crypto advertising blitz is part of an orchestrated “pump and dump” scheme. But one thing’s for sure, this year’s “Crypto Bowl” is going to be very interesting indeed.
