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Sports collectibles are as old as the games themselves, with memorabilia like trading cards, apparel, and autographed equipment preserving the history of these beloved pastimes while deepening the personal connections fans develop with their teams and players of choice. Now, NFT (non-fungible token) sports collectibles offer brands and fans alike the chance to push their passions into the future, deepening their bond and driving revenue along the way by turning those items of historical record into eternally preserved digital collectibles.

Whether it’s a video of Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run or a Kobe Bryant-inspired digital art collection, NFTs in sports are here to stay. Fans, players, and professional leagues have embraced NFTs as a new way to engage with each other and create content around their favorite sports.

As NFTs grow more and more popular, forward-thinking brands across numerous industries are warming to the revenue possibilities these digital tokens represent. Each industry benefits from its own particular advantages and tokenization in sports is a prime example. By taking real-world objects and tying them to NFTs, brands can more deeply engage fans even as they open up new revenue streams.

In a largely pseudonymous industry where NFT holders can be hard to reach, we felt uniquely positioned to tap the highly engaged users of our marketplace to understand broader sentiments around the evolving NFT industry and what the future of ownership looks like alongside the growth of Web3 and the metaverse. 

With almost 60% of avid sports fans participating in NFT (non-fungible token) trades, the time is now to bring your own sports brand to Web3. Thankfully, you don’t have to go it alone; tons of new sports NFT companies are coming along for the ride, each with a unique spin on how to capture this growing market. Before we get into breaking down five of the most promising examples, let’s define what we mean when we talk about “sports NFT companies.”

If sports collectibles are part of your brand, overlooking NFTs (non-fungible tokens) is an increasingly costly mistake. According to financial experts, this technology will help drive a 600% increase in the sports merchandise industry over the next decade — that’s almost $200 billion by 2032! That growth might be even faster, if not for an understandable lack of blockchain expertise among athletes and sports associations.

Sports NFTs are a growing market, with players and teams vying to tap into the new demand for digital collectibles. Marketplaces from some of the biggest names in NFTs as well as sports-specific platforms are competing for your attention — and your business. With so many options to choose from, finding the best sports NFT marketplace to match your team’s brand, or your personal brand as an athlete, takes some research. Fortunately, we’ve already broken down six of the most promising contenders to help you start engaging with and monetizing your fans in exciting and secure ways.

Dibbs: Dibbs was Amazon's first blockchain-based investment and also their first collectibles marketplace investment. How has that relationship grown over the past year?

There are many types of collectors in the world, but few are as enthusiastic as sports fans. Between baseball cards, signed jerseys, and other valuable items, the sports memorabilia market will reach $33 billion this year. Yet the market isn’t finished growing — experts predict it will surpass $200 billion by 2032, thanks in no small part to revenue generated by sports NFT projects.

The market for non-fungible tokens has exploded in recent years, bringing windfalls to savvy creators and collectors alike. The inherent collectibility of NFTs makes them a natural avenue for professional athletes, as well as a compelling way to bridge the ever-present revenue gap between people who make sports happen (the players) and the people who really rake in the money (the owners).