From NFT (non-fungible token) art galleries featuring the late Kobe Bryant, to digital trading cards, to the renaming of the Staples Center to Crypto.com Arena — blockchain technology in sports is here to stay. The opportunities within this exciting space are only continuing to grow.

The NFT (non-fungible token) space over the last twelve months has been anything but boring. In fact, it has seen more than its fair share of twists and turns and ups and downs — and many got more than a bit lost in all the action.

Sports and cryptocurrency are a match made in marketing heaven. Sports and their attendant franchises have long enjoyed mainstream popularity in cultures the world over, and they’ve monetized that popularity with plenty of multifaceted merchandising. Crypto, on the other hand, grants the venerable institution of sports access to new revenue streams that are particularly attractive to younger, more tech-savvy fans. The complementary nature of these two sectors makes it only natural that they should find success by their powers combined. From the dozens of sports crypto projects on the market, we’ve picked out five of the most successful to highlight how they hit their impressive results and what lessons you can take to inform your own crypto play.

Cryptocurrency in sports is no fad. Since the earliest mainstream crypto partnerships in the mid-2010s, the two markets have grown increasingly intertwined, and for good reason. Cryptocurrency’s rising profile has made it especially popular among fans left out by traditional sports engagement tactics. Here’s how some of the most recognizable franchises have broken into cryptocurrency.