🏀 Metaproof Sports

This is Sophia from 🏀 Metaproof Sports, the weekly newsletter where we keep you informed on how the metaverse and web3 are changing the sports industry. 

Subscribe and follow us on Twitter to get your metaverse sports news every Wednesday.

💌 A quick thanks to our friends…

This edition is sponsored by Matchday. Collect, trade and play in. Enjoy games built for football’s 5 billion fans.

Matchday features tens of thousands of well-loved footballers, in partnership with the global player union FIFPRO. Players, who 100% own the player cards they collect, can take their squad in 2023 and compete against others in the casual football game. The Matchday Marketplace is now live to get you started in building your dream squad and dive deep into Matchday games next year. Check them out today! 

📲 By the numbers

• More than half (58%) of US viewers would be interested in watching major sporting events such as the Super Bowl in a virtual stadium in the metaverse, according to a study from Amdocs. (Source)

📫 News & trends

🚴 Cycling in the metaverse: UCI Worlds on Zwift

The upcoming UCI 2023 Cycling Esports World Championships will be held on the virtual cycling platform Zwift, combining the physical and digital worlds in an event where riders compete on stationary bikes and their performance gets transmitted to viewers through the platform. Here’s what will likely go down: 

• Riders will race through a digital environment that mimics the flora, fauna, as well as architecture of Scottish city Glasgow, where the real-world championships take place this summer, and its mountainous terrain. Yet they will compete on custom-built routes fit for virtual racing instead of reflecting real-world roads.

• Zwift simulates real-world physics such as aerodynamics, where riders expend less energy when in the “draft” of others. However, riders also collect “PowerUps,” which temporarily adjust in-game metrics and add a layer of strategy for those racing and depth for those watching. 

• The event is overseen by cycling's global governing body UCI, so it will be subject to the same strict anti-doping program and regulations that apply to the Tour de France. 

😍 Australian Open using web3 to make it most accessible sporting event

The Australian Open is having a ball in web3, hosting virtual experiences such as the AO ArtBall 2023 and the AO metaverse and becoming more popular among fans. It leveraged Decentraland to provide a virtual real-estate environment for hosting experiences and to sell sponsorship slots on the metaverse, as well as used NFTs as a key part of the digital strategy to offer digital membership benefits such as:

• Wearables

• The winning tennis ball in case of a championship game, and 

• Ground passes for the finals week of the tournament in the successive year

While there are concerns about the front-loaded financial conundrum of NFTs and the need for a standout metaverse experience to enhance community engagement, the Australian Open's venture into web3 has displayed great potential for traditional sporting events to harness new tech to deliver immersive and engaging experiences for fans.

👟 WAGMI United is expanding web3 ventures with Adidas

Web3 group WAGMI United has partnered with Adidas for a new NFT collection slated for release on July 6 and will give fans the power to shape the future of a professional sports team. 

Here’s how: WAGMI United recently bought Crawley Town Football Club - becoming the first web3 group to own a major professional sports team - and the NFTs will help build a global digital community of fans around the club. NFT holders can vote on key issues facing Crawley Town FC, connect new international fans with the club, and give long-time, local fans a bigger voice in their club. Adidas will serve as the official kit manufacturer and apparel partner of the club. WAGMI United’s leadership team includes Gary Vaynerchuk and influential NFT thought leaders in a bid to revolutionize community building. 

🤼 Alexander Volkanovski sparred Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the metaverse

UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski has squared off against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, but not in an old MMA gym. Only in the metaverse will you see the two lock horns, ahead of Volkanovski’s lightweight title bout at UFC 284 and as an Instagram collaboration post. The caption of the video, where the two were seen wearing ping pong ball-like suits usually used for CGI in Hollywood movies, read: "Last year UFC #1 pound-for-pound fighter Alex Volkanovski stopped by Meta HQ to train with me and for fun we tested the limits of our performance avatars with motion capture in our Engage gear. Good luck this weekend Alex!"

🇨🇳 Beijing Guoan Football Club unveils groundbreaking NFT collection for virtual stadium avatars

All eyes are on the GLEO collection by the Beijing Guoan Football Club, touted as a groundbreaking project of 10,000 NFTs for virtual stadium avatars set to go live next year. Some details at a glance:

• GLEO uses China Mobile’s Shucangbao, a digital collectibles platform built on the government-supported Zhong Yi Chain blockchain.

• Other top football clubs such as FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have launched their own NFT collections; Barcelona’s first NFT sold for an astounding $693,000 at a Sotheby’s auction last July 2022. The NFT craze also goes beyond football, as shown by NBA Top Shot collection of NFTs. 

• Amid warnings from China’s market regulator regarding illegal fundraising related to blockchain-based initiatives, the launch of the GLEO collection demonstrates NFTs increasing appeal and reputation in the sports world. 

🔮 Are AI coaches the future? Will Bill Belichick be replaced by AI? Here’s how global digitization is transforming sports

The sports industry is getting overhauled by technology, with a variety of web2, web3, AI, AR, and VR technologies being adopted to improve athlete performance, fan engagement, and revenue streams for sports organizations. AI and machine learning provide better data collection and analysis tools for athletes and coaches, helping them make better decisions and performance outcomes. AI and AR also help amateur athletes and coaches sharpen their practices and analyze player performance data. As we speak, these innovations level the playing field and democratize access to data and training tools.

💎 LootMogul is a sports metaverse powered by virtual assets

Meet LootMogul, a sports metaverse platform that offers a unique mix of virtual real estate, games, and NFTs for real-world earning potential. It features virtual real estate, training academies, blockchain games, and meta shops for brands and athletes. Designed for and by sports ambassadors, LootMogul offers the following and more:

• For influencers, the ability to create meta merchandise shops, entertainment islands, training academies, or gaming contests

• An avenue for buying and trading limited-edition NFTs of favorite influencers from various sports leagues such as the NBA, WNBA, NFL, and MLB, giving access to premier real-world events and VIP game contests

• The ability to play games with favorite athletes or teams, including trivia games or basketball dunk competitions with friends, family, or fan clubs. The games enable users to win cash, tokens, or NFTs 

🏃‍♂️Quick hits 

• The Fan-Controlled Football League (FCFL) is making its metaverse debut with four new NFT-tied teams, to be controlled by the Bored Ape Yacht Club, the Gutter Cat Gang, the Knights of Degen, and DJ Steve Aoki. Each new FCFL metaverse team will be tied to thousands of NFTs that serve as a stake in the team, giving holders a say in team name, logo design, player drafting, and more. 

• Galaxy Arena, an AI-based metaverse entertainment hub, is all set to host a “phygital” fight for the first time in combat sports, featuring Roy Jones Jr versus NDO Champ. It features the Galaxy Arena entertainment venue, gym and fitness center, and Galaxy Tower - each designed to complete the viewers’ metaverse journey. 

• Sega's Cosmic Smash, a sports and puzzle game, is being reimagined for the PlayStation VR2 as C-Smash VRS. The upcoming game will combine virtual reality squash and block-smashing gameplay with a space theme, with the demo available from March 23 onwards. 

• The 10k Club NFT drop offers cricket fans a chance to shape the sport's future in the CrickDAO ecosystem. NFT holders gain access to products, experiences, and events with a connection to the cricket community.

• The Harbin Ice and Snow World has opened a new metaverse experience center that allows visitors to enjoy ice and snow activities all year round, attracting significant attention due to the unique and immersive nature of the experience.

💸 Finance buzz

• Hiro Capital, a London-based venture capital firm focused on gaming, sports, and metaverse, is leading a seed round for Soccerverse, a massively multiplayer online soccer management sim set in a constantly evolving gaming universe. (Source)

• AllStar Health Brands announced that its The Sports Metaverse Mega Mall is now live via https://shop.ozonemetaverse.io and will bring a unique shopping experience to its shoppers in the future. (Source)

🗣️ Quote of the week

--

All content on this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not aim to serve as or replace expert investment advice.

If you are a startup building in the metaverse / web3 ecosystem and are raising capital, please reach out to Sfermion. Sfermion is an investment firm focused on accelerating the emergence of the metaverse.

Stay informed via our Twitter and Subscribe here to get your metaverse sports news every Wednesday.