• Sorare and the English Premier League have signed a multi-year NFT deal, allowing 3 million users to play fantasy football with Premier League-specific player cards.
• The Paris-based start-up’s total card sales amount to $891,789 between Dec. 31-Jan. 30, a 45% increase from the month before.
• Other deals in the sports world include Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association.
Sorare, the Paris-based start-up, and the English Premier League have signed a multi-year deal for a license to offer NFTs of league player cards, as reported by CNBC on January 30th, 2023. This agreement allows Sorare’s 3 million users to play its fantasy football game with Premier League-specific player cards, allowing fans to buy, sell, and trade virtual cards of their favorite players.
The deal comes at a pivotal time for the NFT market, which has experienced a precipitous decline in sales since its peak in 2021, with overall sales of digital assets plunging by more than 90%. Despite this, Sorare has risen to 8th place overall in total sales, amounting to $891,789 between Dec. 31-Jan. 30, a 45% increase from the month before. In 2022, total card sales on the Sorare platform amounted to $500 million, nearly doubling its 2021 total of $270 million.
The partnership with the English Premier League is just the latest in a string of other deals Sorare has inked in the sports world, including with both Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association. These deals allow users to access digital collectibles of their favorite players and teams, giving them the opportunity to own a piece of sports history.
Sorare’s CEO, Nicolas Julia, has stated that he hopes the partnership with the English Premier League will “help bring football fans closer to their favorite players and teams.” He continued, “We are incredibly excited to be partnering with the English Premier League and look forward to creating a truly unique experience for its millions of fans around the world.”
This deal is a major step forward for the NFT market and its potential for sports. It shows that the technology is not only being accepted but embraced by the industry, and it will be interesting to see how Sorare’s partnership with the English Premier League develops in the coming years.