ESPN Signs First-Ever NFT Deal with Autograph

Autograph x ESPN Collaboration Kicks Off with Man in the Arena: Tom Brady NFT Collection

ESPN and Autograph, the Web3 brand co-founded by Tom Brady that is pioneering a new era of digital experiences, announced a multi-year deal for ESPN’s first NFT. The collaboration kicks off with a NFT collection based on Man in the Arena: Tom Brady, the 10-part ESPN+ documentary series produced by Religion of Sports, a media company in which Brady is also a co-founder.

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The “Man in the Arena: Tom Brady Collection,” designed in partnership with Autograph and Religion of Sports, drops April 6, and is exclusively available to view on Autograph.io and for sale on DraftKings Marketplace. The first NFT release coincides with the documentary becoming more widely available for fans to watch across the entire Disney Bundle – ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ – for a limited time.

“This unique collection around Tom’s ‘Man in the Arena’ docuseries marks the beginning of our relationship with ESPN,” said Dillon Rosenblatt, Co-Founder and CEO at Autograph. “As the first NFT partner for ESPN, the possibilities across sports and technology are endless, and we couldn’t be more excited to get this content out to the world in a massive way.”

The collection consists of three ESPN zine covers illustrating Brady’s career, wins and achievements. Brady will also be signing fifty NFTs from the collection. A second collection themed as “Back in the Arena” will drop in conjunction with the debut of the series’ tenth episode on ESPN+.

“ESPN is excited to offer our first NFTs to meet our fans at the intersection of sports, technology and content,” said Kevin Lopes, Vice President of Sports Business Development & Innovation at ESPN. “Our work with ESPN Edge has led us to where we are today, exploring new, innovative ways of engaging fans, and we are thrilled to partner with Autograph for this collection and others in the future.

The Man in the Arena series, directed by Gotham Chopra, features Brady and other notable figures deconstructing the milestones of his legendary NFL career, mining the psychological and emotional terrain of each victory and defeat.

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