Seattle Sounders FC today announced that it is taking part in Major League Soccer’s first step into the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) space, as the league launches a NFT art collection prior to this weekend’s two marquee nationally televised matches between the Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy on Saturday, May 22 and Sounders FC vs. Atlanta United on Sunday, May 23.
Starting tomorrow, Friday, May 21, fans and bidders can tune into Bitski.com/MLSxSecretWalls starting at 3:00 p.m. PT to watch artists representing each of the four clubs battle for 60 minutes to create unique limited-edition artwork. Sourced by leading underground art battle experts Secret Walls, artists participating for each market include Kyler Martz (Sounders FC), Paper Frank (Atlanta United), Mighty Short (Portland Timbers) and Aaron Kai (LA Galaxy).
The four custom pieces created during this battle – one representing each club market – will reflect the creative sensibility of each artist and will be available for auction for 48 hours on Bitski, the leading NFT platform of choice for brands and creators. At the conclusion of the auction, digital ownership of the art pieces goes to the highest bidder. Supporting the battle will be complementary audience experiences across Clubhouse, while a portion of the proceeds will be used to offset carbon emissions, making the collaboration completely carbon neutral.
“The special NFT art collection is the latest evolution of Major League Soccer’s commitment to celebrating the creativity in our sport and the permission to connect soccer with progressive and exciting art experiences,” said Chris Schlosser, MLS SVP of Media. “The live art battle, plus the modern take on a matchup poster, helps create a cultural moment that celebrates our league, and the two great MLS matches this weekend.”
“We’re thrilled to be one of the four clubs taking part in MLS’ first foray into the NFT space,” said Sounders FC Owner and President of Business Operations Peter Tomozawa. “Seattle has always been a city that values ambitious and innovative thinking, and Sounders FC takes pride in reflecting those hometown values. We love giving our fans, and all who are passionate about soccer, the opportunity to connect the sport and club pride in new and exciting ways, and the opportunity to own the NFTs being created this weekend does just that. I look forward to seeing the creativity that will be on display, especially from Seattle’s own Kyler Martz.”
In addition to the custom pieces mentioned above, MLS is also giving fans a chance to purchase limited edition matchup poster NFTs as open editions over the course of the weekend. During the 90 minutes of each of the two featured matches, the league is opening a window for all fans to purchase an unlimited supply of the virtual matchday poster NFTs. These digital pieces have been custom created by the four artists to commemorate the weekend’s games and provide an opportunity for soccer and art fans to own a piece of MLS-meets-street-art history.
As part of this weekend’s program, MLS is working with Aerial.is to ensure the carbon emissions from the transactions and any environmental impact is completely offset.
Fans may view, purchase and bid on the NFTs using Bitski, and auction winners may use credit cards or Etherueum, a leading cryptocurrency, to settle. Additional information can be found at Bitski.com.
MLS anticipates the creation of several additional NFT products in the future. For more information, visit MLSsoccer.com.
