Despite a slight decrease in transaction volume in the second quarter of 2022, the concepts of NFTs and the Metaverse, which peaked in popularity last year, continue to draw the attention of larger organizations and brands.
This sustained interest is evident in various sectors, including prominent football clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, who are exploring collaborations in these digital realms. The ongoing engagement of such high-profile entities indicates the enduring appeal and potential of NFTs and the Metaverse in today’s digital landscape.
Collaboration from Barcelona and Real Madrid
Despite a slight dip in transaction volumes in the second quarter of 2022, the NFT and Metaverse concepts, which peaked last year, continue to capture the interest of larger organizations and brands.
Two of Spain’s, and arguably the world’s, biggest football teams, Real Madrid and Barcelona, are venturing into the Metaverse with a collaborative initiative.
Trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis shared on Twitter that Real Madrid and Barcelona have submitted a joint trademark application. According to Kondoudis’s tweet, the two teams have formed a partnership encompassing a range of digital ventures.
This includes virtual reality games, virtual clothing, cryptocurrency, blockchain transaction management software, e-wallets, and other related areas. This move signifies the growing interest in digital technologies among leading sports franchises.
Teams Stepping into the Metaverse
Real Madrid and Barcelona, while making significant moves into the NFT and Metaverse realms, are not pioneers in this space among football clubs. In fact, these two football giants are somewhat trailing behind their competitors in embracing these digital innovations.
For instance, last month, in July, the English football club Crystal Palace filed a trademark application for its crest, encompassing a wide array of digital services including NFTs, cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrency exchanges, virtual apparel, and more.
Similarly, the French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain made a notable entry into the NFT ecosystem by applying for trademarks related to NFT-supported multimedia, virtual wearables, crypto wallets, and cryptocurrency transaction management in late March of this year. These developments reflect the growing trend among sports clubs to integrate into the digital and virtual worlds.
Footballers Included in the Ecosystem
The trend of embracing the NFT and Metaverse ecosystems extends beyond football clubs to individual athletes as well. Among these athletes, the legendary David Beckham stands out.
In April of this year, Beckham filed three trademark applications, signaling his foray into this digital space. Similarly, star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has entered into an exclusive NFT partnership with the cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
This collaboration is aimed at creating NFT products on the Binance platform, showcasing the growing interest of renowned athletes in the evolving world of digital assets and virtual experiences.