NFL Players Association buys minority stake in blockchain startup SportsCastr

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) has acquired a minority stake in SportsCastr, a live-streaming platform that allows anyone to become a color commentator.

The minority stake has been acquired through NFLPA’s athlete-driven accelerator the OneTeam Collective. It makes SportsCastr the eighth active NFLPA partner secured through the OneTeam Collective.

With this partnership, active and former NFL players would be able to use SportsCastr platform to provide live commentary across a wide range of sports, share personal insights, and more. ACE Media, the NFLPA’s content and production arm, will collaborate with SportsCastr to produce NFL player and other athlete-driven content featured on the SportsCastr platform.

“Athletes constantly explore ways to build their personal brands and creatively connect with their fans, and SportsCastr’s live-stream capabilities align perfectly with these goals,” said Ricky Medina, Senior Manager of Business Development for NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing arm of the NFLPA. “We look forward to working with the team at SportsCastr to deliver an exciting new way for fans to engage with their favorite athletes while watching the sports they love.”

As part of the agreement, SportsCastr becomes an official licensee of the NFLPA in the categories of mobile apps and web-based platforms that allow users to discuss a variety of sports topics, including through video streams and chats.

The announcement comes on the heels of SportsCastr FanChain announcement. FanChain, a cryptocurrency for the global sports market, will allow users to earn tokens for participating on the SportsCastr platform, which can then be used to unlock premium NFL player content, purchase sports tickets or merchandise, and send virtual gifts to NFL players.

“In addition to viewing unfiltered live-video straight from their favorite NFL players, fans will be able to interact with them via chat and show their appreciation with sports-themed virtual gifts,” said Kevin April, SportsCastr CEO. “SportsCastr’s partnership with the NFLPA through the OneTeam Collective is a powerful opportunity for fans to connect with athletes in a direct and meaningful way.”

SportsCastr said that it working with teams, media publishers and leagues to add FanChain support, with the aim of making it the ubiquitous token within the sports industry.

According to the official release, the first NFL players will begin using the platform in the third quarter of 2018.