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Dubbed as “the future of fandom,” Autograph amplifies the entertainment and sports merchandising system in a more personal way: delivering exclusive non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to fans. The thing that makes Autograph NFTs unique is right there in its name: Each NFT is autographed by the player or celebrity as part of the NFT collectible.
What Autograph aims to do as an NFT project
The Autograph platform allows famous athletes and celebrities to develop their NFT collections of real-life experiences to engage with fans. Famous athletes, such as Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal, are directly involved in crafting their NFTs apart from adding the final touch of their signature.
This piece is part of CoinDesk's Sports Week.
Rather than mere illustrations, Autograph NFTs come as high-graphic digital representations. Some collectibles include limited edition magazines, interactive posters and digital figures of iconic game-breaking highlights.
NFTs beyond athletes
Autograph does not restrict NFTs to just athletes. The platform also includes special items from cult classic movies like "Saw" and R&B artist The Weeknd’s Billboard magazine cover.
Autograph promises to include more NFTs from all walks of life in entertainment, including gaming, music, TV series and books.
What differentiates Autograph from other NFT collections
Autograph focuses on pop culture memorabilia and nostalgic moments of sports history, tapping into specific sports stars’ fan followings. For example, Tom Brady may sell an NFT highlighting the intense duel between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. Legendary tennis player Rafael Nadal released the El Rey mystery container, including exclusive images from his past games.
As buyers cash into the nostalgia, they also earn rewards. The higher the bid, the greater the rewards from Autograph.
Another way to get Autograph NFTs is through its airdrops. Once a collection of NFTs is first introduced to the market, a “drop” date and time will appear as its release date. On the drop date, you can go to the DraftKings Marketplace to wait with other users to access your desired collectible.
Read More: NFL All Day 101: How to Buy, Sell and Trade NFL NFTs
Just like a line to enter a sports stadium or online ticket queue, you will be able to see how many people are in front of you, and eventually, you will be able to purchase the NFT collectible you selected.
Technically, you may look at Autograph as highly similar to other sports-based NFTs like NBA Top Shot or NFL All Day. However, Autograph focuses more on selling iconic moments as 3D-animated statues and adding motion-graphic elements to even the simplest collectibles like cards to create unique NFTs.
NBA Top Shot restricts itself to NBA-related digital products, such as NFTs of short in-game video highlights, whereas Sorare is a fantasy sports trading-card game that features the best soccer and MLB athletes.
How to get started on Autograph
The steps to get started in Autograph are simple.
1. Press the “connect” button on the homepage, as shown in the red box below.
2. Press the “Sign up” link as shown in the red box.
3. You can choose three ways to connect to your wallet on this screen. Make sure your wallet is compatible with either Ethereum or Polygon network.
Those are the three steps necessary to connect to the Autograph platform.
Is it worth purchasing Autograph NFTs?
If you are a die-hard fan of a specific individual in sports while believing in the value of NFTs, then Autograph is likely a good fit.
With big names like Wayne Gretzky, Naomi Osaka, Tony Hawk and Usain Bolt, you get an opportunity to own great highlights from superstar athletes and connect with other fans. The other unique thing about some Autograph NFTs is that they include a real-world utility feature, for instance, access to private Autograph events in the future or a ride-along with Dale Earnhardt Jr. or an exclusive Zoom call with the racing star. But even if you can’t afford the priciest NFTs with utility features, you can partake in sports legends’ iconic moments by owning their authenticated digital collectible.
Read More: How to Buy a Tom Brady NFT