Video highlights from the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) will now be available on Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot. Moments from games throughout the season will be minted as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and be purchased in packs through the same platform as the NBA’s NFTs.
With the growing number of sports blockchain applications for fan engagement, applications for women’s sports have mostly been put to the side. Sorare has over 150 football teams in its roster, Socios more than 50 across six different sports, and Topps’ WAX covers players’ digital collectibles for Major League Baseball. None of these platforms have a single women’s team in their network. However, Sorare has said it plans to do so.
Understanding the lack of interest in including women’s sports in an emerging industry is not too complicated. NFTs are still a new concept for sports fans. It remains a challenge for these platforms to attract a mass audience despite partnerships with widely followed clubs and leagues, let alone with women’s sports that historically have a smaller fan base. There is also a massive disparity in revenue between men’s and women’s leagues. The NBA brought in $7.92 billion in revenue in 2021, while the WNBA only reached $60 million in the same season.
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