As one of the most recognized brands in sports, Sports Illustrated sits on a huge fortune in the name of its covers.
In this age of NFTs, there are many people who would pay a good sum to own such collectibles, and the magazine wants to capitalize on that.
Sports Illustrated has teamed up with NFT platform OneOf and 3D animation artist Jonathan Winbush to release the Sports Illustrated Covers NFT collection. In addition to the original cover, the NFT will also have a reimagined 3D version of the same.
The collection will feature some of the most iconic covers in its 68 year history. The first drop will have NFL legends Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith and Dick Butkus.
Other stars to be featured later in the collection include: Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Wayne Gretzky and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“This collaboration with Sports Illustrated to mint legendary athletes’ NFTs on the energy-efficient Polygon blockchain is the perfect way to launch our Sports and Lifestyle marketplace. We are excited for the opportunity to engage millions of sports fans worldwide.”
Josh James, OneOf Co-founder and COO
The covers will come in different rarities, which will go into determining the price of each item. The team is however determined to make the collection widely available, and thus have set the starting price at just $25.
The NFTs will be minted on Polygon blockchain, chosen for being energy-efficient.
