Serena Williams Doubles Down on the Blockchain with SoRare and Bored Ape
Serena Williams may not be in Melbourne this week, but the tennis GOAT is still making major moves. After revealing her new Bored Ape as her avatar on Twitter, Williams confirmed that she has joined SoRare as a Board Advisor. The NFT fantasy football platform raised $680 million in its Series B round last September at a $4.3 billion valuation. Williams will help the company as it seeks to enhance its diversity and inclusion efforts.
Peloton Boss Disputes Production Halt, Stock Continues to Drop
Home fitness company Peloton was the pandemic’s early darling. As gyms closed, sales of their high-end stationary bikes and treadmills skyrocketed, however, in recent months the company has faced a wide range of setbacks from supply backups to legal locks over its new signature sportswear line to a PR crisis induced by a fictional plot. And on Thursday, the company was reported to have stalled production on its signature products in response to plummeting sales. In a public statement, Peloton CEO John Foley disputed these claims, saying “information the media has obtained is incomplete, out of context, and not reflective of Peloton’s strategy.” The stock dropped nearly 25% by the closing bell on Friday.
Twitter and OpenSea Team to Launch NFT Feature
New profile pic, who this? Twitter has begun to roll out new a new feature that will allow its users to import NFTs as their primary avatar. The tech company has teamed up with NFT marketplace OpenSea to facilitate the functionality. In response to the news, Tesla boss Elon Musk slammed the update, noting that the company has done little to stem cyber attacks that threaten the digital safety of its users, and challenged Twitter to redirect its engineering efforts in that direction.
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Neymar Jr. Scoops 2 Bored Apes, Boasts $1M NFT Collection
Neymar Jr. has hopped on board the Bored Ape Yacht Club. The PSG star revealed that he has purchased two apes – #s 6633 and 5269 – which, combined, are worth more than $1 million. The move is not Neymar Jr.’s first foray into NFTs, as he’s believed to own ACESneakers and has previously flipped Cryptopunks and Doodles.
Netflix Sheds $45B in Market Cap in Wake of “Catastrophic” Earnings Report
The streaming giant released its earnings on Thursday under much scrutiny. The fourth-quarter earnings report reflected that competition is creeping in on Netflix‘s control over the market. The stock is down 25% in response, and on pace to take a $45 billion hit to the market cap, which would be Netflix’s worst single day since 2012. Netflix is also set to raise its prices next month, which has analysts concerned with how it may impact its future performance.
Virgil Abloh’s Final Collection for LVMH Hits Paris Runway
Before his untimely death in November, the multi-talented Virgil Abloh had designed 95% of the Fall-Winter collection for Louis Vuitton. His final collection hit the runway at Paris Fashion Week on Thursday, with two shows, and was received with a standing ovation. Rapper Tyler, the Creator orchestrated the soundtrack and also hit the catwalk on a bike during the show.
X Games Find Buyer in Suns Vice Chairman and Former Padres Stakeholder
The X Games are set to kick off today in Aspen. In the run-up to the Olympics, winter athletes will fine-tune their biggest tricks in pursuit of extreme sports’ signature event. And as the clock ticks down to the games, Sportico reports that the franchise has found a new ownership group, which includes Suns Vice-Chairman Jahm Najafi and former Padres and Diamondbacks stakeholder Jeff Moorad. Late last year, there was a rumor that Sahil Bloom was spearheading a DAO to take over the Games, but the recent news indicates that that community takeover did not come to fruition. Details of the deal are not available at this time.
UFC Taps in Dapper Labs for “UFC Strike” NFTs, Announce Drop Date
We are just a day away from UFC 270. And the day after the UFC’s first pay-per-view event, it will officially launch its NFT collectible product in concert with Dapper Labs. There will be 200,000 total packs released, beginning with a round of 100,000 “Fully Loaded” packs consisting of three NFT moments capturing finishes from fighters, including highlight displays of striking, grappling, or submissions. The fighters could include UFC champions Francis Ngannou, Amanda Nunes, Rose Namajunas, and Kamaru Usman.
Candace Parker Title IX Documentary Arrives April 2022
Candace Parker is one of the greatest athletes of her generation, and the Chicago Sky star acknowledges that she stands on the shoulders of greats. Accordingly, Parker has signed on to serve as the central figure in an upcoming feature-length documentary exploring and celebrating the societal and cultural impact of Title IX as seen through her eyes. Turner Sports will produce the film and it is set to premiere on TBS during the weekend of the Final Four between April 2-4, the company announced Thursday.
VYPE Media to Launch First-Ever NFTs for High School Athletes
Over the past year, during which non-fungible token sales totaled more than $20 billion, athletes across the professional and collegiate ranks have joined in the crypto-collectibles craze. But now, for the first time, high school athletes are monetizing their name, image, and likeness rights in NFT form. Boardroom can exclusively announce that Texas high school sports content company VYPE Media has formed “Varsity Chips,” which will create the first-ever non-fungible tokens of high school athletes, starting with a roster of football stars in the Lone Star State. Although Texas state law prohibits high school athletes from earning name, image, and likeness compensation, Varsity Chips has pledged to set aside a portion of revenue for every athlete featured to collect once they complete their high school eligibility.
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