Web3 Sports Fandom: Blockchain’s Next Frontier

The crypto landscape is defined by its cycles, with trends like metaverses, memecoins, and NFTs experiencing dramatic rises and falls. The peak for non-fungible tokens was arguably the $69.3 million sale of the Everydays art collage at Christie’s in March 2021. Four and a half years later, the auction house has quietly closed its specialist digital art division, reflecting diminished interest in these once-hot collectibles. As one narrative fades, another emerges, with IP-based protocols—technology that enables intellectual property to be tokenized and tracked—now gaining traction as a contender for the hottest trend in crypto.

This shift represents a fundamental change in how blockchain technology is being applied. Rather than focusing on speculative digital art, the sports world is making early running with IP-based protocols that drive genuine fan engagement. The technology enables teams and leagues to create deeper connections with supporters through fan tokens and decentralized applications (dApps), moving beyond mere sponsorship deals to create interactive ecosystems where fandom can be measured, verified, and rewarded.

Partnerships between global sports brands and Web3 companies are already well-established. Premier League football matches feature crypto company advertisements from blockchain.com, Kraken, and Tezos on stadium hoardings, while multiple clubs boast official crypto trading partners like OKX and BingX on players’ shirt sleeves. The LA Lakers play at the Crypto.com Arena, demonstrating trading platforms’ willingness to invest heavily in brand recognition to win mainstream users.

However, the actual synergies between blockchain and sports extend far beyond marketing. IP-based protocols are revolutionizing fan engagement through mechanisms that create meaningful two-way relationships. Sweet, a Web3 platform with licensing agreements with both the National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Soccer (MLS), exemplifies this deeper integration. The platform deploys ‘innovative gamified blockchain collectible experiences’ that drive new revenue streams while strengthening fan connections, representing a significant evolution from simple sponsorship arrangements.

Sweet’s platform represents the cutting edge of blockchain sports integration, with an ultimate ambition to improve how leagues and athletes interact with fans. The system has rolled out fun, skill-based sports mini-games where players receive a SCOR-ID that creates a verifiable ‘footprint’ of their activities. This allows leagues and teams to identify their most committed supporters with unprecedented accuracy, moving beyond traditional metrics like ticket purchases or merchandise sales.

The platform’s recent partnership with TON Foundation illustrates how these systems create integrated experiences. Together they released sports-themed sticker packs inside Telegram’s FUSE Sticker store, with the inaugural release focusing on cricket’s greatest spin bowlers. Crucially, these digital collectibles have in-game utility, triggering power-ups and enhancing gameplay within Sweet’s mini-games. This positions the sticker packs perfectly at the intersection of blockchain, gaming, and sports fandom, creating value beyond mere collectibility.

Sweet’s vision extends beyond digital ownership to creating systems where engagement can be recorded and hardcore supporters compensated. With all interactions documented on users’ SCOR-ID, the prospect of earning meaningful rewards becomes tangible. Supporters can potentially earn signed memorabilia, tickets to games, and exclusive experiences based on their verifiable engagement levels. The platform’s native digital token, $SCOR, powers these sports games on Telegram, with 44% of its supply allocated for in-game incentives and rewards, creating an economic ecosystem that directly benefits active participants.

The Web3 tech stack is positioning itself as the technological engine of fandom’s future, with blockchain and NFTs empowering supporters to acquire digital characters and playable assets tied to real sports action. The fact that major sports leagues like the NHL and MLS have already given their seal of approval to these systems indicates significant institutional confidence in the model. These partnerships suggest that blockchain technology in sports is transitioning from experimental to integral.

For gamers, collectors, and sports fans looking to show support, these developments represent an opportunity to engage with favorite teams in fundamentally new ways. The combination of verifiable engagement tracking, meaningful rewards, and integrated gaming experiences creates a compelling proposition that extends far beyond the speculative dynamics that characterized earlier blockchain applications. As the technology continues to mature, the relationship between sports organizations and their most dedicated supporters appears poised for transformation, with blockchain protocols serving as the infrastructure for this new era of fandom.