Manchester United Strikes $27M Multi-Year Deal for Kit Sponsorship with Tezos (XTZ)

Manchester United announced a $27M (£120 million) multi-year deal with blockchain platform Tezos for their training kit sponsorship, according to The Athletic.

The English Premiere League’s previous eight-year £120 million sponsorship contract with American insurance company Aon ended last season.

Initially, United was exploring a possible 10-season partnership deal with The Hut Group, but failed to come to agreeable terms after The Hut Group expressed concerns about a fan campaign to boycott United’s commercial partners – drama surrounding a protest against the Glazer family’s ownership of the football club.

Unfortunately, this left United without a training kit front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2021-2022 Premier League season. Detractors raised concerns about the Tezos deal due to the carbon emissions generated to carry out each transaction. United appears to have carried out due diligence before signing on the dotted line. The deal could have been finalized due to Tezos’ reputation as an energy-efficient blockchain.

Tezos, which runs under the Tezos Foundation, is an energy efficient, open-source blockchain which focuses its energy efficient approach to secure its network and operate cleanly, with minimal energy consumption and significantly low carbon footprint.

Promotional material for United has been shot with the new kit, bearing the Tezos logo on the front of the shirt. This saw United operate without a training kit front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2021/2022 Premier League season.

This new unveiling only demonstrates the strength and impact that cryptocurrency will have across the globe, specifically on the football field, adding to the current lineup of blockchain sports partnerships its previously made.

New York Mets, Red Bull Racing Honda, McClaren Racing

In May 2021, Tezos became the official blockchain partner of the New York Mets. The deal, which was negotiated by Blokhaus, allows for Tezos to be an official advertised brand at Citi Field baseball park, where Tezos can be seen featured on the centerfield scoreboard and throughout the ballpark.

During the same month, the open-source blockchain also entered into partnerships with Red Bull Racing Honda and McClaren Racing for its Formula One, Indycar, and Esports racing teams, eventually launching NFT collections for the teams.

Faze Technologies and ICC

In November 2021, the International Cricket Council (ICC) partnered with Faze Technologies, a platform for fans to collect, use, play, and interact with cricket through NFTs, to create exclusive digital collectibles using NFTs that will operate off the the Flow blockchain.

Having raised $17.4 million in its seed-funding round, Faze Technologies also brought in Dapper Labs, the company behind NBA TopShots – the company’s flagship sports NFT project, as well as Samsung Next, and Courtside Ventures for the round.

FTX boosting name with Mercedes, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Heat

Global exchange FTX penned a deal with the ICC in Oct. 2021 to be seen at all major ICC events in the next two years. FTX also struck an agreement in Sep. 2021 with F1 team Mercedes-AMG Petronas to display bold branding on the Mercedes cars and drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

FTX also partnered with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bundchen in June 2021, to do a commercial.

Back in March 2021, FTX secured the naming rights to the NBA’s Miami Heat arena, now called FTX Arena.

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