MLS Major League Soccer

MLS Launches Special NFT Match-Up and Battle Series Art Around Two Key Matches this Weekend

Published on May 20, 2021 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK - Major League Soccer (MLS) announced today it will launch a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) art collection prior to this weekend's highly-anticipated nationally televised matches between Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy on Saturday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and Seattle Sounders FC vs. Atlanta United on Sunday, May 23 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX. This unique initiative will merge soccer and street art culture together, representing MLS' first step in the NFT space.

Starting Friday, May 21, fans and bidders can tune-in to bitski.com/MLSxSecretWalls at 6 p.m. ET to watch a collection of artists representing each club battle for 60 minutes to create unique limited-edition artwork. Sourced by leading underground art battle experts Secret Walls, this program sees Mighty Short (Portland Timbers), Aaron Kai (LA Galaxy), Kyler Martz (Seattle Sounders) and Paper Frank (Atlanta United) come together to build soccer inspired art.

The four custom pieces, one representing each club market, will reflect the creative sensibility of each artist and will be available for auction for 48 hours on Bitski, a leading NFT platform of choice for brands and creators, and the art pieces will go to the highest bidder. Supporting the battle will be complementary audience experiences across Clubhouse, while a portion of the proceeds will be used to offset carbon emissions, making the collaboration carbon neutral.

"The special NFT art collection is the latest evolution of Major League Soccer's commitment to celebrating the creativity in our sport and the permission to connect soccer with progressive and exciting art experiences," said Chris Schlosser, MLS SVP of Media. "The live art battle, plus the modern take on a matchup poster, helps create a cultural moment that celebrates our League, and the two great MLS matches this weekend."

MLS will also give fans a chance to purchase limited edition match-up poster NFTs as open editions. During the 90 minutes of each of this weekend's two featured matches, MLS will open up a limited window to purchase an unlimited supply of the virtual match-up poster NFTs. These digital pieces have been custom created by the four artists to commemorate the weekend's games and provide an opportunity for soccer and art fans to own a piece of MLS meets street art history.

"We're thrilled to partner with Major League Soccer and Secret Walls to bring this unique experience that intersects sports, art, and technology," said Donnie Dinch, CEO of Bitski. "We love it when we're able to use NFTs to bring communities together."

As part of the program, MLS is working with Aerial.is to ensure the carbon emissions from the transactions and any environmental impact is offset.

Fans may view, purchase, and bid on the NFTs using Bitski, and auction winners may use credit cards or Ethereum (a leading cryptocurrency) to settle. Additional information can be found at Bitski.com.

This MLS NFT art collection is just the start, as MLS anticipates the creation of several additional NFT products in the future. For more information, visit MLSsoccer.com.

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