The use case for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as a ticketing solution continues to grow as mixed martial arts organization the Professional Fighters League (PFL) adopts the technology.
The PFL, which has a different season format than the popular Ultimate Fighting Championship, has partnered with Web3 company CrossTower to launch NFT tickets powered by Ripple's XRP Ledger. The launch of tickets will coincide with the start of the 2023 fighting season, marking the fifth year since the PFL began. An announcement shared with Cointelegraph highlighted the many exclusive extras included in NFT VIP tickets, including cage-side seating, access to pre-fight weight-ins, meet and greets with PFL fighters, ring tour experiences, and more .
CrossTower CEO Kapil Rathi emphasized that the technology behind NFT tickets the XRP Ledger gives the solution enterprise-scale scale and utility. "NFTs are built by CrossTower on XRP Ledger, an open-source, energy-efficient and decentralized blockchain powered by a global developer community."
NFT ticketing is certainly not a new phenomenon. Cointelegraph has previously explored the potential of blockchain-based event management to address various issues surrounding counterfeiting, touting and black market sales. The National Football League (NFL) has already tested the w aters of NFT ticketing in the United States, and has distributed about 250,000 NFT tickets since its launch in November 2021.
Super Bowl LVI is offering free commemorative NFT tickets to every fan, allowing viewers to mint their own custom NFT tickets to commemorate the event. The NFL's NFT tickets are minted on the Polygon blockchain and feature different animated visual elements.
In December 2021, the sport's governing body, World Rugby, also called on potential partners to explore the use of NFTs. The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be held in France, but the organization has yet to make any official statement about the role of the NFT ticket feature in the global sporting event. Paris is about to host the 2024 Olympics, and NFT tickets are also being touted as improving crowd control and the spectator experience. The aftermath of the 2021 UEFA Champions League final -- scenes of violence ex acerbated by counterfeit ticket sales and overcrowding has French officials pondering how to improve the event in the country.
Sports Illustrated released its own NFT ticketing solution in May 2023 called Box Office, which offers a self-service event management and ticketing solution powered by Polygon and developed in partnership with ConsenSys.
