Digital blockchain art is the new money maker for athletes.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes sold $3.4 million worth of NFTs on Wednesday, just days after tight end Rob Gronkowski sold nearly $2 million worth of his own.
Mahomes put six different works of art up for sale on digital art site MakersPlace. Four of them were open editions, ranging in price from $2,500 to $10,000. Mahomes sold as many that could be purchased in 15 minutes. In that time frame, 451 were bought and $2 million was grossed.
When the open editions closed, a limited edition group of 50 opened up at $15,000 each. There were 95 that were sold in less than five minutes, raising another $1.4 million.
In total, he sold $3.4 million worth of NFTs within 20 minutes.
Mahomes also offered a 1/1 piece, which includes a physical Ruby and Swarovski covered helmet, a 55-inch TV to display the work and a signed Mahomes jersey. As of 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the high offer was $82,501. The auction closes on Friday night.
The Sports Business Journal reported on Wednesday that the NFL has been in "active discussions" with potential NFT partners and has told teams to not make NFT deals without consulting the league.
