Atlanta Hawks’ way of thanking their fans for their support is attracting a lot of attention and excitement. This is coming just a few weeks after the team launched their NFT collection, and they seem to be following the growing trend among Atlanta teams.
The NBA Team Will Give Away NFTs at Fan Appreciation Night
As the regular NBA season is rounding up, different basketball teams are drawing plans for fan appreciation to thank them for their support and cheers. Atlanta Hawks, which has seen great success this season, has announced that their new NFT collection will be part of the rewards given at the Fan Appreciation Night.
The NFT collection is titled ‘Forever 404’ and will be unveiled during the Fan Appreciation Night on the 6th of April, 2022. This coincides with the final home game that the team would be having, against the Washington Wizards.
The team would randomly share these digital commemorative tickets with fans at the game, with some rarer than others. Based on the tier system, they include Starter, All-Star, MVP, and Legend. The NFT project was created in collaboration with GigLabs, which they also partnered with when they launched their first NFT collection earlier in the month.
Fans in the appreciation night also have a chance to win a jersey from each player on the team to display gratitude. The excitement surrounding this practice is due to Atlanta Hawks’ success in the past few seasons.
The team’s official Twitter page also dropped a teaser, which included an eagle flying with 404 written underneath it. They also displayed four tickets to the game with the different tiers written on each one.
When asked about the Fan Appreciation Night, the Chief Marketing Officer of Atlanta Hawks, Melissa Proctor, said, ‘Fan Appreciation Night is one of many ways that we can give back to our fans that have continued to show their support as we continue to create home-court advantage at State Farm Arena.’
Before the game on the 6th of April, the team has also encouraged its fans to join a panel they would be having on the 4th of April. The ‘NFT 101 Twitter Spaces Conversation’ would hold from 7:00 pm to 7:45 pm, discussing the basics of NFTs, and they would be receiving questions from the fans.
Members of the panel include Jennifer Choi, the Senior Director of Innovation and DEI Impact at Atlanta Hawks; Kim Sanden, the Head of Dapper at Dapper Labs and Tanya Sam, the founder of The Ambition Fund.
‘Harry the Hawk’ Was Launched Earlier This Month
The Forever 404 NFT collection is coming just a few weeks after Atlanta Hawks released the ‘Harry the Hawk’ NFT in collaboration with the Atlanta-based studio, GigLabs. The collection consisted of 40 hand-drawn digital-only pieces of art, auctioned from the 14th to the 17th of March.
Some NFTs also unlocked specific experiences and bonuses for fans, like a signed jersey, a $500 gift card to the Hawks shop, and others. According to the CEO of Atlanta Hawks, Steve Koonin, the launch of these NFTs was an attempt to improve the way the team engages with the fanbase worldwide.
He also said, ‘As we launch these one-of-a-kind NFTs, we are thrilled to provide fans with opportunities and experiences that are unique and have never before been possible.’ It is expected that this is the same mindset the team has concerning their new launch. Fans who missed the Harry the Hawk launch now have a chance to get the Forever 404 NFTs at the upcoming final game in April.
Latest Addition to Atlanta Teams in the NFT Space
Atlanta Hawks seem to be following a trend of Atlanta-based teams in the NFT space. Many of the teams have also shown interest in metaverse and Web3.
The MLB team in Atlanta, Atlanta Braves, became the first MLB team to be part of the metaverse. It did so by launching a digital version of Truist Park, which is its home, and the architecture around it.
