SPONSOR NOTE: JJ McCarthy, Andrel Anthony, and Donovan Edwards NIL NFTs
[ED: Readers keep asking how the community can support Michigan players' NIL opportunities. Jared Wangler started a management group. Now you don't have to ask anymore]
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Three of Michigan's young stars have partnered with Valiant Management to auction off officially licensed/personalized stuff. JJ McCarthy, Donovan Edwards, and Andrel Anthony are each offering one-on-one or group invitations to Zoom sessions, personalized signed game jerseys, a signed mini-helmet, signed 8x10s, and NFTs in Gold, Silver, and Blue-level packages.
Bidding ends this Sunday, 2/27, at 12pm EST for the GOLD level, which includes:
- 1/1 Officially Licensed University of Michigan NFT
- One-on-one zoom meeting with the Athlete
- Personalized Signed Game Jersey
- Signed Mini Helmet
- Signed 8x10 Photograph
The JJ one is up to $6500, Anthony's is at $2025, and Edwards's is at $1800 last we looked.
They are also offering a limited (100 each) number of SILVER level NFTs for $250 that come with an invitation to a private group Zoom call in April, and the 8x10 photograph. Note: JJ's Silver level is already sold out.
The BLUE level is just the NFT (limit 250 per player).
Head over to the Valiant Marketplace to check it out.
What's an NFT?
"Non-fungible token." A digital work of art that's protected so only a limited number of people can own one. Basically a digital version of buying the original, and supporting the artist. Or the subject of the art.
Why do I want to do this? We shouldn't have to explain this.
Who's got it better than us? Noooobody.
February 25th, 2022 at 4:07 PM ^
Leaders and Best - love the creativity and capitalization on the latest craze. Now go get you some non-fungible tokens!
By the way, who wants to buy some MgoCoin?
February 25th, 2022 at 4:22 PM ^
This is the only useful purpose for NFTs: legally laundering money from donors to cfb players
February 25th, 2022 at 4:23 PM ^
All aboard the NIL train!!
February 25th, 2022 at 4:36 PM ^
@Indy Pete. Can I use my Mgoblog points for the MgoCoins?
February 25th, 2022 at 4:40 PM ^
NFTs are my favorite way to launder money. My least favorite thing to be pitched.
February 25th, 2022 at 4:41 PM ^
Cool, get the kids money!
But I'm not buying a freaking NFT.
February 25th, 2022 at 4:46 PM ^
Really perfect that NFT's became a thing right as NIL started. A money laundering match made in heaven
February 25th, 2022 at 4:49 PM ^
I'm glad the guys are making money, but NFTs are just beanie babies for crypto bros
February 25th, 2022 at 5:06 PM ^
Does anyone know how much of the purchase for these goes to the athletes? If I buy a blue NFT does that mean Edwards gets most/all of that $50?
I'd also be curious about if/when this might expand to include some of the women's basketball team if anyone knows.
February 25th, 2022 at 5:06 PM ^
I love it. Also I believe UM will have the best offense in the BIG.
February 25th, 2022 at 5:15 PM ^
What's an NFT?
"Non-fungible token."
Or "No-fee tattoo" if you play for OSU.
February 25th, 2022 at 5:17 PM ^
Oh hell yeah. Love to see it!
February 25th, 2022 at 5:21 PM ^
@blueinrockford - right now it can be purchased with wired USD and Bitcoin, hoping to get some functionality with mgopoint conversions with the next upgrade…
February 25th, 2022 at 5:29 PM ^
You know, I wondered what NFTs were. Now I know. A fancy name for 21st Century trading cards.
February 25th, 2022 at 5:53 PM ^
Good on the players for making some money off themselves.
Boo on NFT and everything surrounding that
February 25th, 2022 at 5:57 PM ^
would be cooler if you were buying the actual, physical trading card these appear to be.
February 25th, 2022 at 6:01 PM ^
But what happens to the value of the JJ NFTs if Cade is again starting QB next season?
(/s, in case someone needs it)
February 25th, 2022 at 6:21 PM ^
Get your right-clicks ready to screen shot those NFTs!
February 25th, 2022 at 6:23 PM ^
Not so old (or addlebrained) enough that I don’t remember the 1980s and 1990s when some of my family members were asking me to:
(1) take them to card shows or hit up all the local Toys R Us stores so that I could empty my bank account to help them stock up on sports trading cards (Topps, Upper Deck, Donruss, Fleer, et. al) and Kenner Starting Lineup sports figures, or,
(2) to make it worse, stop on the way home from my office at every McDonald’s that still was open late at night so that I could buy several Happy Meals that came with Beanie Babies and load up the refrigerator with lots of soggy McNuggets and fries.
There are days when this empty nester looks at all the “stuff” packed in boxes and plastic containers in my basement and the closets in what used to be my children’s bedrooms and never thinks, “If only I hadn’t bought all of those things, I now might have enough money to buy an NFT from some college athlete whom I don’t know and never may meet.”
February 25th, 2022 at 6:39 PM ^
Years before he died in early 2017, through a friend of mine who knew much more about sports-card collecting than I ever did, I met Alan “Mr. Mint” Rosen who then might’ve been among the best known sports card and sports memorabilia collectors. He helped to jump start the baseball card collecting craze in the 1970s and 1980s.
By the time I’d spent way too much money on sports cards, Starting Lineup figures and Beanie Babies, I learned from him that I might have to wait more than another 50 years before I’d make a profit selling any of that “stuff”. Now, my children couldn’t care less about that “stuff”.
To all of you out there who are about to buy those NFTs, good luck and I hope you profit from them some day.
February 25th, 2022 at 6:45 PM ^
Where have you gone, "Big Ten Trea$ure Hunter" John Arcand?
February 25th, 2022 at 6:57 PM ^
This is cool, but I’m still looking for that Billy Ripken card with Fuck Face inscribed on the bat.
February 25th, 2022 at 7:24 PM ^
Idk a one on one zoom call just seems weird to me. Maybe because I’m an awkward person and dread one on one conversations with strangers.
February 25th, 2022 at 7:29 PM ^
@MLG: I memba that!!
February 25th, 2022 at 8:05 PM ^
MJG: If you're really looking for that 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken error card, there's one in "Gem Mint" condition being offered for a mere $899.99 on ebay. LINK
Although somewhere among the numerous boxes of sports cards in my basement, I believe that I have a 1989 Fleer MLB Factory set, but because it's probably still in the sealed box, I have no idea if the Billy Ripken error card is in it, but I suspect that it isn't.
February 25th, 2022 at 9:20 PM ^
Paying to meet anyone, especially a college kid, seems strange to me.
February 25th, 2022 at 9:53 PM ^
I bought the JJ and DE blue versions a couple of days ago and haven’t received a “delivery” email yet, just the confirmation email. Anyone else run into this?
February 25th, 2022 at 10:35 PM ^
@chatster - the difference being that Starting Lineup figures had intrinsic value - b/c they were awesome!! My Darryl Strawberry and Akeem Olajuwon ones were my favorite.
February 25th, 2022 at 11:07 PM ^
I don't care how valuable they are. Any kid who bought a Starting Lineup action figure and kept it in its packaging was lame.
February 26th, 2022 at 12:53 AM ^
Love most of this, however NFTs are a scam and shouldn't be promoted by this site.
February 26th, 2022 at 1:11 AM ^
jmblue: My kids opened virtually all of those Starting Lineup figures (baseball, football, basketball and maybe even some hockey) that I bought for them. They had them displayed on the shelves in their rooms. They’re all sitting crushed together in some large plastic containers in my basement. When the kids became older, they still had several of those figures that they'd never opened and that remain unopened.
One of my children, a Michigan alum, may have kept the Jim Abbott, Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson Starting Lineup figures.
February 26th, 2022 at 9:44 AM ^
NFTs are the modern replacement for the old recruiting tradition of NFBs (non-fungible bags of cash).
In all seriousness, this approach aligns most closely with the NIL intent. A Miami group giving every player $50k or Texas funding every OL thru a charity or other cash for playing is just a recruiting ploy.
February 26th, 2022 at 1:07 PM ^
Glad to read about another way for these players to get compensated. This feels like Michigan might be ahead of the curve (or at least with the curve) on this one.
February 26th, 2022 at 2:58 PM ^
Just bought one each of the Andrel and Donovan NFTs. JJ is entirely sold out. Putting my money where my mouth is.
February 26th, 2022 at 4:47 PM ^
Not one of the players mentioned, but I haven't seen a mention (on Mgoblog) of another of Blake Corum's NIL related donation efforts: he signed a sponsorship deal with the Bon Bon Bon Chocolate Shop (in Ann Arbor). In the first week of February he visited their shop and interacted with and served customers (for a day). 15% of sales went to The Uniform Funding Foundation (TUFF), a nonprofit providing uniforms to underprivileged youth athletes.
Sources: 1. "Michigan RB Blake Corum signs NIL deal with Ann Arbor chocolate shop, donates proceeds to charity" on MLive:
and 2. TUFF's website https://www.gettuff.org/
February 26th, 2022 at 5:32 PM ^
Congrats to both.
February 26th, 2022 at 10:08 PM ^
Here's a song for all of us old timers whose mothers decided to donate our sports cards and comic book collections to the garbage collectors.
February 27th, 2022 at 6:29 AM ^
Good for the kids
I sure hope UM is hooking our players up with NFTU. Seems like a lot more $ potential for the players than Valiant NFT's.
Recur's first NFTU drops will be next week for March Madness. Recur pass holders will get early access.
https://twitter.com/TrevorjGeorge/status/1498398751492395021