Dodgers Using Crypto Tokens to Give Away Digital Bobbleheads
*By Michael Teich*
One team is bringing crypto to the baseball diamond.
The LA Dodgers will hold what is considered to be the first-ever crypto giveaway in sports when they take on the San Diego Padres Friday night.
Fans will have a chance to receive digital bobbleheads that double as crypto tokens. After unlocking the Dodgers' coin within an Ethereum wallet, they’ll have the opportunity to download a digital caricature of one of three players: Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, or Kenley Jansen.
“Hopefully, what we're going to see is the start of a new market of collectibles within digital assets,” Ralph Esquibel, the team's VP of Information and Technology, said Friday in an interview on Cheddar.
Esquibel said the adoption of blockchain will bring new life to the world of collecting. Collecting sports memorabilia isn't just a hobby, though. It's also a $5.4 billion industry in the U.S., according to research from [collectable.com](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidseideman/2018/09/19/tech-entrepreneur-determines-first-true-estimate-of-sports-memorabilia-market-5-4-billion/#497ea8df52e8).
For now, the Dodgers will not be introducing crypto as a currency to buy peanuts and crackerjacks ー or even tickets to games. But Esquibel sees those options as a possibility for the future.
“I don’t believe we’re ready for it, as of yet," he said.
The crypto integration is one example of how major league sports teams are trying to lure fans off the couch and into stadiums and improve the venue experience.
Teams in other leagues ー like the NFL's Baltimore Ravens and the Atlanta Falcons ー are slashing concession prices. The Ravens’s director of guest experience told Cheddar that he hopes M&T Stadium’s 33 percent price reduction on certain foods and beverages will increase fan engagement and boost [ticket sales](https://cheddar.com/videos/strengthening-nfl-stadium-experience-with-cheaper-food).
While the Dodgers are focused on the next big thing in sports memorabilia, Esquibel reassured fans of collectibles that the new crypto tokens won’t replace traditional bobbleheads.
At least not for now.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/la-dodgers-bring-crypto-to-the-baseball-diamond).
Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist at National Securities, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says investors are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the situation between Russia and the Ukraine and elaborates on the impact higher oil prices stemming from the conflict would have on the market.
Kyle Jaeger, senior editor for Marijuana Moment, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why a stigma still exists for the cannabis industry in advertising and social media after NBC rejected Weedmaps' ad for the big game even though more states across the country are legalizing cannabis.
A bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) aims to tackle the spread of misinformation on social media platforms, as well as the addictive nature of the sites and negative mental health impacts they have on users. The 'Nudge Act' would require studies to find and compile potential interventions that platforms could use to encourage people to think before they share a post, or log off after spending too much time on an app. The FTC would create rules based on these findings, and hold the platforms accountable. But will it work? Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech, joins Closing Bell to discuss the bill, whether real results and regulations could come from it, and more.
We know that the Los Angeles Rams emerged as Super Bowl champions, but the crypto industry also came out a winner on Sunday with several notable companies getting airtime in primetime. However, Richard Smith, author of the Risk Rituals Newsletter, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the campaigns were a 'disappointment' and adds that crypto companies would be wiser spending their resources on creating value.
A.I.-based entertainment company, Deedub, recently raised
$20 million in a Series A round, led by Insight Partners. Deepdub uses A.I. technology to automate the dubbing process for foreign-language movies or TV shows, while using actors' original voices. The company says it can take just two to three minutes of data from an actor's voice and transform the voice into a different language. The funding comes as foreign-language films and shows like Netflix's 'Squid Game' have recently become more popular with audiences in the U.S. and around the world. Oz Krakowski, Chief Revenue Officer at Deepdub, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Energy Vault, the company developing sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, is now trading on the New York Stock Exchange following the completion of its business combination with Novus Capital Corporation II. Energy Vault develops sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions designed to advance the transition to a carbon free, resilient power grid. Robert Piconi, co-founder and CEO of Energy Vault, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to disucss.
A new mobile app has launched just in time for Valentine's Day. Our.Love bills itself as an A.I.-powered, gamified, relationship wellness app for couples. The app is set in what the company calls the Coupleverse, a virtual world where each couple can build a virtual relationship home as they also build their real-world relationship. Founder and CEO Tal Zlotnitsky joined Cheddar to discuss how the app works. "The concept behind Our.Love is to give people the opportunity to understand where they stand in their relationship through very simple metrics that we provide within the app that will help them in real-time, see where they stand, see where their partner is, and be able to get closer together," he said.
Alyson Wilson, VP of Brand Innovation at Alo Yoga, joins Cheddar News to discuss the yoga apparel company entering the metaverse and teaming up with Spring Studios for New York Fashion Week.
