Panini America creating NFT rookie trading cards of top youth football players
Panini America and SI Tickets are pairing up to provide NFT trading cards for five of the nation’s top youth football players. The first fans who purchase tickets for the Texas Gridiron Classic — which takes place from July 28-30 in Arlington, Texas — will receive a randomly selected trading card from the PSI Elite Five Rated Prospects collectible set. The players’ names, images and likenesses will be on Panini’s blockchain platform.
The Texas Gridiron Classic is organized by Prospects by Sports Illustrated. It will utilize SI Tickets’ “Super Ticket” technology, which allows ticketing barcodes to become vehicles for content and event commemoratives such as this series. Ticket holders for this event will also receive their own SI Fan Cover from the game, as well as a $10 credit to apply to future events on the SI Tickets marketplace.
The five players featured in this NFT card set range in age from 11 to 16. They are headlined by California quarterback Akili Smith, Jr., who is rated as a four-star prospect by recruiting services as a rising junior. Smith’s father is the former No. 3 overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1999 by the same name.
