Following the brokering efforts of Allied Sports, Professional sports fans should expect new things following a never seen before partnership between D.C United Club and leading blockchain network, XDC. The two come together for a three-year partnership with the common goal of ensuring that fans enjoy more engaging experiences as they support their favorite sport.
The development makes XDC Network the official blockchain as well as NFT marketplace partner for the club. This means the New XDC Network Logo is now the new print on D.C United kits effective from the 2022 Major League Soccer Season. The announcement which came out in February 22 marks for a historical moment as this is the first time a professional sports team in the United States collaborates with a blockchain network.
XDC Network
XDC Network is the ideal choice for the club, seeing that it is an industry leader when blockchain projects ranked. The network is popular for being enterprise ready, along with the Layer 1 blockchain features it provides. These structured to support multiple blockchain applications.
Another glorious and distinguishing feature for the XDC Network that also make it an ideal choice for the club is the near-zero gas fees. Under this innovation, the network is enroute to having a carbon-free operation by 2023, which positions XDC among the pacesetting blockchain ecosystems in the market today in terms of competition and energy efficiency.
XDC Network is also popular for its support to developers and content creators, offering them a chance to interact with the ecosystem as well as to tokenize many assets using smart contracts.
The club will have new logo of the XDC Network, which will replace their previous representation of the unique history of the District of Columbia- the four stars representing the club’s four MLS Cups, the kit sponsor Leidos, and the kit supplier Addidas’ logos. Beginning the 2022 MLS season, the club will now have XDC Network logos
Value additions in the partnership
The partnership between D.C United and XDC Blockchain Network is very timely, happening at a time when blockchain technology is a headline topic the world over. Featured in the announcement, it is clear that collaboration is centered around fans, who poised to experience better opportunities like never seen before in professional sports- Fan program and NFT transactions.
Fan program
The highlight of this collaboration is that being a club fun is now rewarding, something that has never been seen before. Under the D.C United – XDC Network partnership, a new feature has introduced under the title “Fan Program”. The program is set to reward fans for their loyalty to the club by offering them multiple engagement opportunities. These include:
- Exclusive experiences: Blockchain education
The other perk that comes from the partnership is that fans will benefit from blockchain education courtesy of XDC Network and its association to D.C United. This is through open interactions between the two parties, and fans having more interactive ways to develop new knowledge and understanding about the dynamics of the technology and its applications.
- Special access
D.C United hopes to develop a welcoming and transformative future with XDC Network. Fans are right at the center of this future. The other value addition resulting from the partnership is more meaningful experiences for the fans. This follows the commitment to leveraging modern blockchain technology in offering privileges such as rewarding engagement opportunities for the club fans.
NFTs
The second opportunity that comes with the partnership involves NFT transactions, wherein it will henceforth be possible to buy, sell, trade and generally interact with NFTs on the XDC Network. This is by means of an innovative video platform, which adds to the blockchain technology education opportunity.
These some of the value additions revealed by the President of Business Operations for D.C United, Danita Johnson, who describes the collaboration as being more than a partnership.
Bringing the value of Blockchain to the people
It is indeed very fulfilling to see blockchain technology making its way to the mainstream markets such as professional sports and the fact that a legacy brand of D.C United’s caliber has adopted it is even more impressive.
At the heart of the collaboration is to ensure that even the fans get to enjoy the value of blockchain, such that their experiences with the technology are more direct and therefore transformative. By driving for deeper engagement, D.C United serves a bridge between its community of fans and the growing cryptocurrency ecosystem. These are the sentiments of Billy Sebell, the Executive Director of XDC Foundation.
The executive also attests to the shared vision of inclusivity between the club and the wider Washington D.C soccer community. This shared vision combined with the growth of soccer as a popular sport in. the United States makes the partnership indeed very timely. By serving as a bridge, the club becomes an enabler for a more inclusive community on the XDC Network especially because the collaboration takes place atop the network’s enterprise development and adoption.
