Web3 Sports Partnerships: Changing the Fan Experience with Kadena

Web3 brands have been forming sports partnerships to gain visibility and grow their ecosystems, especially over the last few years. However, some partnerships between Web3 and sports teams are surface-level and do not feature the technological advantages that Web3 technology offers. Rather, Web3 sports partnerships are often sponsorships with just a name and logo on a jersey or stadium branding.

At Kadena, we believe Web3 sports partnerships should focus equally on product adoption and brand awareness. Those of us who understand and are passionate about the technology know that under the hood, blockchain provides a paradigmatic shift in how the internet, especially consumer applications, can operate. Yet, to drive adoption, Web3 technology must be introduced in ways that make sense for sports fans unfamiliar with blockchain. In reality, most sports fans are not primarily concerned with technology. Instead, they focus on the overall experience. This presents an opportunity—there is potential to enhance that experience, to elevate enjoyment, and to make every moment more memorable.

This article discusses an overview of notable Web3 brand and sports partnerships, the history of sports partnerships with Web3 brands, and finally, how Kadena’s approach is shifting the perception of Web3 in the sports industry through our latest partnership with the Croatian Football Federation (HNS).

Web3 Brands and Sports: A Brief Overview

Nielsen expects blockchain companies to invest $5 billion in sponsorships by 2026, which represents a 778% increase compared to 2021 (Nielsen via SportsPro).

Why Do Blockchain Brands Invest in Sports Partnerships?

• Added notoriety and brand visibility
• Potential growth of the fan base
• Brand association with players, teams, and blockchains
• Product and technology adoption

Often, Web3 sports partnerships have been based purely on notoriety and brand association. While these are undoubtedly important marketing elements, they fall short of capitalizing on the true potential of blockchain technology. There is more focus on brand awareness than product adoption; however, there should be an equal focus on both.

Let’s take a look at some of the more noteworthy Web3 sports partnerships over the last few years.

NBA Top Shot

Take NBA Top Shot, for example. The platform allowed users to buy, sell, and trade Moments as NFTs—aka collectible NBA highlights with varying degrees of rarity—for example, a LeBron James dunk from the 2020 NBA Finals sold for over $230,000.

Top Shot was successful in its onboarding process, which limited the amount of Web3 knowledge required for NBA fans to participate. The sales were also successful, generating $45 million in January 2021 alone (NFT Now). However, the project ultimately faltered due to an oversupply that disrupted its economic model and challenges with regulatory compliance.

Many bought Moments at their peak. The market did not take the over-injected supply. NBA players who had once promoted the project became quiet.

Then, in early 2023, a lawsuit moved forward when a judge claimed that Top Shot NFTs were unregistered securities.

If Top Shot had offered the opportunity to capture in-game moments for families to take home memories made at the games, the compliance component might not have been an issue. Additionally, supply and demand would not have been an issue. The idea was great and performed well, but a lot can be learned from the overall execution.

NFL Rivals

The partnership between the NFL and Mythical formed an NFT-based mobile game, NFL Rivals. Rivals has seamlessly integrated NFT technology into the tech stack without requiring gamers to understand what NFTs are. Instead, the game’s economy takes a framework from something like Madden NFL or NBA 2K and turns it on its head.

In a game like Madden NFL, you play as a team, like the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, complete a season, and play others online as your favorite team. However, in NFL Rivals, you play with a dream team of all of your favorite players across teams. Then, as you play, the individual players on your team level up, growing in experience points. Certain players on your team are eligible to be traded or sold in a marketplace for ETH, BTC, or other digital assets. You can take a player from a lower rating to a higher rating, and in theory, increase the player’s worth along the way as the player’s experience grows.

In a 2024 interview with VentureBeat, it was stated that NFL Rivals had more than five million players. The momentum of NFL Rivals has led the creators to build a game with Pudgy Penguins.

FTX Arena

The former FTX Arena, now Kaseya Arena, is another example of a trend that can be improved within Web3 sports partnerships—crypto naming rights for arenas. The partnership gave FTX more credibility and brand awareness. However, the focus was more on visibility and less on technology.

While naming rights partnerships deliver recognition and visibility to Web3 brands, they can be superficial without product adoption. There needs to be more brand activation and product adoption versus just brand awareness.

Enter Kadena: Croatian Football Federation Fan Engagement

Kadena’s latest sports collaboration with the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) aims to redefine fan engagement with the Croatian national team in a multi-year deal encompassing major tournaments, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2028.

At the heart of this partnership is the VATRENI Reward Pool, a dynamic engagement model that ties real-life match events to exclusive rewards. Fans can earn VATRENI tokens, VIP experiences, match tickets, signed merchandise, and more simply by participating in the ecosystem. The reward pool grows based on real-time match triggers, ensuring every game-changing moment translates into tangible value for the community.

As part of this broader push toward blockchain-powered fan experiences, the migration of VATRENI, HNS’s ERC-20 fan token, from Polygon to Kadena marks another significant step toward scalability, security, and real Web3 engagement. This move aligns with Kadena’s upcoming Chainweb EVM technology, positioning the ecosystem as a leader in high-performance sports and entertainment blockchain applications.

This partnership is more than just visibility. It represents one of the first major migrations of an EVM-based project onto Kadena’s ecosystem. By combining AI-powered engagement tools with Kadena’s scalable blockchain infrastructure, this collaboration sets a new standard for fan participation in sports, bridging Web2 accessibility with Web3 innovation.

Authenticated Sports Equipment with Booomtag

Fan engagement goes beyond just match events—it extends to the gear and memorabilia that connect fans to their teams. As a Kadena grantee, Booomtag is redefining how sports merchandise is authenticated and experienced.

By embedding Booomtags—smart NFC-enabled tags—into sports equipment, jerseys, tickets, and collectibles, sports brands can transform their products into Real-World Assets (RWAs) secured on the Kadena blockchain.

These RWAs can store Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and track each item’s lifecycle, helping verify authenticity, ownership, and history. At the same time, they enable seamless interactions within the BooomConnect platform, connecting brands, products, and consumers.

Fans can scan their merchandise to unlock exclusive content, verify the authenticity of signed memorabilia, and even explore resale or rental opportunities. This frictionless approach not only enhances fan engagement but also ensures compliance with ESG regulations, positioning Kadena and Booomtag at the forefront of sports innovation.

In Conclusion

The scope of Web3 partnerships with sports teams should transition from just logos on jerseys to real, tech-driven partnerships. The collaboration between Kadena and its new sports partner is leading by example. It's not just about throwing money at brand placement anymore—it’s about creating experiences that fans will truly remember and delivering value in unprecedented ways. Kadena’s partnership is focused on getting people to use Web3 technology in a fun and engaging way while celebrating their experience at sporting events.

Web3 is changing how we connect with the sports we love. Every game, every moment, and every incredible experience won’t just be a memory—they will be filled with opportunities to make those moments last forever using Kadena.