Football fans, your wait is almost over. No, not soccer – we’re talking US football. The body-slamming, endzone-chasing, high-octane spectacle culminates in the extravaganza known as the Super Bowl.

While the NFL’s flagship event captivates even the casual fans, true supporters are there from the start. The season officially kicks off on September 5.

That’s when the NFL season begins as last season’s Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, take on the Baltimore Ravens.

Now a truly global phenomenon, the NFL isn’t just limited to US shores either: in October, three NFL games will take place in London, UK, while on September 6 the Philadelphia Eagles will play the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.

No other US-centric sport has achieved global recognition like football, aided by the shrewd marketing strategies of the NFL, which has transformed its league into one of the most valuable and recognizable sporting brands in the world.

Not only has US football permeated different continents and cities, but it’s also conquered the web – including web3. For the crypto community, the start of the 2024-25 season provides multiple ways to participate and profit as the action unfolds.

Making friends with NFL Rivals

Football fans don’t just have to content themselves with watching the NFL season unfold: they can also participate in it by building their dream team of star players and competing against one another in PvP matches.

That’s the premise of NFL Rivals, the Mythical Games mobile title that’s proven a smash hit, accruing over 5 million downloads and sending Polkadot on-chain transactions soaring.

The game, which is available on Google Play and App Store, tasks players with becoming the ultimate football manager through a combination of judicious team building and strategizing.

The arcade style football gameplay adds layer of excitement, elevating NFL Rivals into a web3 game that’s transcended not only GameFi but also football, attracting players who wouldn’t ordinarily have dabbled in a game of this genre.

What’s impressive about NFL Rivals is that it isn’t being played by mercenaries seeking to extract maximum value from token rewards in the now-discredited play-to-earn format. They’re playing this game because they genuinely enjoy it. That’s not to say shrewd players can’t profit in the process, however: NFL stars, represented as NFTs, can be traded on Mythical Marketplace using the MYTH token.

With MYTH having performed well this year, and Mythical Games a studio whose star is in the ascendancy – it’s currently developing the highly anticipated Pudgy Penguins game – it may be wise to keep close tabs on MYTH as the season unfolds.

Prediction markets prepare to power the football season

When the NFL season begins on September 5, there’s also another way for crypto users to capture the upside by drawing upon their knowledge of the game. Prediction markets have emerged as a globally accessible and provably fair means of wagering on binary outcomes.

With all predictions – or bets – placed onchain, it’s easy to view the latest odds with the blockchain providing full transparency and smart contracts automating payouts.

Polymarket, the most popular crypto prediction market, currently offers three NFL-related markets and their number is likely to increase as the season approaches.

Users can try to predict which NFL team Bill Belichick will manage next. For the record, the septuagenarian seems to be enjoying media work and hanging out with his 23-year-old girlfriend, so the smart money is backing him to manage no team next season.

There’s also a market on Polymarket for selecting the Pittsburgh Steelers’ week one starter; it’s currently heavily favouring Russell Wilson.

The big money, though, is reserved for predicting the 2025 Super Bowl champions. A whopping $2.7M has been wagered on the outcome already, with the Chiefs and 49ers leading the way.

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