SportsIcon, a London-based non-fungible token (NFT) site, has closed a round of funding led by several notable figures in the sports industry.

That list includes former NBA champion Andrew Bogut and Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs and the founder of NBA Top Shot.

Chad Hurley, the founder of YouTube and former CEO, is another high-profile investor. The sum of money raised was not revealed, but it was more than £1 million ($1.4 million).

The SportsIcon business model is to work with various athletes to create 15 to 20 NFTs that reflect pivotal moments in their athletic careers.

The digital collectibles will include existing videos and exclusive content created exclusively for the collectible by athletes and digital artists.

The SportsIcon Network plans to hold masterclasses in which athletes can share information about their mental and physical fitness practises.

Chris Worsey, former FIFA Match Agent Alexi Yovanoff, and blockchain developer Matt Smithies formed the company.

Athletes’ contracts are currently being negotiated. Nonetheless, given recent developments in the sports world and the NFT world, it’s not shocking that SportsIcon has attracted the attention of so many influential people.

Fans can interact with a sport and communicate with the characters who portray it through SportsIcon.

The recent anger expressed by fans worldwide in response to a proposed Super League between European soccer teams perfectly illustrates fans’ deep commitment to the integrity of the sport they love.

So, while the buzz around NFTs may be fading, a forum that allows fans to become more engaged and connected with their sports culture remains a compelling investment.

“The coming decade will be known as the Age of Digitization, and, as is always the case with technological advances, it will be dominated by the sports industry,” Worsey predicted. “NFTs offer the most ardent fans the opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind piece of sports history in a way that was previously unavailable.”

Meanwhile, Tom Brady, the legendary American football player and current Super Bowl champion, is preparing to launch his own NFT website, Autograph.

SportsIcon is a model that is identical to this one. It is, however, more focused on pop culture. The Top Mexican soccer league and Topps, the company that has been selling MLB collectible cards for years, have also announced plans to launch NFTs.

It’ll be fascinating to see how SportsIcon fits into the current sports NFT market and how it competes with other sports digital collectibles.