The first few weeks of baseball season have passed, and the Atlanta Braves are off to a rough start, middle of the pack in the National League East. No matter. They’re still the reigning World Series champs, and the holdovers from last year’s team have massive pieces of jewelry to remind them of what they’re capable.

In fact, that jewelry—created by promotional products industry supplier Jostens — may be even more memorable than most years’ championship rings. The Braves celebrated their 2021 World Series championship with more than just the physical ring that is tradition for every Major League Baseball champion. The baseball club also awarded its players with personalized, one-of-one NFT championship rings—perhaps a hint at how physical elements could grow into staples of the burgeoning corporate gifting market.

First Of Its Kind

• It’s baseball tradition for the players of the previous World Series champions to receive their physical championship rings during their home opener the following season. But the Braves are believed to be the first organization to include a virtual NFT of the ring personalized and irreplicable to each player as well.

• Focusing on more than just the digital trendsetting, the physical rings themselves are innovative. The coveted piece of jewelry flips open and has an LED that illuminates from the inside.


 Who’s Involved?

• The physical rings, of which the NFT versions are designed after, are made by Jostens, which specializes in graduation products. The ring has 150 diamonds just within the “A” in the center of the ring. There are also 44 diamonds along the left and right side of the ring that honor the late Atlanta Braves legend Henry Aaron.

• Josten’s design for the physical rings were then built and rendered in 3D by Threedium, a digital platform that helps users create “high quality 3D online assets.”

• Finally, the NFT was minted and distributed by Candy Digital, a company that “reimagines fandom” through online products and the metaverse.

The Promo Angle

NFT stands for non-fungible token. NFTs are units of data that can be sold and traded. Digital art, for example, is a popular form of NFT because it represents something unique that no one else can possess.

• Many companies are already using NFTs in their marketing, and some believe that it’s only a matter of time until this component of the digital world becomes a mainstay in the promotional products industry.

• By accompanying their physical rings with NFT versions of the championship token, the Atlanta Braves are making a splash and showing that NFTs can accompany physical products rather than usurping them as potential promotional marketing.