Earlier, the Team Penske organization announced a new partnership. Together with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar, they are tying up with Autograph. This is a brand that NFL living legend, Tom Brady, co-founded. However, not many fans were too thrilled at the news.
.@IndyCar/@IMS/@Team_Penske today are announcing a new NFT deal with @Autograph that starts with next month's Indy 500 and involves digital collectibles around past+present races/drivers/Indy 500 tickets/archives.
🔳 Autograph, co-founded by Tom Brady, also works with @DaleJr. pic.twitter.com/nVGhQbHWME
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) April 12, 2022
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This reaction had nothing to do with Team Penske or Tom Brady himself. Instead, most of the ire was directed toward the product that Autograph was selling. To be precise, no one liked the idea of NFTs, which is what Autograph is selling. It is also worth mentioning that Autograph has also tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Our society is in “this” era of NFTs … general ignorance being taken advantage of to make $$, not enough public knowledge to cause outcry loud enough for govt to make laws banning/regulating … worse than street dice gambling, just straight up stealing/scamming pic.twitter.com/4KHhbOntgB
— Team Crisci Racing (@TeamCrisciRacin) April 12, 2022
Because NFTs are a scam and no one really wants them around a sport that’s trying to grow in popularity.
— Michael (@TheMichaelSK) April 12, 2022
Admittedly, some tried to defend the partnership. As per their justification, it will help the sport grow and get more popular. At the same time, it will help the sport make money. However, the naysayers continued to insist that NFTs are nothing but scams, and will be detrimental to the sport’s popularity.
What else did the fans say about the Team Penske deal?
All in all, the general attitude towards NFTs was rather negative. However, many NASCAR drivers seem to be quite taken with the cryptocurrency wave. In 2020, there were several cryptocurrency companies sponsoring NASCAR teams. Last year, Xfinity driver Landon Cassill revealed that he would take his wages in cryptocurrency.
poop
— Lucas Marques🟨🟨🟥🟥1️⃣8️⃣ (@Marques__Lucass) April 12, 2022
FUCK NFTS
— Andy Cooley (@GeneralASC) April 12, 2022
Even the likes of Denny Hamlin and Hendrick Motorsports expressed an interest in going in the NFT direction. Suffice to say, the fans were not too happy about that either. None of them appreciated that many celebrities think that NFTs are going to be the next big thing in the world.
— Jared Wilmas (@Jared88485) April 12, 2022
Boo
— Dylan Wieloszynski (@GTP_Dylan_GTP) April 12, 2022
For them, a better investment is something that can be physically held in the palm of one’s hand. They all still maintain that, not only is it a scam, but it could result in losses for the teams and drivers.
READ MORE: “This is Trash” – NASCAR Fans Outraged as Hendrick Motorsports Teases a Shift to NFTs
For example, they cited Odell Beckham Jr, who also elected to have his salary paid in cryptocurrency.
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Oh FFS!
— Not Telling You (@Noneyafnbiz123) April 12, 2022
It's NFTs?? Ugh. Please save your money.
— Brad (@BeeZad) April 12, 2022
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Unfortunately, calculations revealed that he would undergo a loss. As a result, fans are worried that this newfound craze for NFTs could be financially detrimental for everyone.