UFF Sports Announces First Trio of Digital Athlete NFTs: T. Crawford, T. Jackson & J. Hill

Ultimate Franchise Fantasy Sports has announced their first three Digital Athlete NFTs, boxer Terence Crawford and American football players Trishton Jackson and Justice Hill. Crawford and Jackson were officially announced on Friday, with Hill joining the fold on Monday. “UFF Sports is incredibly excited and honored to welcome both Terence Crawford and Trishton Jackson to the UFFS ecosystem,” UFFS co-founder and president Tony Charanduk said prior to Hill’s announcement. “We find it fitting that a proven world-class athlete like Terence and an up-and-coming superstar in Trishton are the first two faces of our athlete-focused platform. The UFFS platform is designed to include all athletes, at all levels and stages of their career in every sport.”

Crawford, who hails from Omaha, Nebraska (USA), is a three-division champion with a perfect 37-0 record, including 28 knockouts, and is renowned among the pound-for-pound best in his sport. He has held the WBO welterweight title since 2018 and has successfully defended it four times — all stoppages, with the most recent in November 2020. Now 33 years old, Crawford is in the prime of his career and plans on returning to the ring later this year. At light welterweight, Crawford became the first male boxer to simultaneously hold all four major world titles (WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO) since Jermain Taylor in 2005, and is one of only five male boxers in history to do so. Crawford was named Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2014, and by ESPN in 2014 and 2017. Crawford works just as hard outside the ring as an entrepreneur with an emphasis on empowering athletes. “I’m excited to set an example and be a pioneer in the Digital Athlete NFT movement with my company Pixelbird and UFFS,” said Crawford.

Jackson, from Detroit, Michigan (USA), was signed by the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in April 2020 following a standout collegiate career. As a redshirt junior with NCAA Syracuse, Jackson racked up 1,023 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns and was named second team All-ACC before turning pro. Just 23 years old, Jackson is striving to make an impact with the Rams this coming season and is poised for a bright future in the NFL. “The fact that Trishton is the first, of many, football Digital Athletes speaks to Trishton’s business acumen and willingness to learn about new emerging markets,” said Brian Donaldson, CEO & founder of Innovative Sports Management. “The upside to UFF Sports’ business model is very high. UFF Sports’ business model combines fantasy sports and NFTs on the blockchain while creating a digital ecosystem which utilizes the UFFS cryptocurrency called Score Coin (SCO) to buy, sell and trade digital athletes. “I’m excited Trishton is in a position to benefit from UFF Sports’ upside and I’m excited to see the heights UFF Sports can reach.” Jackson was quick to make his presence felt in the UFFS community, as the wideout gave a shout-out to potential franchise owners in the Ultimate Fantasy American Football League upon gracing the UFAFL group on Telegram. “Hey guys, it’s Trishton Jackson, currently playing for the Los Angeles Rams, and I wanted to start off by thanking you all. This is very exciting and I am thankful to be the first football Digital Athlete for the NFL. This is amazing, I can’t wait to meet you and have an amazing experience!” Those UFAFL franchise auctions are slated for July 16-18, featuring live events in Las Vegas hosted by AO Sports. Both Jackson and Hill will be drafted into the UFAFL in August and their digital careers will play out on the UFFS platform.

Hill is entering his third NFL season as a running back for the Baltimore Ravens, selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. One of the nation’s premier high school recruits, Hill was the Division II Offensive Player of the Year in Oklahoma. Staying in his home state, Hill burst onto the college scene. As an Oklahoma State Cowboy, he became the NCAA’s leading freshman rusher, a Freshman All-American, and the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native amassed more honors as he led the Big 12 in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns to earn All-Big 12 accolades. Hill was also an Academic All-American, and finished off his collegiate career with another first team All-Big 12 selection. In his rookie season with the Ravens, Hill finished with 225 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Through two seasons, Hill has also amassed 90 receiving yards out of the backfield. The common bond between Crawford, Jackson and Hill is that aforementioned athlete empowerment, which Donaldson also highlighted as a key factor for this venture. “Innovative Sports Management Corporation seeks to be the leader in ‘Player Empowerment’ by putting its clients in a position to have ownership in every aspect of their playing career and business endeavors,” said Donaldson, who represents both Jackson and Hill. “I get a lot of different business opportunities that come across my desk but when I did my due diligence on UFF Sports — and spoke with Tony, the co-founder of UFF Sports — I quickly realized that empowering athletes to monetize their digital careers through fantasy sports and NFTs was something I knew would empower Trishton and Justice with an additional stream of revenue in an exciting business that directly correlates with being an NFL player.”