Why 30% of US Sports Fans Could Be Fan Tokens’™ Biggest Growth Signal 

Chiliz’ latest comprehensive Global Fan Report unearthed a wealth of findings relating to how people in the United States view the emergent asset class that is digital sports collectibles, namely, Fan Tokens™.

Perhaps the strongest finding in Chiliz’ report may not be that 13% of US-based football fans already own Fan Tokens™ or digital collectibles.

It may be that 30% are already aware of them but have yet to own one – a potentially gigantic group of untapped fans sitting just one step away from adoption.

The US Adoption Gap: A Warm Audience Awaits

Football (soccer) fans in the United States aren’t starting from zero when it comes to Fan Token™ adoption.

The report found that 13% of US-based football fans have already owned a Fan Token™ or similar digital sporting collectible.

Meanwhile, 30% of respondents said they were already familiar with the concept of Fan Tokens™, but had yet to purchase one. This figure equates to over 100 million people.

Essentially, the report’s findings reveal the United States to be a warm and receptive audience when it comes to the rollout of digital collectibles like Fan Tokens™, which represent the pillar of the SportFi (sport finance) space.

Why Awareness Matters

In any market – and in particular digital asset markets – one of the hardest steps is making people aware of the product. 

Any new launch must overcome technical hesitance on the part of customers who may not be familiar with blockchain, crypto, or any of the products that emerge from this arena.

With 30% of the population already aware of the Fan Token™ concept, the education barrier for their foray into US markets is already considerably lower.

The next challenge is not necessarily to increase awareness, but onboarding and conversion; giving fans a reason to move from curiosity to ownership.

Support from the Stands

Additionally, the Chiliz report found that 26% of US-based fans believe Fan Tokens™ linked to their favourite teams would be the digital fan engagement product they’d be most likely to use in the next 12 months.

This makes the 30% stat more meaningful, because it suggests that those who would purchase Fan Tokens™ would already be open to using the collectibles if they purchased them, rather than just buying them and forgetting them.

The Right Timing for Chiliz in the US

All of this takes on even more significance when we consider that Chiliz is already lining up US sports team partnerships after receiving the green-light from the SEC, which labelled Fan Tokens™ as digital tools or collectibles, rather than securities.

Chiliz also recently announced its expansion to the Solana and Base blockchains, which will undoubtedly widen access, liquidity, and distribution ahead of Chiliz’ foray into the US.

For Fan Tokens™, the US opportunity won’t begin with convincing fans that digital sports assets exist. According to Chiliz’s report, over a hundred million may already know. The next step is giving them a reason to take part.

Read the full report here.

Greg Thomson: Fan Tokens™ Market Reporter