Chicago Bulls Logo Gets NFT Makeover

GM! Welcome to The Mint. We mix business news and NFTs like little kids at McDonald's mix all the different fountain sodas in one cup. It's really weird, but it somehow works.

Today's Agenda

1. Bulls Logo Gets NFT Twist 🌀

2. MoMA Adds NFT Fund 🖼️🎨

3. Universal Studios NFT Scavenger Hunt 🔍

4. Podcasts to Check Out 🗣️🔊

5. ABCs of NFTs - K is for Keys 🔑🔐

Chicago Bulls Logo Reimagined

The Chicago Bulls are a pretty iconic team. One of their claims to fame is their instantly recognizable logo that was plastered around the globe during their reign as the world's best basketball team during the 1990s.

Since its genesis in 1966, the Bulls logo has remained unchanged. They are the only team in the NBA that hasn't adapted their logo — an amazing feat given how much design preferences have changed in the last 60 years.

This week, the Chicago Bulls, in partnership with leading web3 company Coinbase and 23 independent artists, launched 23 new adaptations of the classic Bulls logo. The auction went live on Coinbase a few days ago with proceeds benefitting After School Matters, a Chicago-based nonprofit. The auction ends today, so scoop up your favorite iteration of the logo.

Austin: The Chicago Bulls logo is pretty iconic. What does it bring mind for you John?

John: First thought? The intro song from The Allen Parson’s Project, when those lights go out and you get hyped! You watched The Last Dance, right?

Austin: I did. Michael Jordan was a baddddd man. I finally understand why the Bulls were THE team back in the day. That's what I think of when I see this logo.

John: And what's interesting is that the Bulls logo looks exactly the same today as it did in the Jordan era. It's classic, making their recent foray into NFTs even more compelling.

Austin: Did you see the collection? Which one is your favorite? Mine is Sean Williams x Bulls: DYNASTY. I've been enjoying NFTs that incorporate movement lately, and this one is a prime example.

John: I really like the Bullish Doodle by Shay the Surrealist. My favorite part about the collection is seeing notable artists' style crossover from NFT to an NBA logo. 👇

Another great example of a big brand taking a small, yet strong step into the world of NFTs.

Museum of Modern Art Create an NFT Fund

So NFTs are for nerdy, tech, and early adopters, right? And museums are for classy, high-society art appreciators, right? Not so fast.

Last week the MoMA, yeah that MoMA, announced they will be allocating $70M from a recent art auction to be used for the eventual purchase of non-fungible tokens. That's right, next year you might see my Chromie Squiggle in the MoMA!

It's unclear how this will unfold, but it is yet again a traditional institution embracing the new technology and art form of NFTs. Our friends at PROOF had a clip about this news and it really got me going in terms of how early we are on this technology journey.

A Giant, Scary, NFT Scavenger Hunt

Austin here. One of my favorite memories in college was going to Valleyscare, the Halloween celebration at Valleyfair. My friends and I drove up to Shakopee, Minnesota, on a school night in an old Honda Odyssey and enjoyed roller coaster rides through the smoke, some of the best haunted houses I've ever seen, spooky encounters with Valleyfair dressed up in ghoulish costumes, and more.

Apparently, Universal Studios has a very similar event every year called Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. This year, their event will be a little more futuristic. Universal is partnering with MoonPay's new NFT platform HyperMint to release NFTs to everyone that attends the event.

There will be QR codes hidden across the park for attendees to find and scan. Scanning the QR code will give you a special NFT of a Halloween character. HyperMint is making the process super streamlined so that anyone can scan and view their new collectibles.

This is one of the first major POAP (Proof-of-attendance-protocol) collections to launch. Poap.xyz describes this protocol as "a new way of keeping a reliable record of life experiences. Each time they take part in an event, POAP collectors get a unique badge that is supported by a cryptographic record".

You're likely to see more POAP releases in the near future. POAP releases allow large-scale events like conferences to stop paying for pointless gear and instead give attendees a relatively cheap option that also acts as a unique collectible that authenticates attendance.

Podcast Recommendations

We haven't done a recommendation section in a hot minute, so here are a few of the podcasts that the Mint Staff is listening to. →

• Overpriced JPEGs - Hosted by Carly Reilly, Overpriced Jpegs has a great set of podcasts with some of the best guests in the space. Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overpriced-jpegs/id1591954323

• Two Bored Apes - The hosts of the show, Zeneca and Jaime, do a great job talking about the latest and greatest news in the NFT space and have some good guests as well. Link: https://www.twoboredapes.com/

• PROOF - Kevin Rose's podcast. Enough said. The Mint Staff loves this one, and you will too! Link: https://www.proof.xyz/

• Bankless - The Ultimate Guide to Crypto Finance. DeFi, NFTs, and cryptocurrencies. Link: http://podcast.banklesshq.com/

ABCs of NFTs

K is for Key

There are two types of keys in the crypto world - your public key and your private key.

1. Public - this key is like your address. You can share it and people can send crypto or NFTs to your wallet.

2. Private - this key must be kept on lock. Your private key is what you need to unlock transactions on the blockchain. Your wallet will keep your private key safe but NEVER share it with anyone online or offline.

Still confused? Watch John discuss it below, or check out this article.

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That concludes this week's version of The Mint! Thanks for reading, and make sure to share your freshly-minted knowledge with your friends and coworkers.