April 6, 2022 – Atlanta, GA –
The Atlanta Empire of the TBL are creating history with a game-changing partnership. The Empire are teaming up with a company known as 8igh (pronounced as “eight”) to create the world’s first community-controlled sports organization that will be ran as a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization). The TBL (The Basketball League) is not shy to becoming the first league to do something. the TBL is the first league to be owned by an African American woman (Evelyn Magley). Some may wonder why the Atlanta Empire becoming a DAO is such a big deal for sports and it is perfectly understandable as this will be new to sports fans worldwide. The Atlanta Empire becoming a DAO changes up the dynamics of the pro sports industry by “tearing the veil” between fans and their favorite sports teams. Fans that choose to purchase two specifics NFT’s will be able to take part in voting on specific decisions made within the organization and their NFT’s will be backed through a DAO fund. The TBL market has been growing in value and getting involved in team ownership can prove to be quite lucrative. The last average team valuation was around $500,000.
Besides creating monetary opportunities, the Atlanta Empire are looking to truly be a team ran by the fans. Fans that choose to invest will have the ability to help choose front office members, coaches, and even players. Fans will have more power within their favorite franchises than ever before, and the Empire will now have more opportunities to invest right back into the Atlanta community. The Empire’s current community outreach plans include partnering with high schools and colleges to educate students about blockchain and DeFi literacy, supporting the rise of local HBCU’s, and meshing blockchain technology into the already established infrastructure of the Atlanta area. This will set the standard for team funding and fan-controlled teams. Franchises are as powerful as their fan base, and this will be made apparent when the Empire hits the floor for the 2023 season. Depending on the amount of revenue brought in from team buy-ins, you may see higher-quality players join the team. This probably played into the decision when you look at the history of the young 2-year-old franchise. In their first year, in 2021, the Empire went 12-9 but still did not make the playoffs due to their record with Raleigh Firebirds, who beat them out for the last seed in the Eastern Conference. The Empire was one key player away from making the playoffs and maybe even winning a TBL title, since the TBL runner-up came from their conference (Syracuse Stallions).
In 2023, the Atlanta Empire will enter their first season being run as a DAO and the expectations will be high. The Empire will most likely play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference playing teams like the Tampa Bay Titans, Huntsville Hurricanes, and the Raleigh Firebirds. The competition level will be higher than ever as the TBL has become even more selective in their expansion process. There is hope in ATL that some players will return to the Empire to help them in their championship ambitions like future TBL All-Star hopeful Chuck Guy. Expect more announcements about the Empire in the upcoming weeks and TBL schedule and team announcements will be announced between now and February.
