The Evolution of NFTs in Sports: 2020-2023

By Scope Sports, September 26

Introduction

The world of sports has witnessed a remarkable transformation over the past few years, thanks to the rise of blockchain technology and the advent of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). These digital assets have revolutionized the way fans engage with their favorite sports, turning moments of glory into collectible, tradable, and truly unique items. In this blog post, we will explore the evolution of blockchain projects in sports from 2020 to 2023, focusing on NFTs, NFT markets, and their impact on the sports industry.

The Emergence of NFT Projects in Sports

In 2020, NFTs began to gain traction in the sports world. Sports organizations and athletes recognized the potential of NFTs as a new revenue stream and a way to deepen fan engagement. NFT projects like NBA Top Shot and Sorare paved the way by offering basketball and soccer fans the opportunity to own and trade officially licensed NFT collectibles representing iconic moments and players.

NFT Apps and Farms

By 2021, NFT apps and farms dedicated to sports-related NFTs started to emerge. These platforms allowed fans to not only purchase NFTs but also stake them in NFT farms to earn rewards. These developments created a vibrant NFT ecosystem within the sports industry, fostering community engagement and participation.

NFT Companies and Exchanges

As the NFT space continued to grow, specialized NFT companies and exchanges catering to sports enthusiasts became prevalent. These platforms facilitated the trading of sports NFTs, providing liquidity to the market. Athletes, sports organizations, and even sports media companies began launching their NFT projects and partnerships, contributing to the expansion of the NFT space.

NFT Cryptocurrency and Integration

By 2022, NFTs became more deeply integrated into the sports world. Some sports leagues introduced their NFT cryptocurrencies, allowing fans to use these tokens for various purposes, including ticket purchases, merchandise, and exclusive fan experiences. This further solidified NFTs as a legitimate and valuable asset within the sports ecosystem.

The Growth of NFT Marketplaces

The NFT market witnessed significant growth, with dedicated marketplaces and lists for sports NFTs becoming increasingly popular. Fans could now explore a wide range of sports-related NFTs, from iconic moments to limited-edition player cards, creating a dynamic market driven by demand and scarcity.

Utility

What has become clear over the past 3 years is that the projects that make it in this space are the ones that offer both fans and athletes real utility. The NFT bubble that existed a couple years ago made for huge investment into the space, however a lot of failure when it came to the projects themselves. As we are out of this bubble now, almost 97% of all projects that were based purely on speculation have now died, leading to a new more productive time for projects that actually leverage blockchain for real utility.

Conclusion

From their humble beginnings in 2020 to the thriving ecosystem in 2023, NFTs have transformed the sports industry. These digital collectibles have given fans a new way to connect with their favorite sports, players, and moments while offering sports organizations and athletes innovative revenue streams. As NFT projects, apps, farms, companies, and exchanges continue to evolve, the future of NFTs in sports looks promising, promising a deeper and more interactive fan experience in the years to come.

As the years go on it is becoming increasingly difficult to deny that Novak Djokovic might be the greatest tennis player that has ever stepped foot on planet Earth. With another monumental effort to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the final, Djokovic now stands at the pinnacle of the game, with 24 Grand Slams to his name, equalling Margaret Court as the player with the highest number of slams. At 36, adding yet another slam to his name is something astounding, especially considering the extremely hot and humid conditions in New York from the quarter finals on. With only his match against countrymen Laslo Djere proving that he is in fact a mere mortal like us all, Djokovic pushed on after that 5 setter to dispatch of Fritz and Shelton fairly comfortably, before battling Daniil Medvedev for over 3 hours in what ended up being a very entertaining final. Medvedev, who had spoiled the party by impressively defeating Alcaraz in the semi finals, quite rightly asked Djokovic in his post match interview: “what are you still doing here?” Djokovic seemed to laugh at this question, perhaps also knowing that we are getting him out of the top of the sport anytime soon as he never ceases to amaze us with his perseverance, heart, and immense level of tennis.

Fun Facts about Renzo

His goals for this season: Break the top 100 again.

‍Favourite tournament: Australian Open

‍The current or former player that inspires/has inspired him the most: Coria

His win he is most proud of: Win against Tsonga at Roland Garros 2017

Music he listens to when entering the court: Changes everytime

Follow us on social platforms to be ready when Renzo Olivo’s NFT will go live on Scope!
‍

Renzo Socials:

https://twitter.com/renzolii?lang=en

‍https://www.instagram.com/renzolii/?hl=en

Scope Socials:

‍https://medium.com/@scopesports

‍https://www.instagram.com/scopesports.io/

‍https://twitter.com/scopesports_io

‍https://www.linkedin.com/company/scope-sports

‍https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBahoekjX
hER4NwqSMirfcQ

‍https://www.tiktok.com/@scopesports_io

Roger Federer and the Birth of the Laver Cup

By Scope Sports, September 25

Roger Federer, a name synonymous with tennis excellence, is not just known for his remarkable career but also for his contributions to the sport beyond the court. In recent Roger Federer news, we delve into the conception of the Laver Cup, an event that showcases his commitment to the sport and its fans.

Beyond his Roger Federer career accolades, including 20 Grand Slam titles, his dedication to promoting tennis is evident. The idea for the Laver Cup, a unique team event named after the legendary Rod Laver, emerged from Federer's desire to create a tournament that captured the spirit of competition while fostering camaraderie among players.

Despite his busy schedule and responsibilities as a husband to his wife Mirka and father to four children, Roger Federer championed the cause of the Laver Cup, which debuted in 2017. It features Team Europe, captained by Bjorn Borg, competing against Team World, led by John McEnroe. The tournament format, spread over a weekend, has been a massive success, drawing top players and enthusiastic crowds, similar to that of the Ryder Cup in golf.

Federer's influence isn't limited to the court and the Laver Cup; his Roger Federer merchandise, including clothing and tennis gear, has become iconic. His net worth, a testament to his success on and off the court, has allowed him to invest in tennis and promote the sport globally.

The Laver Cup isn't just about winning; it's about the love for tennis. Federer's vision was to create an event that transcends individual rivalries and showcases the beauty of teamwork. His involvement in its inception and his continued dedication to the Laver Cup exemplify his passion for the sport.

This year's competition saw Team World defend their title in dominant fashion, beating the Europeans 13-2, just dropping one match across the tie. Team World, composed of Frances Tiafoe, Francisco Cerundolo, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Chris Eubanks, Felix Auger Aliassime, and Milos Raonic proved to be too much as they powered to victory against the Europeans who also fielded a fairly young team in Casper Ruud, Hubi Hurkacz, Alejandro Davidovich, Andrey Rublev, Gael Monfils, and Arthur Fils.

In conclusion, Roger Federer's impact on tennis extends beyond his incredible career achievements. The Laver Cup, a testament to his vision, has become a marquee event in the tennis calendar, celebrating both the competitiveness and camaraderie of the sport. Federer's commitment to tennis, his family, and his fans remains unwavering, making him not just a tennis legend, but a true ambassador of the sport.

US Open Recap

By Scope Sports, September 12

As the city cools off from the hype that was this year's US Open, we have witnessed the birth of new stars and been at the mercy of an old legend that just does not know how to lose. As the most electric Grand Slam came to a close over the weekend, we look at several key stories that transpired over the fortnight at Flushing Meadows:

Call me Coco Champion
‍

We witnessed history on Saturday evening as Coco Gauff secured her first Grand Slam at the tender age of 19, becoming the youngest American to win a Slam since Serena did it in 1999. Leading up to the US Open, Gauff showed great form winning the WTA 500 event in Washington, and the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. However at 19, it is never easy to handle the expectation and hype that surrounded her, especially in a home Slam. Coco did not seem too fazed by it, and actually used the expectation and pressure to motivate herself, and produce her best tennis when she needed it. As she said in her winning speech, there were also a lot of people who doubted her. Much was made of her forehand when under pressure, and how other girls saw a weakness there to exploit, but Coco simply refused to give in. Outlasting the new world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final, Coco achieved her childhood dreams in front of a packed Arthur Ashe stadium who could not get any louder for their star girl.

The Rise of Ben Shelton
‍

The most electric Grand Slam usually creates stars out of the most electric players, and this is exactly what we saw with Ben Shelton. The brash 20 year old brought his loud, and exciting game style with him to New York, creating atmospheres that must have reminded him of his college days at the University of Florida. Shelton was the last remaining American in the Men’s draw, getting past Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe en route to semi finals of this year's tournament, where he finally fell to a stone cold killer in Novak Djokovic. Along this run, Shelton also set serving records as he bombed down a couple of serves against Paul at 149 mph, the fastest serve in this year's tournament. This run has propelled Shelton to 19 in the world rankings, a place where many believe he will be in many years to come, if not higher. Shelton’s confident approach to matches has been refreshing to see, and has even made for a frosty encounter with Djokovic whilst shaking hands, as Novak decided to use his famous “call me” celebration against him. “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery” is how Shelton responded to this in the press conference after. Wow!

Novak Djokovic The Greatest of All Time
‍

Revenue Streams in Tennis

By Scope Sports, August 3

Tennis is a brutal sport. Unlike many other professions, tennis players do not make a recurring revenue or have any type of contract from an organization that pays them even if they are hurt. Tennis players live off the prize money they make playing on the tour. Not only this, but tennis players must cover the cost of travel for themselves and their team. Put in simple terms, if you are ranked outside of the Top 70, you are struggling to break even each season due to the lower levels of prize money available at the earlier stages of tournaments, and the high costs of traveling around the world to compete.

Secondary sources of income have traditionally only come from sponsors, or third parties that players sign contracts with. These contracts can be big for players at the top of the game, but can be extremely volatile for players even ranked between 100 and 50 in the world. Players are essentially at the mercy of third parties to be able to make an additional revenue stream to support their careers on tour. One bad year for players not only means less prize money, but many times also means less money in endorsement deals. This piles on the pressure for athletes who's real only job is to try and be the best that they can be, not having to keep in mind the cost of competing or the consequences from sponsors.

At Scope Sports, we try to flip the model, and put the monetization of a player’s fan base into their own hands. Not only do we want players to be able to monetize their fandom, but we want them to engage with their community in the most organic way possible. No need for media trained behavior or worries about expressing their opinion, players on Scope can use the infrastructure we provide to convey their personalities and stories directly to their fans. There are so many crazy and interesting personalities and stories out there in sports, and we are here to provide the perfect place to tell them.

Get to know the stories of our first 4 players: Andrea Collarini, Noah Rubin, Franco Agamenone, and Michaël Geerts through the last remaining member cards available at Scope Sports Pro Shop

Stay tuned for exciting announcements about new athletes soon!

A Letter from the CEO

By Scope Sports, July 20

Dear Scope Community,

This is Co-Founder and CEO Max Stehling, writing to you on the eve of our first member card drop. I must admit it is a pretty surreal moment for my Co-Founder and I, as we started this journey slightly over a year ago, not knowing where it would take us, nor where we would take it. From the moment we decided to embark on this adventure, we were obsessed with the idea of creating real, tangible relationships between fans and athletes, where there was value created for both. Coming from a background in competitive tennis myself, I knew that it was a sport that was riddled with problems, but that also provided us with a lot of opportunities to exploit. Combining the lack of modern tools or platforms for fan engagement, with the brutality and unforgivingness of the financial side of being a professional player was the base where we started from. It also led us to the two main problems we wanted to solve:

1. How could we provide athletes with a platform where they were not at the mercy of different sponsors or third parties to monetize their fandom and create new revenue streams for themselves?

2. And how can fans actually be part of an athlete’s journey, getting to build a deeper, more tangible relationship with them as they learn about their lives from a first person perspective?

This of course led to a million other questions; however, it gave us perspective as to what we wanted to achieve and provide people with. Hours and hours of work followed as we pursued this idea, pivoting between different concepts, talking to hundreds of people, and building out a team of talented individuals to join us on this journey. After cleaning up the concept and building out a solid foundation, it was then time to work on the conversations we had started with players on tour to see what their pain points were, and what we could do as a company to address them. Combining this with feedback we had picked up from tennis fans, we became increasingly confident in coming up with a platform that could address both sides of the coin in the best way possible.

Fast forward to today, where I sit in front of my laptop writing to all of you, I can say that there are many thank you’s that I need to extend. Thank you to our athletes who placed their faith and trust in us at a time where this was extremely limited in our space. Thank you to our team for working tirelessly to push our ideas forward, no matter how crazy they may be. And finally thank you to all the early adopters and subscribers of the project. We will be sure to provide you with a product that changes the way in which we connect with our favorite athletes moving forward.

Be ready, stay tuned, and sign up: our first drop of 25 cards per athlete goes live on Friday, with exciting experiences, content, and interaction waiting for all of you. This is just the beginning however, as there are many more features, athletes, and sports to come.

It's time for you all to #bepartofthetour!

All the best,
Max

Introducing Scope Player: Renzo Olivo

By Scope Sports, June 20

Hey everyone! We are excited to introduce Renzo Olivo, the fourth tennis player to join the Scope platform.

Hailing from Rosario, Argentina, Renzo Olivo is a player who has competed on the ATP Tour since 2009. Renzo is a winner of three ATP Challenger tournaments taking him to a career high ranking of 78 in 2017. He also made a big mark at Roland Garros of that year where he took out Jo Wilfred Tsonga in dramatic fashion.

Renzo in Recent Seasons

‍En route to his place in the top 100, Renzo played in the main draws of Australia, Wimbledon, and Roland Garros where he was able to win his opening match in Australia and Paris. He holds 3 Challenger Tour titles, two coming in 2016 and the third in 2019, as well as 6 final appearances with the last coming in 2022. Renzo just missed out on the main draw of Roland Garros this year, losing in the final round of qualifications in a tight 3 setter. With the level of tennis showed throughout the clay court season, Renzo will look to try and carry that momentum forward as he pushes for a Top 100 spot once again.

Introducing Scope Player: Michaël Geerts

By Scope Sports, June 1

Hey everyone! We are excited to introduce Michael Geerts, the third player to join the Scope platform!

Michael Geerts is a Belgian tennis player born in Antwerp, Belgium. Michael reached his career high in April this year with a ranking of 212 in the world. Michael has won 7 Future tournaments and now mainly competes on the ATP Challenger Tour. He also reached a career high of 160 ATP in doubles.

Before moving up the ATP rankings, Michaël spent a season playing Division I college tennis for Arizona State University, where he led the team as captain, was a Pac-12 Player of the Week on two occasions, and finished within the Top 40 players in college tennis.

Michael in Recent Seasons

‍Michaël reached a semi-final both at the Segovia Challenger, in Spain, and at the Drummondville Challenger, in Canada, last year. That year, he also managed to reach 2 other semifinals in Challengers in Mallorca and Pozoblanco respectively.

This year, Michaël reached the semi final stages at Lille Challenger, and recorded a win against the number 6 seed at this year’s Qualies at Roland Garros, Pavel Kotov.

Fun Facts about Michael

Favorite tournament: Roland Garros

‍The current or former player that inspires/has inspired him the most: “Not really one favorite but I think many players have certain unbelievable capabilities that make them ‘special’. Of course I support Goffin, we come along well and I really like the way he moves and plays. Always compare myself a bit with Nishikori, game style wise. Hopefully he’ll be back soon.”

‍His win he is most proud of: “Davis Cup against Dellien and Bolivia. Unreal battle in the heat and eventually saved Belgium to win the tie.Now RG against Kotov was also a rollercoaster match with many Belgian friends and family in the crowd. Almost a Davis Cup atmosphere.”

‍Music Michael listens to when entering the court: “Depends on the ‘state’ I’m in. Too relaxed: some good pump up music. When I’m a bit stressed, some Bakermat, relax beats.”

‍Main goals for 2023: “Qualifying for US Open asap and entering the top 200 to be able to play all the slams next year. Winning a Challenger is also a main goal, been close a few times but want to lift the trophy!”

Follow us on social platforms to be ready when Michaël Geert’s NFT will go live!

‍Michael Socials:

‍https://www.instagram.com/geerts.michael/?hl=en

‍Scope Socials:

‍https://medium.com/@scopesports

‍https://www.instagram.com/scopesports.io/

‍https://twitter.com/scopesports_io

‍https://www.linkedin.com/company/scope-sports

‍https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBahoekjX
hER4NwqSMirfcQ

‍https://www.tiktok.com/@scopesports_io

Roland Garros Preview 2023

By Scope Sports, May 29

The French Open takes place every year in late May at the Stade Roland Garros. This iconic tennis event is the only Grand Slam tournament held on clay and is the second Grand Slam of the year.

The French Open has historically taken away big servers and serve-and-volleyers such as Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Venus Williams, Stefan Edberg, and Boris Becker -who all never lifted the trophy in Paris. On the contrary, very good defenders and counter-attackers such as Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Börg, Justine Henin, Chris Evert, and Novak Djokovic have won this tournament several times.

In the men’s, Rafael Nadal has won 14 times Roland Garros, including 5 times in a row from 2010 and 2014. In the women’s, Chris Evert won the French Open 7 times while both Monica Seles and Justine Henin lifted the trophy 3 times in a row, from 1990 to 1992, and from 2005 to 2007 respectively.Michael Chang, in 1989 and Monica Seles, in 1990, are the youngest singles champions in men’s and women’s history at age 17 years and 3 months, and 16 years and 6 months respectively.

Rafael Nadal

The absence of Rafael Nadal is a factor to be taken into account for Roland Garros 2023. The Spaniard is a tennis legend who has left his mark on the history of the sport by competing against Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the highest level for the last 18 years. He has won 22 Grand Slam tournaments, including 14 Roland Garros, between 2005 and 2022. In other words, beating Rafa on the clay in Paris is the closest thing to impossible in tennis. Rafael Nadal’s win/loss ratio at Roland Garros is quite simply extraordinary at 97%, meaning that he has 100 wins and only 3 losses at the French Open.

It, therefore, seems logical to describe the 2023 men’s draw as more open, given that Nadal is absent. He has announced that he is preparing for a comeback to contest Roland Garros and the Olympic Games next year. Meanwhile, let’s see which player will lift the cup that the player from the island of Mallorca has dominated over the years.

Men’s Draw

Carlos Alcaraz

‍Carlos Alcaraz is clearly one the favorites for Roland Garros in 2023. Alcaraz has shown his talents over the past few months, first by winning the US Open last September, but more recently by winning the Buenos Aires Open in February (ATP 250), the Indian Wells ATP Masters 1000 in March, the Barcelona Open in April (ATP 500) and the Madrid Open in May (ATP Masters 1000). Although Alcaraz suffered an early exit from the draw in Rome, he remains one of the favorites for the French Open this year, at sits at number 1 in the world rankings.

‍Novak Djokovic

‍Novak Djokovic will be the only member of the Big Three in Paris this year. The Serb is, of course, one of the big favorites this year. Not only did he win the Australian Open in January to equal Rafael Nadal’s 22 grand slam victories, but he also surpassed the all-gender record of weeks as world number 1 held by Steffi Graf. The 36-year-old Serbian player is by far the most experienced favorite for the French Open, however, his experience also hides physical limitations as his body and athleticism cannot fight father time. On clay, a slow surface that requires players to be more patient in building points, Djokovic has struggled since the beginning of the season. He was knocked out in the third round both in Monte Carlo and Banja Luka and in the Quarter Finals in Rome.

‍Holger Rune

The Danish star is clearly one of the revelations on the tour in recent months. After good results at last years tournament and a win in the Masters 1000 in Paris Bercy, Holger has been impressive throughout this year’s clay court season with two Masters 1000 finals in Monte Carlo and Rome. The player trained by Patrick Mouratoglou, has — despite his young age — already won two ATP 250 tournaments on clay: the Bavarian Open in Munich, in 2022 and 2023. Currently ranked 6th in the world, the Danish prodigy will attract the attention of tennis fans at each of his appearances on the red clay of Roland Garros.

‍Stefanos Tsitsipas

‍Stefanos Tsitsipas will be one to watch in Paris. The world number 5 remains one of the best players in the world on clay despite a disappointing season so far. The Greek has suffered many early exits this year: eliminated in the 1st round in Indian Wells, the 4th round in Miami, as well as being eliminated in the 1st round in Monte-Carlo where he was the defending champion. Stefanos managed to reach the final of the Barcelona tournament, losing to world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Despite reaching the quarters and semis in Madrid and Rome respectively, Tsitsipas goes into this year’s Roland Garros looking to find his best clay court form, something that if found, could lead him to glory in Paris.

‍Daniil Medvedev

‍Daniil Medvedev is also a surprise favorite for the 2023 Roland Garros title. The Russian is a former world number 1, and a Grand Slam Champion, so calling him a surprise favorite may sound strange to some, however it is due to his past hatred for the surface of clay. Medvedev has never hidden his dislike for clay, a surface that naturally does not suit his game. This seems to have changed this year as Medvedev not only won his first Masters 1000 clay court title in Rome, but also reached the Quarter Finals in Monte Carlo. In addition, he also won the Miami Open and reached the final of Indian Wells this year. So, more than in previous years, it will be necessary to be wary of Daniil Medvedev on the Parisian clay courts.

‍Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner is one of the most talked about players for this year for the French Open. Not only did he reach his second Masters 1000 final this year (Indian Wells), but has been consistent in playing his brand of tennis, taking him all the way to 8 in the world. Dubbed as a member of the new ‘Big 3’ (Alcaraz, Rune, Sinner), Jannik has a chance this year to go deep and fight for silverware in any Grand Slam, let alone Roland Garros. Jannik’s all court aggressive game style will be exciting to watch this year on the French clay.

‍Casper Ruud
‍
As a finalist last year against Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud will go into this year’s Roland Garros as one to watch. The current world number 4 has not had any significant results so far this year, except for a semifinal at the Masters 1000 in Rome and a title in Estoril, Portugal (ATP 250). Winner of two clay court tournaments in Switzerland last year (Geneva and Swiss Open, both ATP 250), the Norwegian knows how to perform on clay courts as well as at major events — as he also showed at the US Open and ATP Finals last year, in reaching the Finals at both tournaments. Casper will look to bounce back from a slow start to the season to push for this year’s title.

‍Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev will also be one to keep an eye on in Paris, despite the fact that he is still coming back from the injury that he picked up in last year’s tournament. The Hamburg native has already been a semi-finalist at Roland Garros twice: in 2021 and 2022 as well as also reaching a Grand Slam final in 2020 at the US Open. He already has 2 ATP World Tour Finals wins (2018 and 2021), an Olympic gold medal (2021), 2 titles at the Mutua Madrid Open (2018 and 2021), a title at the Italian Open (2017), the Canadian Open (2017), and the Cincinnati Masters (2021) on his record. Not yet back to his best, Zverev is on the right track as he just had a great tournament this week at the Geneva Open. The German will be a force to be reckoned with at Roland Garros.

‍Andrey Rublev

‍Andrey Rublev appears this year as a player to avoid in the men’s draw of the French Open. Indeed, the current world number 7 won his first ATP Masters 1000 on tour in Monte-Carlo this year, as well as reaching the final of the Dubai tournament (ATP 500) and the final of the Banja Luka Open (ATP 250). Especially because of his first Masters 1000 title, which he won by defeating Holger Rune, but also because of his consistency in the top 10 in the world during the last few years, Rublev will have to be looked out for in Paris.

‍Other players:

‍Among the players outside the top 10 who could be a dark horse:

‍Lorenzo Musetti is one that stands out. The Italian is currently 18th in the ATP rankings and reached the semi-finals in Barcelona and the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo this year. Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, who is ranked 28th in the ATP rankings, reached the quarter-finals in Barcelona and Rome and also looks to be in good form leading into the French. Borna Coric also had good results recently on clay, reaching the quarter-finals in Rome and the semi-finals in Madrid. Nicolás Jarry and Arthur Fils both won ATP 250 tournaments in Geneva and Lyon last week, and will be dangerous players to face in the draw of Roland Garros this year.

‍Women’s Draw

Iga Światek

Iga Światek appears to be the favorite for the French Open as the 2023 final draw opens. A two-time winner of the French Open in 2020 and 2022, the Polish tennis player also won the US Open last September. This year, she reached the final round of both the Dubai Open and Mutua Madrid Open, as well as the semi-finals at Indian Wells and the quarter-finals at the Italian Open -all WTA 1000 events. Despite losing to Rybakina last week in Rome, the world number 1 seems to have recovered from her physical problems and remains one of the favorites for this edition.

‍Aryna Sabalenka

‍Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open in January and recently also won the Mutua Madrid Open (WTA 1000), which she also won in 2021. The Belarussian not only reached the final of the Indian Wells Open this year, but also won the Adelaide International (WTA 500) in January and reached the final round of the Stuttgart Open in April (WTA 500). Due to her consistency over the last few months at the highest level, the current world number 2 is a strong favorite alongside Iga Światek and Elena Rybakina.

‍Elena Rybakina

Elena Rybakina is one of the big favorites for the 2023 French Open. The Kazakhstani tennis player is currently playing her best tennis as she has just reached her highest WTA ranking: 4th, following her victory at the Italian Open (WTA 1000). Rybakina also won another WTA 1000 earlier this year: the Indian Wells Open, as well as Wimbledon last year. Finalist at the Australian Open in January and at the Miami Open (WTA 1000) in April, Rybakina definitely appears as a serious favorite for Roland Garros this year.

‍Barbara Krejčiková

‍Barbara Krejčiková will be one of the favorites to watch in Paris, in the women’s draw. The Czech, who is the 2021 winner of Roland Garros, has also won the Dubai Open this year (WTA 1000). Despite the fact that she is not currently playing at her best, her opponents will have to be wary of this former world number 2.

‍Jelena Ostapenko

‍Jelena Ostapenko will be another player to watch on the red clay of Roland Garros. Winner of this tournament in 2017, the Latvian player seems to be back to her best level as she reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal in Melbourne for the first time in 5 years. Ostapenko also reached the semifinals of the Italian Open (WTA 1000) last week and will therefore be a tough match for anyone in the women’s draw at Roland Garros 2023.

‍Coco Gauff

‍Coco Gauff is also one of the favorites for Roland Garros this year. The 19-year-old American not only reached the final of the French Open last year, but also reached the semi-finals of the Dubai Open this year. Despite her inconsistent results in the last WTA 1000 tournaments, third round in Miami, Madrid and Rome, Gauff has won a title in January (Auckland Classic, WTA 250) and remains one of the most talented players in her generation and so, will be one to watch in every Grand Slam.

‍Ons Jabeur

Currently ranked 7th in the WTA, Ons Jabeur will be in Paris for the French Open and will be a formidable opponent. The Tunisian not only reached two grand slam finals last year: Wimbledon and the US Open, but also won the Mutua Madrid Open and reached the final of the Italian Open. Her performance, although diminished by physical problems this year, allowed her to win an important title on clay in April (Charleston Open, WTA 500) this year.

‍Other players:

‍There is also Jessica Pegula, world number three, who has put in a fine performance, reaching the semi-finals in Charleston (ATP 500). Daria Kasatkina, world number 9, will also be keeping an eye on Paris, as she reached the Semi-Finals in Charleston (WTA 500). Veronika Kudermetova should also be kept in the corner of the eye, as she also reached the semi-finals in Madrid. Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia has been a regular on clay, with two quarter-final appearances this year: in Stuttgart (WTA 500) and Rome (WTA 1000). Finally, France’s Caroline Garcia will be playing the French Open on home soil, where she can count on the support of the crowd as well as a favorable draw, as she is seeded number 5.Former world number 3, Elina Svitolina, and surprising Italian player, Lucia Bronzetti, who respectively won WTA 250 tournaments in Strasbourg and Rabat, will definitely be players to look at in the women’s draw in Paris this year.

‍Scope Players at the French Open:

Renzo Olivo

Q3 Qualifiers

Renzo, former world number 78, managed to reach the third round of qualifiers here in Roland Garros. Renzo first defeated Emilio Gomez and then Andrea Collarini, before losing to Chinese rising star, Juncheng Shang in an intense three-set match (3/6–6/2–3/6).

‍Andrea Collarini

Q2 Qualifiers

Andrea won his first round over Joris de Loore in the first round, before losing to friend, compatriot, and other Scope player: Renzo Olivo in second round: 3/6 -5/7.

‍Michael Geerts

Q2 Qualifiers

Michael won his first round against former top 100 player, Pavel Kotov, before losing to Genaro Alberto Olivieri in the second round.

‍Franco Agamenone

Q1 Qualifiers

Franco lost to Facundo Diaz Acosta in the first round.

It’s now two weeks of Roland Garros tournaments and the 2023 edition promises to be a thrilling one, especially with Nadal missing from the men’s draw. Will the winner in the men’s draw be unexpected? Will Światek lift the trophy for the third time in Paris? Let’s see who the winners will be this year, in 2 weeks’ time!

The Italian Open

By Scope Sports, May 24

Established 93 years ago in 1930, the Italian Open is one of the main tennis events held every May, in the majestic city of Rome. This tournament has a significant history as it is one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world. The Italian Open also stands out from other tennis tournaments due to its iconic venue: the Foro Italico. The main court, the Centrale, has a massive capacity of over 10,000 spectators and is a very unique setting for any fan to watch their favorite players fighting for the win, in a warm atmosphere conveyed by tennis fans over the years in the eternal city.

The Italian Open is an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event on the ATP Tour and a WTA 1000 event on the WTA tour, and is played on clay just like the Mutua Madrid Open. As such, the Italian Open requires players to adapt their game to the surface and often sees solid defensive and creative players performing well in Rome.

This tournament has been won 10 times by Rafael Nadal and 5 times by Chris Evert — both holding the record for titles respectively in men’s and women’s draws.

Since last year, the tournament has become a 12-day event like the Sunshine Double tournaments, in Indian Wells and Miami.

The Italian Open has been played in several different cities since it was established. First in Milan in 1930, then in Rome in 1935 at the Foro Italico, but also in Turin in 1961 and in Perugia and Taranto in the 1980s for the women’s event.

2023 Edition

As the last ATP Tour Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournaments before Roland Garros, the Italian Open is an event not to be missed as it attracts top-ranked players and clay court specialists, and definitely appears to be a crucial warm-up tournament for the French Open. This makes for intense matches and thrilling encounters between the world’s best. Both male and female players come to Rome in order to perfect their clay court skills and adapt their game to the unique settings of this surface before heading to Paris, France.

Men’s Draw

‍The 2023 edition of the men’s draw has been interesting to follow in the eternal city as it was quite open. On the one hand, players who have been around on tour for a while like Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev made a push for the title, where as on the other, rising stars such as Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, and surprise player Yannick Hanfmann all tried to stop them.

By lifting the trophy last Sunday, Medvedev managed to win his first ever ATP Masters 1000 on clay, which he considers his least favorite surface, and thus confirmed his impressive 2023 season so far, placing him as a dark horse in the men’s draw of the French Open, starting next week.

Before beating Rune to win the tournament, Medvedev had to defeat Alexander Zverev, Yannick Hanfmann and Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the final. Hanfmann, world number 101 and former collegiate player at the University of Southern California, surprisingly defeated Taylor Fritz, Marco Cecchinato, and Andrey Rublev in the eternal city before losing to Medvedev in the Quarter Finals.

Women’s draw

‍In the women’s draw, it has been fascinating to follow every match of Iga Światek and see if any of her opponents were able to stop her. The intense match between the current world number 1 and Elena Rybakina ended in defeat for Światek who had to eventually retire in the third set of a high-level battle on the Centre Court. After Indian Wells in March, Rybakina went on to win her second WTA 1000 tournament this year. Paula Badosa, who played well in Rome, reaching a quarter final where she was defeated by Jelena Ostapenko, seems to be getting back to her top level leading into the French Open. Aside from Badosa, players such as Veronika Kudermetova, Jelena Ostapenko, Qinwen Zheng, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Anhelina Kalinina reached the Quarter Finals and showed high levels of tennis. None of these six players is part of the top 8 seeds showing that the Italian Open proved to be a very open tournament.

The unique atmosphere of the event in Foro Italico mingles the rich Italian cultural heritage with vibrant and passionate tennis fans. The Italian Open is an opportunity for any tennis fans to deep dive into Italian traditions, cuisine, and hospitality while witnessing world-class tennis within the eternal city for 12 days.

Follow us on social platforms to get insights and contextual information about the upcoming tournaments on the calendar this season!

Introducing Scope Player: Franco Agamenone

By Scope Sports, May 17

Hey everyone! We are elated to introduce Franco Agamenone, the second player to join us on Scope.

Franco Agamenone is an Italian-Argentinian player currently ranked in the top 160 in the ATP Tour, and has reached a career-high in 2022 of 108.

Franco in recent seasons

Franco Agamenone has a 100% record in Challenger finals, winning all 3 of his titles on clay in Prague, Kyiv, and Rome respectively. After some struggles in 2019 and 2020, Franco proved his competitiveness in recent years, adding to 2 titles in 2021 with a third in the Rome challenger, lifting the trophy in what he could consider as a home tournament in Italy. He pushed on in 2022 by capping the season off in the ATP 250 in Umag by reaching the semi finals where he lost to the eventual winner Jannik Sinner. He also made his main draw debut in Roland Garros last season, something he looks to do again this year.

His goals for this season:

This year Franco has his sights set on breaking the Top 100 this year. He was very close to achieving this goal late last year, but had his efforts disrupted by injury. With several wins over Top 100 players, Franco will be using his powerful game to try and continue his journey to the top of the game.

Quick-fire facts about Franco:

Favorite tournament: Roland Garros

‍The current or former player that inspires/has inspired him the most: Roger Federer

‍His win he is most proud of: Baez in Umag 2022

‍One piece of music he listens to when entering the court: Esta Saliendo el Sol — Intoxicados

‍His main goals for 2023: Enter the Top 100

Follow both Franco and us on social platforms to be ready when Franco Agamenone’s NFT will go live!

‍Franco Socials:

‍https://www.instagram.com/francoagamenone/?hl=en

‍https://twitter.com/FAgamenone

‍Scope Socials:

‍https://www.instagram.com/scopesports.io/

‍https://twitter.com/scopesports_io

‍https://www.linkedin.com/company/scope-sports

‍https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBahoekjX
hER4NwqSMirfcQ

‍https://www.tiktok.com/@scopesports_io

Introducing Scope Player: Andrea Collarini

By Scope Sports, May 8

Hey everyone! We are happy to introduce Andrea Collarini, the first tennis player that we have announced on the platform (other than our US ambassador Noah Rubin).

Andrea Collarini is an Argentinian tennis player based in Buenos Aires. He is currently ranked 177 on the ATP, which is the highest ranking he has reached so far. Andrea has won 2 ATP Challenger (Piracicaba this year and L’Aquila in 2019) and 15 ITF Future singles titles. While competing as a Junior, he managed to reach the final of the French Open in 2010, played on clay, Andrea’s favorite surface. Throughout that time, he managed to cement himself as one of the best juniors in the world, reaching a ranking of 5 in the world.

Andrea in Recent Seasons

Collarini notably won the Piracicaba Challenger in Brazil this January, beating Barrios Vera in the final. Every one of his titles has been won on clay, which he can say is definitely the surface on which he performs the best.

Last year, he notably defeated Marco Cecchinato who reached the semifinal of the 2018 French Open after beating Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final. Andrea also reached two Challenger Tour finals in Argentina and Italy, proving his constant competitiveness within the top 200 in the world.

Quickfire with Andrea:

Favourite tournament: “Australian Open /US Open”

‍The current or former player that inspires/has inspired him the most: “None, but I don’t mean it in a bad way. I feel that the inspiration that doesn’t come from the inside isn’t real, so I’d say none. I try not to compare myself with others.”

‍Music Andrea listens to when entering the court: “Electro music, no lyrics so that i don’t have a song stuck in my mind haha.”

‍Main goals for 2023: “Give my 100% every day. There are daysthat 100% isn’t the same as other days. But if I give my best every day, I’ll be my best version. Improve and learn from every match.”Follow Andrea and Scope on social platforms to be ready when Andrea Collarini’s NFT will go live on our platform!

‍Andrea Socials:

‍https://www.instagram.com/andrecollarini/?hl=en

‍Scope Socials:

‍https://medium.com/@scopesports

‍https://www.instagram.com/scopesports.io/

‍https://twitter.com/scopesports_io

https://www.linkedin.com/company/scope-sports

‍https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBahoekjX
hER4NwqSMirfcQ

‍https://www.tiktok.com/@scopesports_io

The Mutua Madrid Open

By Scope Sports, April 28

The Madrid Open is the biggest European tournament of the year so far. Although existing only since 2002 as a Masters 1000 tournament, the Madrid Open has become a tennis event not to be missed on the calendar. Alongside Rome and Monte Carlo, this tournament is one of the 3 main events on clay, where every year the best women and men tennis players confront each other a few weeks before the most iconic tournament on this surface: the French Open.

Out of the men who won the tournament, Rafael Nadal has been the most frequent winner, lifting the trophy 5 times. In women’s tennis, Petra Kvitova, who has won the tournament in three editions, is the most successful woman player in the capital of Spain. The current title holders are Carlos Alcaraz and Ons Jabeur.

The Madrid Open has the particularity of having been played on hard indoor courts from 2002 to 2008 in the Madrid Arena.

Since 2009, it has been played on outdoor clay courts at the Caja Mágica. However, in 2012 on the idea of Ion Tiriac -at the time owner of this event-, the tournament was played on a blue clay. He believed that this will make the matches more interesting for the spectators.

Following this tournament, figures such as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic threatened to boycott the Madrid tournament if it was not played on clay for the next editions. This eventually led to the return of the red clay from 2013. We can expect interesting matches for the next two weeks in Madrid , where every year players adapt their game to the unique workings of clay.

For the 2023 edition, it is clearly interesting to look at the players who are the most likely to lift the trophy in the Caja Mágica on May 6, for women and May 7, for men.

In the men’s draw, Carlos Alcaraz is the undisputed favorite. Not only is he the current world number one and defending champion, but he just won the Barcelona Open last week by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a great battle. As a reminder, Alcaraz is the youngest player in the Open Era to be ranked number one in the ATP ranking.

Obviously, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is probably his biggest rival on clay, is one of the other main favorites in Madrid. Among other serious outsiders, Holger Rune is attracting more and more attention from tennis connoisseurs every month. Earlier this month, he was a finalist in Monte Carlo (ATP Tour Masters 1000) and last week he won the Munich tournament (ATP 250). Winner in Monte-Carlo, Andrey Rublev is also one of the players with a card to play in the capital of Spain, like Daniil Medvedev, who has already won 4 titles and 31 matches this year.

In the women’s draw, Iga Światek is the heavy favorite. The 21-year-old Polish player is not only the current world number one in the WTA ranking, but also a two-time winner of the French Open, which is played on the same surface as the Madrid Open: red clay. Światek also won the Stuttgart tournament (WTA 500) last week, again on clay. Other favorites in the tournament include Aryna Sabalenka, finalist in Stuttgart last week, but also Jessica Pegula, current world number 3 and finalist in Madrid last year. It will also be interesting to have a look tothe performances of other players with a good draw such as Caroline Garcia, Coco Gauff or Daria Kasatkina. With good results last week in Stuttgart, Paula Badosa also arrives in Madrid in good shape.

The new features for the 2023 edition are the expansion of the tournament to two weeks -12 days of matches, to be exact- and a main draw with 96 players, both men and women (this already existed for women but is new for men). These new aspects allow the Madrid Open to become as an important annual tennis event -outside of the 4 Grand Slams- as the Davis and Fed Cups, the ATP and WTA Finals, or even the Sunshine Double.

Another feature this year is a very important number of withdrawals, especially in the men’s table. Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Rafael Nadal, Marin Cilic, Nick Kyrgios, Borna Coric or Matteo Berretini, to name but a few, will be absent in Madrid this year. In addition, it is worth noting the presence of veterans such as Stan Wawrinka or Andy Murray -both Grand Slam winners- in the capital of Spain.

Also in the women’s draw, the absence of favorites such as Ons Jabeur -the title holder and finalist last week in Stuttgart- or Belinda Bencic -winner in Charleston this month- leaves more space in the draw for lower ranked players.

Known for its electric atmosphere, this tournament brings passionate tennis fans to watch their favorite athletes perform in Madrid. Taking place in the Spanish capital, one of the liveliest and most vibrant cities in Europe, the Madrid Open is an event where there is always a festive atmosphere both on and off the court.

Let’s see what players will be lifting the trophy next week in the Caja Mágica!

Connections of fans and athletes through NFTs

By Scope Sports, April 21

What is an NFT?

‍An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a new type of investment asset. NFTs are unique digital assets using blockchain technology as proof of ownership and authenticity, and a way to allow secure transactions without the need for intermediaries. NFTs are created using smart contracts on a blockchain network, such as Ethereum. They can be bought, sold, and traded like any other class of asset, but they are one-of-a-kind and cannot be replicated or divided into smaller parts.

Fans vs Athletes

‍Fans can watch their favorite athletes on TV, listen to them talking on podcasts, read their interviews in newspapers and follow them on social media. Why the most active of those fans, let’s call them the super fans, cannot access more exclusive content and information about their favourite athletes? Don’t they deserve more than what they are currently given in terms of connection to athletes?

A more-than-usual fan clearly deserves more than only watching an idol debriefing on TV after a match and sharing career goals for the next season in a podcast, or liking an athlete’s latest picture on Instagram or Twitter.

‍Super fans deserve access to exclusive fan clubs on which athletes share unique interactions and exclusive content with their fans. They deserve physical and digital connections with their sports idols. This is precisely what we stand for at Scope: make sure sports fans can be part of their favorite athlete’s career by owning their NFT.

Why NFTs are beneficial to sports fans?

‍NFTs are important for building fan communities because they offer athletes a way to connect with their audience in a more meaningful and personal way. At Scope, the NFTs we offer on our platform are unique digital cards (issued up to 500 per athlete). This creates a form of community around the athlete and their career, as the fans who own NFTs are part of a select group who share a common interest in the athlete’s career. Owning NFTs can also allow athletes to offer benefits to their fans, such as access to exclusive events or special gifts. This new class of assets offers athletes the opportunity to connect with their fans, helping to create stronger communities around their careers.

Why NFTs are beneficial to athletes?

‍In addition to creating communities, NFTs also provide a new source of income for athletes. Through NFTs, it is made possible for athletes to monetize the experiences and interactions they can share with their fans as they provide a way for athletes to sell and authenticate their content as original and unique. Athletes can earn money directly from their fans. This gives athletes more control over their work and allows them to build sustainable careers on their own terms. It also offers their fans the possibility to support them financially and own a unique piece of their ‘journey’.

Mental Health in Sport

By Scope Sports, April 14

Mental health is a critical aspect of an athlete’s overall well-being and is increasingly recognised as a critical factor in sports performance. Mental health problems including anxiety, depression and substance abuse can have a significant impact on an athlete’s ability to perform at their best.

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of mental health in sports as some athletes and sports organisations have begun to take steps to promote mental health and well-being. Robin Söderling, former ATP number 4 & 2 times French Open Finalist in 2009 and 2010, admitted that he ‘always felt under pressure’ and ‘losing a tennis made (him) feel like a terrible person’. His ‘entire immune system was bad because of the mental stress (he) put on (himself).’

One of the main challenges in addressing mental health in sports is overcoming the stigma that is often associated with mental health problems. Athletes may feel pressured to appear strong and resilient, and thus be reluctant to seek help for mental health problems for fear of being seen as weak.

Robin Söderling recognized that he ‘went from being able to play a five-set match on clay to not being able to walk up the stairs’ and that he ‘couldn’t really talk to many people about it because there was such a big stigma.

To address this, sports organisations are working to promote a culture of openness and support, where athletes can feel comfortable talking about their mental health issues and seeking help if necessary. This may involve using mental health professionals, as well as educating athletes, coaches and staff about mental health issues and how to address them.

Mardy Fish, former ATP Number 7, ‘had panic attacks before his fourth-round match against Roger Federer at the 2012 U.S. Open. He withdrew from that match and was subsequently diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.’ More recently in May 2021, Naomi Osaka -former WTA Number 1- ‘made headlines (…) when she dropped out of the French Open, citing mental health concerns.’ They both shed light on their respective journeys through a Netflix documentary.

In addition to addressing mental health issues when they arise, sports organisations can also work to promote mental health and general well-being through practices such as stress management techniques and positive psychology. These practices can help athletes build resilience and cope with the pressure and stress of competition.

Maria Sakkari, former WTA number 3 and U.S. Open & French Open semifinalist admits openly to ‘have been working with a psychologist for years’ and even considers this as ‘probably the best gift (she has) ever done for (herself).’ She recognises that ‘tennis can be very lonely’.

Overall, the promotion of mental health in sports is essential for the well-being and performance of athletes. By creating a supportive culture and providing practices that promote mental health, sports organisations can help athletes thrive both in and out of sports.

The WTA launched last year a series of videos through their Youtube channel in collaboration with Modern Health untitled The Real Me. Tennis players like Paula Badosa, Sloane Stephens, Leylah Fernandez, Danielle Collins and Maria Sakkari are featured.

For Söderling, the burden of mental health lies in the wrong perception people have of it. He says that ‘it is a shame it is called mental health because it was not only in my head’ and that his ‘whole body was affected’. In October 2021, Iga Światek -current WTA number 1- donated ‘$50,000 in prize money to a mental-health organization.’ Venus Williams also donated ‘$2 million to BetterHelp, an online therapy site, to provide free service.’

At Scope, we want to enable sports fans to support their favorite athletes and have a positive impact on their careers by supporting them on and out of the court.

The Clay Court Conundrum: Overcoming Challenges and Finding Success

By Scope Sports, April 7

As the winter season slowly fades away and spring starts to take shape, tennis fans around the world eagerly await the start of the clay-court season. The next few months of tennis action promise to be exciting, with the world’s top players getting ready to compete on one of the most challenging surfaces in the sport.

The red clay offers a unique challenge to players, with the soft and slow surface making it more difficult to generate pace and power. Players who excel on clay courts typically have strong defensive skills, patience, and the ability to rally for long periods of time. The clay season also requires a great deal of stamina, as matches can last for hours in the hot sun.

The European clay-court season kicks off with the Estoril Open and the Monte Carlo Masters in early April, followed by events in Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome, culminating in the French Open at the end of May. The French Open is arguably the most prestigious event of the clay-court season, with Rafael Nadal dominating the tournament over the last 15 years.

As the clay-court season approaches, it’s an exciting time for tennis fans around the world. With the top players getting ready to battle it out on the red dirt, we can expect to see some breathtaking tennis in the coming months!

In Break Point, Ajla Tomljanović recognizes in Episode 4 that playing on clay is ‘more challenging than other surfaces. The balls get heavier. It’s way harder to hit a winner. And you need to know how to slide.’ Playing well on red clay undoubtedly requires imagination and creativity from players as Felix Auger-Aliassime underlines in the same episode: ‘You see a lot more players using all the tools they have in their box to try to win points.’

Following his early exit from the tournament in Monte Carlo last year, Carlos Alcaraz highlighted how drastically different it is to play on clay than on hard courts: ‘Points are longer, the slice [is used] much [more] than on hard court.’ Sloane Stephens mentioned how unique is playing clay to constantly vary the rhythm of rally as this surface ‘allows her to slow the game down and hunt down difficult-to-find angles and thwart her opponents with her court coverage’ and ‘gives a lot of time’ which is essential for planning a match strategy.

The clay courts will provide tennis fans with hard battles, revamped rivalries, and a variety of new talents grinding their way to victory on the red dirt.

Importance of Creating Fan Communities

By Scope Sports, April 3

Why is it important to create fan communities in sports so that fans can play a part in the career and journey of their favorite athletes?

Situation
‍
Today, sports fans have very little real interaction with their favorite athletes. Sports fans have little access, either physically or virtually, to interactions with their favorite athletes. Nor can they access any form of exclusive content from their sports idols.

As the clay-court season approaches, it’s an exciting time for tennis fans around the world. With the top players getting ready to battle it out on the red dirt, we can expect to see some breathtaking tennis in the coming months

What is Scope here for?
‍
With Scope, we are here to enable all sports fans to interact physically and virtually with their favorite athletes. To do this, we create exclusive communities of fans around athletes on our platform.

1. We want sports fans to have access to exclusive content from their favorite athletes — we believe this is what every fan deserves. For example, Scope gives any sports fan the chance to access training videos, behind the scenes clips, and pre match playlists of their favorite athletes by owning an NFT of theirs.

2. In addition to content, we believe it is also essential to allow our users to share unique experiences with their favorite athletes. By owning an athlete’s digital card, any fan can have access to engage in experiences such as Zoom Q&As, tickets to events, invitations to brand activations, one on ones with the players…etc

3. Owning an athlete’s digital card also contributes to the support of this athlete. Scope is also about facilitating communication between a supportive community of fans and inspiring athletes because building supportive communities around athletes is key to giving them confidence in tough moments.

4. Scope also allows sports fans to buy and sell digital sports cards on our platform. Owning an athlete’s card also allows you to own a digital card that has financial value and can be traded on our platform. Owning the digital card of your favourite athlete is also contributing to that athlete’s additional income.

At Scope, we believe that building communities of fans is a need for athletes to succeed in their careers. By involving their fans in their journey through Scope, they can create a solid and supportive community to help them have a successful career.

The clay courts will provide tennis fans with hard battles, revamped rivalries, and a variety of new talents grinding their way to victory on the red dirt.

The Sunshine Double

By Scope Sports, March 24

This week we dive into the famous ‘Sunshine Double’ in tennis: Indian Wells and Miami. As we head into the latter of the two tournaments, we take a look at the winners from Indian Wells, and the importance of these two tournaments for the tour.

Miami Open

‍While the Indian Wells tournament ended last weekend, it is the Miami Open that is starting today. These two tournaments, which are the two major events on the Tour in March each year, are called the ‘Sunshine Double’ and are the last fast-paced events before the clay court season opens.

Miami Open is a fairly recent Tour event, having been established in 1985. Nevertheless, it stands out as an unmissable tournament. First of all, the prize money for the Miami Open is significant, which is always an important factor, especially for the lower ranked players. In addition, it is one of the only tournaments that invites more than 64 players to its final draw, with 96 players participating in both the men’s and women’s final draws. Winning either tournament in the so called Sunshine Double brings great exposure within the US for players as there are a lot of eyeballs on these two historic events, as well as a huge amount of celebrities and A-listers in attendance.

The Miami Open is an event that the best players make sure not to miss every year. It has been won eight times by Serena Williams in the women’s event and six times by Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic in the men’s event. Alcaraz is the youngest man person to have won this iconic tournament (18 years old in 2022) and Monica Seles is the youngest woman player (16 years old in 1990), while Roger Federer and Serena Williams are the oldest players, respectively 37 years old in 2019 and 33 years old in 2015, to have lifted this trophy.

Focus on Alcaraz — Indian Wells Men Winner

Carlos Alcaraz is only 19 years old and just won Indian Wells last weekend. Despite his young age, his victory was not a surprise. In addition to becoming the youngest ATP World №1 in tennis history, Alcaraz has already won eight tournaments on the ATP Tour, including the 2022 US Open and two Masters 1000 events in addition to Indian Wells last week.

A native of Murcia, Spain, and coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former world number one who won the French Open in 2003, Alcaraz is a tennis and athletic phenomenon who has attracted the attention of many sports fans for several years. As crazy as it seems, Carlos does also have significant room for improvement as he has never made it past the third round of the Australian Open or the round of 16 at Wimbledon.

In addition to his outstanding tennis and technical skills, Alcaraz is distinguished by his physical abilities, particularly his extraordinary endurance on the court.

‍Focus on Rybakina — Indian Wells Women winner:

‍Elena Rybakina, 23, won the Indian Wells women’s tournament last weekend. Like Alcaraz, Rybakina has already shown her talents by winning significant tournaments in the past, including Wimbledon in 2022. Rybakina is also a personality whose sporting achievements are making history in her country of citizenship as the first Kazakhstani to win a Grand Slam tournament and the first to be ranked in the top 10 in world tennis. She also has room for improvement in the years to come as, at the US Open for example, she has only reached the 3rd round at best so far, in 2021.

On the court, Rybakina’s devastating serve is what sets her apart from her opponents. She seems to be extremely composed and calculated, playing very clean tennis on the hard courts.

As the end of the Sunshine Double approaches, we look forward to a European summer with the tour moving onto the clay. Will we see the return of Rafael Nadal and his dominance on the surface, or are we in for a few surprises?

The clay courts will provide tennis fans with hard battles, revamped rivalries, and a variety of new talents grinding their way to victory on the red dirt.

Scope Sports: Weekly update

By Scope Sports, February 27

Announcement of European Ambassador Marco Verdasco

This past week at Scope, we announced Marco Verdasco as our European Ambassador. Marco’s extensive knowledge of both professional and collegiate tennis and his understanding of the ins and outs of tennis circuits will be invaluable to Scope. Marco is a great addition to the team and we can’t wait for him to #bepartofthetour!

Desert Smash

‍The Scope Team is excited to attend the Desert Smash event presented by La Quinta Resort and Club. This Charity event is an opportunity for us to grow our brand and connect with our community while enjoying the sport that we love. Come find us at Desert Smash on March 7, 2023!

Social Media

‍As we have been getting the platform ready to go live, Scope has kicked-off and is now active on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Follow us to stay up to date with all of the exciting announcements and events to come!

Scope Update

By Scope Sports, February 19

A quick update about what we’ve been up to over the last couple of days!

What happened this week?

This past week at Scope, we took a step forward and launched our first significant interactions with our community. The main focus of the week was to demystify our project, the growing importance of NFTs as a means of collecting goods, and the extent to which our project will revolutionize the relationship between sports fans and athletes by providing the opportunity for sports fans to interact and share unique experiences with their favorite athletes.

Noah Rubin

On Wednesday, we announced Noah Rubin as our US Ambassador! Noah Rubin, a unique and respected sports personality, expressed his delight at joining us at Scope and shared his excitement about the launch of the platform via a joint-reel on Instagram.

Rubin is also a great addition to our team because he deeply cares about an issue that is near and dear to our hearts at Scope: the well-being of the athletes. Rubin understands the importance of taking the mental health of athletes more seriously and is known for his public commitment to this issue.

‍Having Noah Rubin as an ambassador is a unique opportunity for us. Rubin’s career as an ex-professional tennis player has included being ranked among the top 130 players in the world and winning four challenges and Wimbledon Junior, making him an undeniable connoisseur of the circuit. Welcome Noah!

DesertSmash Event

‍This week, we also announced our presence at the DesertSmash event. Not only is this our first face-to-face sporting event that we will be attending, but it is also an opportunity for our community to collaborate with a significant charity event in the tennis world.

Stay tuned for more, we’ve got some cool stuff coming!

Scope Newsletter 1

By Scope Sports, February 13

What is Scope?

Scope is a digital NFT trading platform startup where professional athletes and their fans can connect and engage with each other. Scope allows users to trade players’ NFT cards in an engaging, rewarding, and user-friendly way.

Our vision : reshape the experience of sports fans by providing them with access to unique interactions with their favorite athletes.

Scope reshapes what it means to be a sports fan because it fosters a more intimate and personal connection. It bridges the gap between fans and athletes and gives fans a way to support their favorite athletes that they couldn’t do before.

Scope has three main elements:

1. Pro Shop

‍This is where your Scope experience will start. Here, you can buy officially licensed player cards directly from your favorite athletes. Through the Pro Shop you can directly support athletes and form part of their journey on the tour.

2. Fan Clubs

Once you own a card, you can access that athlete’s fan club. Within these fan clubs, athletes will share exclusive content and unique experiences that only you can access as a Scope fan. Fan Clubs are capped at 500 members, so you will have a truly exclusive connection with your athletes.

3. Marketplace

The secondary marketplace is where you can resell your cards. The marketplace is an auction, so you are free to set whatever base price you want and time frame. The highest bidder will purchase the card from you. Keep in mind when you sell a card you are losing your exclusive access to that fan club.

Check out our Gitbook for more info regarding the marketplace design and how our token works!

The clay courts will provide tennis fans with hard battles, revamped rivalries, and a variety of new talents grinding their way to victory on the red dirt.

Tennis: A story of survival to the top

By Scope Sports, January 31

Looking into the financial realities of being a professional tennis player.

The struggle that every tennis player goes through to make it into the Top 100 is one that many do not take into consideration when watching the sport. The pressure paired with the anxiety to win not only for ranking points, but to be able to afford the next tournament is something that all players have gone through when climbing up the ranks. A study conducted by the ITF found that nearly 50% of traveling professionals do not earn a single dollar when calculating expenses without a coach or trainer. When including the cost of a coach which is a combination of salary, travel costs, and food, it is estimated that 80% to 85% of the tour struggles to break even.

Why is this though?

Traditionally the allocation of prize money has always favored the latter stages of the big tournaments. Grand Slams compete to raise the prize money pool each year, however they are always looking to raise the money for the winner, not necessarily the money allocated to the qualifying or first rounds. Furthermore, the average cost of a traveling professional can range from $40,000 to $100,000 a year when traveling alone, and from $150,000 to $200,000 when traveling with a team (coach, trainer, etc). Challenger Tour events, the tournaments played by those players ranked from 400 to 100 in the world, offer top prizes ranging between $52,000 to $162,000, but qualifying to the main draw of these events guarantees players only about $1,000 which is usually less than the travel and accommodation costs. Players only gain points from the 18 best results they play, and usually play somewhere around 20 to 25 tournaments each year. The problem is easily identified through the allocation of money in prize money pools, and forces players struggling with expenses to burden themselves with the thought of not being able to afford playing.

Pairing the prize money issue at the lower tiers of the sport with the lack of external revenue streams generated for players outside of the Top 75 furthers the struggle for the up and coming talents on the tour. Sponsors are clearly inclined to support players that provide them with the exposure needed to make their investment worthwhile. Brands and companies investing in the tennis space will realistically look for players with big followings to back, rather than players who are less known, even if the upside to some of them can be very large.

New technologies that enhance the connection between players and fans is something that addresses the issues that the sport faces. Being the 4th largest sport globally, tennis has to innovate to provide athletes with opportunities to generate more revenue to boost the sustainability of the game as a whole.

Follow our journey on our social media channels, and sign up to be invited to our launch, where you could own one of the first player card NFTs.

Subscriptions on a Blockchain

By Scope Sports, January 23

How the classic subscription model can be taken to the next level through blockchain technology.

For monetizing content creation, the vast majority of services have opted for the classic subscription or membership business model. A simple yet effective format in which users pay yearly, monthly or weekly fees in exchange for access to a certain amount of exclusive content. There are many different alterations to this format. Netflix, for instance, charges a membership that gives access to all its content, and divides its different plans by the amount of content you can download or the amount of devices that can access the content at once. OnlyFans, the popular adult content platform, allows its creators to set prices for access to their content, meaning a user has to pay different subscriptions in order to view different creators’ content. FuboTV, the sports provider, charges a flat fee equal for everybody, no matter how much a user uses the content. In whatever format they may come, subscriptions are a popular format for accessing exclusive content with which users are familiar with.

The subscription model works well for content creators. It allows them to predict their revenues very accurately month over month and creates a lot more customer loyalty than one time purchases, amongst a number of other reasons.

However, the subscription model is not necessarily optimized for the end user. I italicized the word optimized because I am not implying the subscription model is flawed, I’m just saying it is not ideal for its users. The biggest question a user asks themselves when purchasing a subscription is will I use this? Subscription based content creation companies address this issue by usually offering a free trial, or a cheaper version of the product for new users. An effective strategy but again, not optimized for the user. What if the content changes throughout the subscription period and no longer suits what the customer wants? Something very common with individual content creators who may have periods of inactivity, or even for consolidated content providers such as Netflix, who often have to remove movies or shows from their platform on short notice due to licensing issues. You might just say well a user can just unsubscribe and not pay for the next month. Yes, but technically if, for example, the price of a one month subscription is $10, and you stop using it on day 15, you should not have to pay for the full $10. Again, I’m not saying subscription services are bad, I’m just saying they are not optimized for the end user.

Blockchain creates an amazing opportunity to revolutionize the way subscriptions work. It is quite simple to include a subscription plan on the smart contract of a digital asset. Of course, digital assets are tradable, scarce goods, creating a world of opportunities for an end user that owns them. On Scope, NFTs are essentially subscriptions to an athlete’s Fan Club, a token that grants access to an athlete’s page. We understand athletes are not content creators and that their online content is not their top priority, meaning sometimes they may not be as active as we would like on Scope. So we thought it was essential for us to allow our users to trade these “subscriptions,” when they are no longer valuable to them. Rather than subscribing and unsubscribing, which involves some lost money (the days you pay for in a subscription and don’t use), at Scope as soon as you stop using your access to a Fan Club, you can sell it on the auction-based marketplace. This not only allows you to make some money back on that asset, but also allows you to pay for the exact price you consider is fair for a certain token.

These “tradable subscriptions” also increase the willingness-to-pay of a user. By creating the opportunity for a user to re-sell their tokens and make some money back, they are automatically more likely to spend a greater amount of money, unlike in a traditional subscription model, where a user knows their money can not be recuperated.

Creating “tradable subscriptions” also benefits our athletes (which are essentially our content creators) greatly. Fan Clubs with better content (meaning a more engaged athlete) will make their cards more expensive. Since athletes receive 85% of the revenue from the Pro Shop and a 5% royalty on all future transactions, it is in their interest that their cards become more valuable, as it will directly translate into more revenue. Instead of charging a flat fee for all Fan Club subscriptions, something beneficial for athletes that participate less and something disadvantageous for athletes that participate more, prices are directly correlated to athlete engagement, directly incentivizing the athlete to produce higher quality content, be more engaged and offer more experiences.

‍Of course, the “NFT subscription” model does not work for every content creation platform out there but it fits quite well with how we want our users and athletes to interact with Scope. We thought the idea of trading a subscription is pretty cool and unique and determined it was the best way to bring the most value to the platform and align everybody’s interest on Scope.

Physical vs Digital Art: An Artist’s Perspective

By Scope Sports, January 20

Our creative director discusses physical vs digital art and the transition from one to the other.

“Proving oneself in the digital space has great value; perhaps it originates more from analysis and execution instead of the artist’s unhindered imagination and technique, but there is still an artistic intuition here to be fully realized for any ambitious artist.”

Intro

Coming from a non-digital experience towards art creation, I was highly doubtful of whether I would be the right artist for Scope Tennis. Since it is a social and commercial platform, I was unsure my plastic intuition would be able to relate itself to the platform’s needs. In just a few months, however, I have not only come to terms with creating art digitally, but have been lucky enough to experience many of its benefits. I have found new workflows, new ways of interpreting my designs and have incorporated the priority of communication into my artistic intuition.

First of all, it is hard for me to envision a future where digital artistry does not continue to rise in importance. Any artist that cannot sustain themselves through the creation of plastic, physical art could learn quite a bit about the potential that creative, artistic minds have in the digital world. It is true that our attachment to content online makes someone like me feel that anything I put out in that ‘world’ will inevitably drown in the endless cascade of visual content we experience every day. Yet I have been able to find a benefit in this: digital creation can be a testing ground for ideas, a first draft that places strong emphasis on the thesis of the project, its main message to ‘the crowd’. It is a tool for mass communication and learning the tools necessary for this sort of work is, in my opinion, a great strength for any artist. Proving oneself in the digital space has great value; perhaps it originates more from analysis and execution instead of the artist’s unhindered imagination and technique, but there is still an artistic intuition here to be fully realized for any ambitious artist.

I have also found that digital artistry forces one to associate a function with the work of art. I was especially scared of the negative connotations that attaching functionality to art has had in my life. I have been taught to appreciate art for its playfulness and often its lack of needing fixated meanings. With Scope and the NFT work I am doing here, however, I feel that I am being given a direction, a much needed guidance in my youthful beginning as an artist and designer. This, I feel, can be a strength for many young artists who are still finding themes and projects to paint their style on. There is a lot to learn from digital standards of visual communication, and I would say that it can be a more manageable challenge to adapt oneself to the digital space, even if only temporarily, than to try to break through in the traditional, plastic world of art.

Finally I have found a structure to my workflow which has undoubtedly made me more disciplined and efficient in the production of my designs. The visual language of the digital age is being progressively downloaded and incorporated into my work. Every week I feel more comfortable with the tools I handle and the ability to work on a plane, in a bus or just at home, making the studio a non-repressive space. One can always choose to work in the same place, but the ability to break one’s routine is, for me, incredibly valuable. I often feel less productive than I expected, and so having my tools with me wherever I go allows me to tap into my artistic flow whenever it happens to manifest itself most strongly. The immediacy of digital art alleviates the pressure of being a creator, for it separates one from the sometimes-suffocating studio and instead places attention on the product and its interaction with the outside world.

Of course, these benefits speak mainly of my own experience, but I do feel others can relate to my feelings of insecurity and how the digital world has in fact helped me alleviate them. Having been doubtful of my adaptation to the digital ways of creating, I have found myself in many ways enjoying it and, at this point in my career, being constantly challenged to improve certain facets of my artistic intuition by the digital world.

Physical vs Digital Art: An Artist’s Perspective

By Scope Sports, January 19

A quick dive into what the Challenger Tour is, the changes it is going through, and the effect these will have on the whole sport.

““[The Challenger Tour] is an ecosystem where up and coming talents on the tour prove themselves against many young talents of the same level”
‍
What is the Challenger Tour?

The ATP Challenger Tour is a series of tournaments that every player who has made it to the top of the game has had to pass through in their career. These tournaments are played by players usually ranked from about 100 in the world to about 250, making the level of the tournaments very similar to that of the qualifying rounds of a Grand Slam. It is an ecosystem where up and coming talents on the tour prove themselves against many young talents of the same level, as well as a multitude of seasoned professionals, all fighting for points to be able to qualify for the ATP 250s, 500s, 1000s, and Slams. The likes of Rafael Nadal, Felix Auger, and Carlos Alcaraz are notable players who have competed and won tournaments on the Challenger Tour before their 18th birthday, where established pros such as Fernando Verdasco, Ivo Karlovic, and Tommy Robredo have also won tournaments towards the end of their careers. The level throughout these tournaments is constantly improving as the sport grows, and success on the Challenger Tour is a good indicator not only for short term form going into the bigger tournaments, but also great careers moving forward.

What has changed?

Due to the increasing levels of competition in the Challenger Tour, the ATP has made a push this year to ramp up the prize money, structure, and marketing of the tournaments, making them more attractive for players, and spectators. The ATP has made structural changes to the calendar and category system of the Challenger Tour to provide a record number of 195 tournaments throughout the season. This has enhanced the scheduling of these tournaments to align better with the surfaces and regions of the higher level tournaments, as well as provide more opportunities for players to compete for points. Alongside the calendar changes, the ATP has increased the prize money pool for these tournaments by roughly 60%, from $13.2 million to $21.1 million in 2023. This increase will be vital as it allows for a greater distribution of prize money in the earlier stages of tournaments as the ATP looks to improve the financial sustainability of players on the tour. This leans into the fact that before making it into the Top 100 in the rankings, a lot of players on tour struggle to break even each year to the costs incurred as a traveling pro.

‍The Future

The buzz around the improvements to the ATP Challenger Tour can already be seen within the tennis community, with more social media hype from fans and a positive reception and feel from players. With regards to these changes, the ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said, “The health of the ATP Challenger Tour is critical for the future of our sport, and our in-depth review revealed significant opportunities to strengthen this pathway. Whilst we are taking a long-term approach to growing the Challenger Tour, these changes will provide an immediate boost from 2023 onwards. We look forward to executing these reforms next season and building on this progress in the near future. There is more to come, so watch this space.”

Sports NFTs

By Scope Sports, January 18

Our thoughts on sports NFTs and the huge opportunity there is to capitalize on them.

‘NFTs shouldn’t be the “why,” they should be the “how” of a project, a vehicle to achieve a deeper goal.’
‍
The Current Situation

For those that aren’t that into blockchain, there is a stigma around NFT projects. People are skeptical and don’t trust a lot of the incredible opportunities out there. A lack of knowledge from customers paired with mismanagement of projects and a lack of utility leads to volatility in prices and ultimately to the huge bubble we are in (or recovering from) in the NFT space. And it makes sense, at the end of the day when it comes to NFT projects, there is a lot of BS out there. Scammers (with a lack of a better word to describe them) have identified a huge opportunity to make a quick buck by carrying out huge mints promising the world to their communities only to underdeliver and leave their holders with worthless tokens. This has been the reality of the NFT space since the boom in 2020. This video posted by the Financial Times does a great job explaining the current situation we are in.

Where is the Opportunity?

Nevertheless, the opportunity is still huge. Creating scarcity and proof of ownership in digital assets paired with the quasi-unlimited potential of smart contracts is not only groundbreaking technology but has the potential to change every human’s life forever. Thinking big picture, everything could be tokenized and be backed by an NFT to prove legitimacy, literally everything: your house, your driver’s license, your mortgage, all of your receipts, even your passport. So it’s not that the technology is flawed, it’s that the vast majority of people don’t understand it, and don’t understand the potential it has.

When it comes to sports (like any other industry really), amazing opportunities exist for the benefit of everyone. I have come across some spectacular sports NFT projects, and others not so good. I won’t comment on individual projects as that would be too long for a post, but I will explain what differentiates a good sports NFT project from a mediocre one. For me, it comes down to one simple thing: utility. When the word NFT gets thrown around, people forget the essence of why a transaction (not only in blockchain but any transaction) even happens in the first place. Without utility, an NFT, just like anything else, is worthless. You might argue that a particular NFT’s utility is just to resell it (a big reason a lot of people purchase NFTs) but this is not sustainable in the long run. You wouldn’t buy a computer that doesn’t work just to resell it based on the simple fact that there is a limited number of computers in the world. It should be the same with NFTs for the market to be sustainable in the long run. People shouldn’t buy NFTs just because they are NFTs or just because they will be able to resell them, they should buy them because they see a utility in them, and that utility should determine the price.

What’s the Utility?

In sports, the possibilities to include utility in NFTs is almost endless. Think about all the utility that exists in sports assets already: tickets to games, experiences with athletes, merchandise, video games, betting, fantasy leagues, etc. All these elements that compose the sports market will eventually be tokenized, and the projects that do so will be very successful. On the other hand, the projects that sell an NFT with a picture of an athlete for the sake of being an NFT will not.

So What?

‍The projects that do tokenize these sports assets effectively will help push sports forward by aligning the interests of athletes, customers and competition. Projects that provide real utility for their NFTs will also be shielded from the volatility of the NFT and crypto markets, to which “empty” projects (NFTs with no real utility) are so susceptible to. When markets crash, nobody sells their favorite sports video games for fear of “losing their investment,” people keep them because of the utility they offer: the gaming experience. Sports NFTs should be the same, they should help a project achieve a deeper goal, and by doing so enhance the overall experience for everyone involved and push sports forward into the new age.

Sports NFTs

By Scope Sports, January 18

“At Scope, we are revolutionizing the way in which fans and athletes connect with each other, pushing tennis into the new digital age” — Max Stehling, our CEO, talks about how he came up with the idea of Scope.

“Having grown up as a competitive tennis player, I looked up to the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and always hoped that one day I could sit down with them, pick their brain, and perhaps speak about the emotions and struggles of being on the tour. That connection that all fans seek is something that within tennis, is not that easy to find.”

Tennis has never failed to produce more talent, year in year out, however what has changed is the way in which fans interact with sports through the digital mediums that exist today. In many top global sports such as soccer, basketball, and baseball, engagement for the sport has been driven by platforms that allow fans to interact with teams, players, and the sport itself. Whether it be fantasy platforms, video games, betting sites or platforms that offer digital collectibles and experiences for fans, technology and the new digital age is pushing sports to think outside of the box to constantly grow their fan bases. This is something that in tennis does not exist.

This is why we have created Scope, the first digital platform to bring fans and athletes closer than ever before. By combining new technology, traditional elements fan engagement (fan clubs), and digital content, Scope looks to bring players and fans closer through the relationships built within our ecosystem. Scope sells officially licensed player card NFTs that grant access to exclusive fan clubs, where athletes post exclusive content for their most devoted fans to benefit from.

Through the fan clubs, athletes can also interact with fans through different experiences (both digital and physical) they decide to include within the scarce cards. Athlete’s will also benefit from 85% of the revenue generated from the primary sale, providing up and coming players with a revenue stream to help them achieve their goals. This also creates aligned goals between fan and athlete as the price of the card bought will increase if the player is performing well on the tour. We give our players freedom in the design and engagement they choose to include in their cards, conveying the personality and character of each player in a unique way. The uniqueness of the designs combines the utility of the cards both in the game and through fan experiences with a collectibility aspect backed by the scarcity created through blockchain.

SCOPE SPORTS

BLOG

Learn about all the features that make Scope Sports such a unique platform!

September 26

The Evolution of NFTs in Sports: 2020-2023

The world of sports has witnessed a remarkable transformation over the past few years, thanks to the rise of blockchain technology and the advent of...

September 25

Roger Federer and the Birth of the Laver Cup

Roger Federer, a name synonymous with tennis excellence, is not just known for his remarkable career but also for his contributions to the sport beyond the court...

September 12

US Open Recap

As the city cools off from the hype that was this year's US Open, we have witnessed the birth of new stars and been at the mercy of an old legend that just does not know...

August 3

Revenue Streams in Tennis

Tennis is a brutal sport. Unlike many other professions, tennis players do not make a recurring revenue or have any type of contract from an organization...

July 20

A Letter from the CEO

Dear Scope Community, this is Co-Founder and CEO Max Stehling, writing to you on the eve of our first member card drop. I must admit it is a pretty surreal moment...

June 20

Introducing Scope Player: Renzo Olivo

Hey everyone! We are excited to introduce Renzo Olivo, the fourth tennis player to join the Scope platform.Hailing from Rosario, Argentina, Renzo Olivo is a player who...

June 1

Introducing Scope Player: Michaël Geerts

Hey everyone! We are excited to introduce Michael Geerts, the third player to join the Scope platform! Michael Geerts is a Belgian tennis player born in Antwerp, Belgium...

May 29

Roland Garros Preview 2023

The French Open takes place every year in late May at the Stade Roland Garros. This iconic tennis event is the only Grand Slam tournament held on clay...

May 24

The Italian Open

Established 93 years ago in 1930, the Italian Open is one of the main tennis events held every May, in the majestic city of Rome. This tournament...

May 17

Introducing Scope Player: Franco Agamenone

Hey everyone! We are elated to introduce Franco Agamenone, the second player to join us on Scope. Franco Agamenone is an Italian-Argentinian player....

May 8

Introducing Scope Player: Andrea Collarini

Hey everyone! We are happy to introduce Andrea Collarini, the first tennis player that we have announced on the platform...

April 28

The Mutua Madrid Open

April 21

Connections of fans and athletes through NFTs

What is an NFT? An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a new type of investment asset. NFTs are unique digital assets using blockchain technology as proof of ownership...

April 14

Mental Health in Sport

Mental health is a critical aspect of an athlete’s overall well-being and is increasingly recognised as a critical factor in sports performance. Mental health problems including...

April 7

The Clay Court Conundrum: Overcoming Challenges and Finding Success

As the winter season slowly fades away and spring starts to take shape, tennis fans around the world eagerly await the start of the clay-court season...

April 3

Importance of Creating Fan Communities

Why is it important to create fan communities in sports so that fans can play a part in the career and journey of their favorite athletes?

March 24

The Sunshine Double

This week we dive into the famous ‘Sunshine Double’ in tennis: Indian Wells and Miami. As we head into the latter of the two tournaments, we take a look at the winners...

February 27

Scope Sports: Weekly update

This past week at Scope, we announced Marco Verdasco as our European Ambassador. Marco’s extensive knowledge of both professional and collegiate tennis and...

February 19

Scope Update

A quick update about what we’ve been up to over the last couple of days!

February 13

Scope Newsletter 1

We decided to repost parts of our first newsletter on here as it gives a great overview of what the Scope platform will look like. If you are interested in receiving our weekly newsletter with updates regarding our platform, sign up on our website.

January 31

Tennis: A story of survival to the top

Looking into the financial realities of being a professional tennis player.The struggle that every tennis player goes through to make it into the Top 100 is one that many...

January 23

Subscriptions on a Blockchain

How the classic subscription model can be taken to the next level through blockchain technology. For monetizing content creation, the vast majority of services...

January 20

Physical vs Digital Art: An Artist’s Perspective

Our creative director discusses physical vs digital art and the transition from one to the other “Proving oneself in the digital space has great value; perhaps it originates...

January 19

The ATP Challenger Tour

A quick dive into what the Challenger Tour is, the changes it is going through, and the effect these will have on the whole sport. “[The Challenger Tour] is an ecosystem...

January 19

Sports NFTs

Our thoughts on sports NFTs and the huge opportunity there is to capitalize on them. ‘NFTs shouldn’t be the “why,” they should be the “how” of a project, a vehicle to achieve a deeper goal.’

January 18

Welcome to Scope

Stay on top of everything Scope by signing up to our newsletter below

The Evolution of NFTs in Sports: 2020-2023

Roger Federer and the Birth of the Laver Cup

US Open Recap

Revenue Streams in Tennis

A Letter from the CEO

Introducing Scope Player: Renzo Olivo

Introducing Scope Player: Michaël Geerts

Roland Garros Preview 2023

The Italian Open

Introducing Scope Player: Franco Agamenone

Introducing Scope Player: Andrea Collarini

The Mutua Madrid Open

Connections of fans and athletes through NFTs

Mental Health in Sport

The Clay Court Conundrum: Overcoming Challenges and Finding Success

Importance of Creating Fan Communities

The Sunshine Double

Scope Sports: Weekly update

Scope Update

Scope Newsletter 1

Tennis: A story of survival to the top

Subscriptions on a Blockchain

Physical vs Digital Art: An Artist’s Perspective

Physical vs Digital Art: An Artist’s Perspective

Sports NFTs

Sports NFTs

SCOPE SPORTS

BLOG

Learn about all the features that make Scope Sports such a unique platform!

The Evolution of NFTs in Sports: 2020-2023

Roger Federer and the Birth of the Laver Cup

US Open Recap

Revenue Streams in Tennis

A Letter from the CEO

Introducing Scope Player: Renzo Olivo

Introducing Scope Player: Michaël Geerts

Roland Garros Preview 2023

The Italian Open

Introducing Scope Player: Franco Agamenone

Introducing Scope Player: Andrea Collarini

The Mutua Madrid Open

Connections of fans and athletes through NFTs

Mental Health in Sport

The Clay Court Conundrum: Overcoming Challenges and Finding Success

Importance of Creating Fan Communities

The Sunshine Double

Scope Sports: Weekly update

Scope Update

Scope Newsletter 1

Tennis: A story of survival to the top

Subscriptions on a Blockchain

Physical vs Digital Art: An Artist’s Perspective

The ATP Challenger Tour

Sports NFTs

Welcome to Scope

Subscribe