Have you heard of NFTs? Chances are you’ve become vaguely aware at some point of digital assets that represent real-world objects such as artwork, videos, or photos, otherwise known as non-fungible tokens. The jury is still out on their value and whether or not they’ll ultimately be worth what people are paying for them now, but everyone and their mother seems to have gotten on the bandwagon to sell them.
That includes the St. Louis Cardinals, who are selling NFTs around assets such as their longtime home Busch Stadium. Cardinals radio announcer Mike Shannon, who is finishing up his 49th and final season in the booth, was given an advertisement to read regarding the NFT during a recent game. Turns out, the 82-year-old wasn’t exactly up on this whole non-fungible thing. It certainly made for a fun listen as he attempted to figure it out in real-time.
Mike Shannon gets to the bottom of this NFT business 1/2 #stlfly pic.twitter.com/3OWlwnz2xy
— VHS (@VanHicklestein) August 26, 2021
“You can bid now on one of…a Busch Stadium NFT. What’s NFT mean?… What’s an NFT?…I’ll ask Mike. Mike Claiborne, what’s an NFT? It says right there, NFT, Michael. We’re gonna find out if we have to turn this place upside down we’ll find out what an NFT is…No…Friggin…Touchdowns…no? No Friggin Tonsils. I got my tonsils taken out…and they promise you ice cream and cake and all that stuff. And they know you couldn’t eat…and someone said ice cream now and no thanks.”
What a journey! And yet, we’re only halfway there. Stick around for the thrilling conclusion when Mike finally finds out what NFT actually stands for.
Mike Shannon gets to the bottom of this NFT business 2/2 #stlfly pic.twitter.com/vPeAxiGwDW
— VHS (@VanHicklestein) August 26, 2021
“No Fungible Token. Limited Digital Item. That’s what you’re gonna give me? That’s it, huh? No…Fungible…Token. Oh, we got a printout now, let me read that printout… NFT stands for non…fungible token? A digital token that’s, uh, a type of…what is that word? Cybo…currency. Much like, uh…man, they have words in here I’ve never heard of before. What’s this word here? En…thereum? But unlike a standard coin, the, uh…buy coin…blocking…NFT is…can’t be exchanged for like….it’s non-fungible. Fungible. That’s what it says here, folks. Fungible. And this is as of June the 25th, 2021. Online thing, you can’t sell. That’s what…well, I don’t use it online so that’s why I don’t know.”
https://twitter.com/MamaLava6/status/1430589542218801163
Honestly, if you were asked to define non-fungible tokens, could you do much better?
[FTW]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.