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The fitness community has grown by leaps and bounds over the course of the 21st century. It started with the internet and forum boards, where bodybuilding fans could discuss and debate athletes and contest placings. Then, social media came along. At first it was MySpace and Facebook, then Twitter, and nowadays Instagram and TikTok are dominating that space. Of course, you can’t leave out YouTube and its impact on the entire fitness industry.
You may be wondering what could be next, or what is even left, in terms of ways that the bodybuilding and fitness world could connect. The next frontier for the global fitness community could be in the form of the Metaverse and NFT’s
Don’t believe me? It’s already happening around us thanks to the NFT company, MetaPumps. Earlier this year, founder Whitney Reid started this company with the goal of creating and selling them to customers.
Whitney Reid
“NFT’s are non-fungible tokens. They are unique digital identifiers that can’t be copied, substituted that is recorded in a blockchain,” said Reid. “That is used to certify authenticity and proof of ownership.”
Those characters would come with utilities and assets that could benefit them now and later. Those people that wonder why people would want to collect NFT’s may remember back in their own childhoods when sports cards were the popular item to have, trade, and sell. Reid found that his passions of collectibles and cryptocurrency could be combined in this venture.
“The MetaPump NFT project started off as a fun side project I created due to my interest in the crypto space and collectibles. I am a huge sports memorabilia collector and also very early in crypto,” Reid explained. “Creating an NFT project was a combination of 2 of my hobbies.”
It’s never wrong to seize a business opportunity and try to succeed, but some of the most successful people in business such as Tony Robbins and Gary Vaynerchuk will tell you that having a greater purpose is the key to longevity. Reid found his greater purpose with MetaPumps, create a positive fitness network and community that have a common passion for bettering themselves.
“When I first started the MetaPump collection, my goal was to create a fun network of fitness minded individuals/bodybuilding fans,” Reid shared. In the early stages of developing his brand, he joined forces with four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler. Cutler and Reid had worked together in the past, and they both agreed that this could be another positive step forward for the fitness industry and themselves.
“The first collection is a group of characters based on Cutler. Ownership of each NFT will give you some type of in real life utility,” Reid stated. Those utilities could include discounts to BPI or Cutler Nutrition supplements, promotions with other fitness brands, and some could even connect people directly to Cutler himself. People that may only get to see Cutler on YouTube or social media could not have direct access and learn from a legend.
If you’re familiar with bodybuilding, then you likely understand that Cutler is considered the most successful business man in bodybuilding outside of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Reid pointed out that he was always a step ahead of his fellow competitors, which is why he’s still among the most relevant names in the sport today, almost a decade after his last contest.
“Jay has always led the way with community building, technology and being on the forefront of what’s next. I remember the old days when Ronnie (Coleman) and Jay would release a DVD and their seemed to be a competition as to who would sell the most. Jay then became one of the first real social media celebrities in our space and I see him capturing the same attention in the metaverse.”
Whitney Reid
The thought of NFT’s may be considered a waste of time in the eyes of some people, but Reid offered a valid comparison that may sway your opinion going forward.
“Think about this. Subscriptions are the future of media consumption. Netflix, Hulu and so on. NFTs will be the next way to subscribe to access and information. “
This isn’t just something happening in North America, either. NFT’s are becoming a global phenomenon, and MetaPumps is among the leaders in the clubhouse of the fitness space. Reid was recently in Dubai, speaking at the DTEC Dubai Silicon Oasis about the development of a Metaverse gym, and there is already a movement developing in that part of the world.
“Dubai is poised to be the HQ of all things associated with the Metaverse. Our Metaverse gym was the focal point of the presentation. We spoke on how anyone from any part of the globe could eventually train virtually with Jay and other well-known bodybuilding/fitness icons. The technology is already available for this to take place. It would be extremely expensive to do this from home but I do believe at some point in the near future this is a possibility.”
It would be hard to avoid the fact that the market for cryptocurrency and digital properties is unstable in this early phase of development. Like most advancements in technology, it takes time for stability. Reid didn’t avoid that fact, and he’s optimistic about the future of his project and NFT’s in general.
“I actually think this is a good thing for the market,” he explained. “It will weed out a lot of people who were only in it for a quick flip and don’t really care about the technology aspect of the metaverse. I do think we are years away from full blown metaverse training but it is coming whether we want it or not.”
There are big plans for MetaPumps in 2023, including the development of the Metaverse gym and even potential opportunities with the Olympia in the future. In Reid’s eyes, the potential is endless.
