Kenneth Kuo and Steelers linebacker Cassius Marsh team up to launch Ownr, focusing on athlete-specific NFTs

Steelers linebacker Cassius Marsh joined Yahoo Finance live to dicuss his latest venture into the NFT space with the launch of Ownr.

Video Transcript

EMILY MCCORMICK: Well, turning our attention now to the digital world of NFTs, more and more entrepreneurs across industries are trying to cash in on these new assets. We have Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Cassius Marsh with us here. He just partnered with AI tech entrepreneur Kenneth Kuo to launch Ownr, a firm creating NFTs to buy and sell. And Cassius, thanks so much for being with us. NFTs, of course, have been such a hot topic over the past couple of months. And I'm wondering for you personally, what was that realization moment when you realized that this was an opportunity that you could see yourself trying to launch a venture in.

CASSIUS MARSH: Well, I've been in the collectible space for a long time. I've been huge into Magic the Gathering and Pokemon and just sports cards. And I own a trading card shop. That's where I'm at here now. It's called Cash Cards Unlimited. And so when I was presented with the opportunity to basically work with a company that's creating trading cards but digital, and then obviously with NFTs being so successful across, you know, a couple of different businesses, it was just a great combination and an awesome opportunity for me.

REGGIE WADE: Cassius, Reggie Wade here. Has it been a tough sell with your fellow NFL players, getting them into the NFT space?

CASSIUS MARSH: No, not at all, actually. I mean, I think that players are always very cautious on what they tie themselves to because our image is extremely important. But I've had a bunch of former teammates and friends reach out who were extremely curious about NFTs and different ways that they can get involved. And I think with Ownr, that we give athletes a special opportunity to take part in creating these NFTs and giving guys an opportunity to share with the fans a little bit more about themselves, which I think is really special and very different.

SEANA SMITH: Hey, Cassius, talk a little bit more about that, because that's what I found very interesting. Just talk about the athletes' involvement in this, and also, just how you're identifying something that potentially has more value than, say, something else.

CASSIUS MARSH: Yeah, so really, I mean, to identify what's more valuable than the next thing, it would be just typically what the rarity is, you know, how many of the certain NFTs are released. So the NFTs that are a one-off are obviously more valuable because there's only ever going to be one of those releases.

But Ownr, with our athletes with Ownr, we give the athletes an opportunity to take part in creating the NFTs. It's a reflection of who they are and what they're about. And it's an opportunity for them to share with their fans a little bit more about themselves. You know, so fans see players every day in their helmet. They see them working out. You know, to that extent, that's pretty much it for most guys. And so with these NFTs, it kind of gets you-- gives you an opportunity to share more about yourself.

REGGIE WADE: NFTs are still so new to so many people. What would you say to someone who doesn't really know what they are thinking of investing in something? How would you bring them into the NFT world?

CASSIUS MARSH: I'd say that they're comparable to the trading card space right now. They are basically digital trading cards that are extremely secure because they're tied to blockchain. So if you have seen-- if you paid any attention to the collectibles market right now, it's skyrocketing. Cards are becoming worth millions and millions of dollars. And, like, on eBay right now, trading cards are a third of their sales. It's a huge market right now. So NFTs are basically digital trading cards.

And yeah, I mean, I'd say that would be the easiest way to explain it. And the reason why you would invest is because it's an alternative investment. And it's art. And it's just catching fire right now. And it's just getting started, you know? NBA Top Shot is going crazy. And a lot of artists are creating their own NFTs. You know, athletes are starting to drop NFTs themselves. It's the equivalent of trading cards, but digital and a lot more secure.

EMILY MCCORMICK: And Cassius, of course, Ownr is just in the early innings of its own launch and expansion. But do you eventually see Ownr expanding beyond sports memorabilia? And are there other assets and other things that you could see potentially successfully being tokenized through this platform?

CASSIUS MARSH: Absolutely. We don't want to limit ourselves to just athletes. We know we want to work with social media influencers, artists. Anybody who's willing to and wanting to create some dope NFTs and create something for their fan base, we'd love to work with them. I myself was the first investor in Cameo, a company that just got evaluated for a billion dollars last week.

And there's a massive network of people who have different careers, different artists, different people, different influencers. And all of those people can take advantage of their likeness and create NFTs for themselves. So I think that we definitely don't want to limit ourselves to just athletes. But that's just how it's starting right now.

SEANA SMITH: Cassius, we only have about 30 seconds left here, but I just want to ask you about the NFL playing in the midst of the pandemic. As you prepare for another season, what's that been like?

CASSIUS MARSH: It was definitely a huge adjustment. A lot less time spent with your teammates, just little adjustments just on how you can eat and where you can eat, and how practice is executed, and how long you can spend in the building, virtual meetings, not being able to leave the hotel when you go on the road. There's a lot to what coronavirus, how it affected the NFL this year. But I think it'll be a lot better this year. I'm looking forward to getting back out with the Steelers.

EMILY MCCORMICK: All right, thank you so much, Cassius Marsh, Steelers linebacker, and Yahoo Finance's Reggie Wade.