The Unmade Podcast - Special: Non-Fungible Tommyball

Episode Date: May 2, 2021

Tommyball legend and innovative innovator Tim Hein is selling his "love of the game" via an NFT Dutch Auction. FOR SALE: Tim's Love of Tommyball - http://bit.ly/Tims_Love_NFT Previous Tommyball Episodes - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY2OYgTm-83N5RqQzbvMib0ddnmERh2My Discuss this episode on Reddit - https://redd.it/n35rw7

Well, Tommyball has come roaring into the 21st century with the first issuing of a Tommyball-related non-fungible token, or NFT. With artists and other athletes already earning eye-watering sums of money on the NFT market, it was only a matter of time. So following in the footsteps of his contemporaries, such as Tom Brady, it is of course Tommy Ball legend Tim Hine who is leading the way. After announcing his first NFT yesterday via a Zoom press conference from his chalet in North Korea, Tim has agreed to give his first interview on the subject here on the Tommy Ball podcast. Tim Hine, welcome once again to the show.

Good evening. Good evening. Wonderful to be here. How is the weather there in North Korea? It's very... I haven't been outside for several days, but the air conditioning in here is top notch. Yeah. Excellent. Excellent.

Now, Tim, before we start, and there's so much to talk about today, perhaps you could explain to us what an NFT is and how the technology works, because it's very baffling for some people. And spare no detail right um well look this is very exciting let me just say that right off the right off the top a very exciting innovation and um and as you know I've always been at the forefront of innovation uh in Tommy Ball and this is no exception. So I hope that makes it a bit clearer for you there. All right. Well, okay. Well, I'll go to Wikipedia here. Wikipedia says...

Wikipedia says... Wikipedia says... Sorry. Wikipedia says... It's about the internet. It's on the internet. And as you know, the internet's all about innovation. And that's what I'm about. They both start with an I.

That's right. You're right, actually. Yes. Very good. Is that how the internet got its name i don't know anyway um it says here on wikipedia a non-fungible token nft is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger called a blockchain that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable nfts can be used to represent items such as photos videos audio and other types of digital files

tim could you at least tell us what a blockchain is i have no idea oh yeah a blockchain is rarely used in tommy ball these days it's when the defensive linebackers line up in a particular way and link arms and charge at the ball and uh it's been outlawed for some time after several fatalities but yeah blockchains i've always been a supporter of they're very effective back in their day and it's oh yeah i think you may be talking about something different i'm being told so let's move on then obviously these nfts allow people to sell things that don't physically exist. And you've put a bit of a unique spin on this with your first NFT sale. Can you tell us what

unique, non-interchangeable item it is that you are selling to one lucky individual? Well, that's the innovation. You see, I'm selling my love of the game. You know, it's been often said in my book and others, other editions of my book, that there's no greater asset in Tommy Ball than my love of the game. If you don't have your love of the game, then what have you got? And my love of the game's more love, big love, than anyone's love of the game. There's no greater asset. But now I've decided that asset is for sale. I'm selling my love of the game.

Some lucky purchaser will own my love of the game. They will have the biggest asset in Tommyball. So you will still love the game, but someone else will own that love. Is that right? That's right. That's exactly right. I can't not love the game. There's no Tommy Ball Tim without a love of the game.

However, it's wasted if I own my own love of the game. I mean, that's just a waste. And as you know, I hate waste. my own love of the game. I mean, that's just a waste. And as you know, I hate waste. So I'm putting up my love of the game for sale and so it can be shared. It can be shared with other people.

Other people can share my love of the game, the greatest asset in Tommy Ball. One other person can have it, will own it. I guess they could do with it what they then wished. They could then break it into smaller parts and sell those parts, I guess. I don't know if that's how NFTs work. I don't know either. I hope they don't make even more money.

Can I read you a quote from the sort of the paper of record in our sport, the Tommy Ball Weekly Whistle? This was from today's edition. It says, I'm deeply disappointed. We all know Tim sold off all his medals, trophies, houses and pets to fund his legal costs following the Zurich incident. But this latest scheme is the height of greed and opportunism.

And that quote actually came from your mum. Right. height of greed and opportunism and that quite actually came from your mum right well well if if i would look if if mum's listening i want to say this to mum her love of me is is is large and if my love of the game is as large as her love of me. Why wouldn't that love be shared? Why wouldn't I share that love with a highest bidder? Like, why wouldn't I put it out there for someone else to engage? It would be selfish not to share that love. That's what I would say to mum.

In fact, that's what I will say to mum. It's almost increasing your love by selling your love. Well, that's one way to put it, I guess, yes. Sure, I mean, sure, yes, absolutely. That's exactly right. That's exactly right. Absolutely. Can I read you another quote? This was also from the Tommy Ball Weekly Whistle,

but this was some time ago. This is a quote from you, and you said this in the week before the 2003 Super Cup final. Can i read your own words back to you here uh yes you said i love tommy bowl i truly do and it is a love that you can't put a price on in fact if someday in the future they invent some scammy way to make vast sums of money by selling things that don't actually physically exist i can tell you this there's no way you'd catch me trying to sell my love how do you respond to that short you're missing a word so you've dropped a word there i wouldn't want to sell my love short by giving it away or selling it cheaply instead it's so high i it's i

mean you've really got a i mean this you're going to have to really fork out for this because it's worth that much. I wouldn't want to sell my love short. But look, hey, I mean, look, quotes are like facts. They can be made to say anything. So I mean, you could pull out a quote that I said and say it back to me and ask me what I think. And I think, well, hang on, if it's not in context, then what does it matter? I mean, it's the same. I mean, you bring out facts and show me and they can be made to argue anything. You can't do that. But I'm telling you this, I won't sell my love short and I won't sell it cheaply either. That's one thing you can quote. You can quote me on that. I will not sell my love for the game cheaply that's the kind

of integrity i bring to tommy ball another criticism level to nfts is their environmental impact because of all this so-called uh mining and blockchains are very energy intensive they use a lot of computer power and surely this is at odds with your own charity, the Tim's Plant a Tree for Tommyball cause. How do you reconcile this? How can you reconcile the environmental impact of NFTs with your making money from them? Well, it's all swings and roundabouts, isn't it, really? I mean, isn't it? You wouldn't want to be unbalanced about this.

And just simply putting your eggs in one basket wouldn't be wise. So you've got some eggs in the environmental basket and some eggs in the destroying the environment basket. Yes. Well, hang on. See, again, you're twisting my words. You're introducing facts. And I'm not sure

i'm comfortable with that right but i think it's important if you've got you can't look a gift horse in the mouth that's it that's an important thing here i've got my love of the game it's there and if people want to access it and they want to use a blockchain or some other um website or internet thing to get it um who am i to stand in the way you can't live in the past you can't live in the past and you're trying to live in the past you've got to innovate you've got to go with the future and i mean i i mean people say this uses i mean i don't understand it's online so how can it be bad for the environment if it's if it's online they're not we're not cutting down trees to create paper to do it. So we're planting trees.

And this will allow me to plant more. Well, it's funny you should say that because you did in the press conference yesterday allude to the fact that the money raised will be going to a good cause. Yes. Financial records indicate the money is going to be going to your foundation,

which is based in the Cayman Islands. Yes. Can you explain how this money will be used? It seems very opaque. Well, it's going to a good cause. I mean, it's one of the best cause. I mean, the foundation is a great cause, and the foundation's funding the retirement of one of the Tommy Ball legend.

I mean, it's providing for everything. I mean, I don't have a job. I mean, you've got to understand that. I don't have a job. I'm not some cheap person going out and, you know, working and earning money with my time. I'm making myself available to the fans and wholly making myself available to the fans and wholly making myself available to the foundation and to the legacy of the game, in particular my own legacy.

And I'm able to do that full time because of the foundation. And I think that's something that is worth donating to. Look, you wonder, why am I here in North Korea, hey? If I'm, you know, not concerned about my foundation. I am, I am. You've chosen to sell your love of the game, which is, I should point out, represented by a very tastefully designed gif as well that comes along with your love. You've chosen to use a so-called Dutch auction,

that's famously used to sell tulips in which the price starts at the high price and descends until someone decides to make their bid yep is there any particular family reason that you've chosen to use a dutch auction well my father was dutch i don't know if you know that i think i mentioned it in one of my books um right but yeah my father and so that's – I mean, there are two reasons. One is it's the way to make a whole lot more cash. But I'm the kind of – I take my Dutch heritage very seriously. And I love tulips.

And I love cheese. And I love Dutch rap music. And so that's the way my accountant in the Caymans has advised me to go. You did famously play a season for the Amsterdam cheese tulips. So a little surprise there. Oh, yeah. Of course, with the Dutch auction, you have to choose a starting price. I believe you're using the ethereum currency cryptocurrency have you decided on a starting

price like where what value you're going to start at and descend down from um i mean we've seen some items sell in these auctions for tens of millions of dollars yes well mean, but I'll take you back to my answer before. I'm not going to sell my love of the game short. So I wouldn't want to- Integrity. You have nothing but integrity. Integrity, innovation, internet. Wouldn't want to put a lid on it. I know you need to put a lid on it. That's how a Dutch auction works, but I wouldn't want to put a lid on it. So there's a bit of a paradox there. Of course, this isn't the first time that you've pioneered the monetisation of non-tangible items.

You famously sold your humility on eBay for $560 in 2004 and your childhood memories were donated to raise money for an animal shelter in 2001. Do you ever worry you're kind of selling your soul? There'll be nothing left of you that you own. Well, I like to think of myself as sharing my soul. I mean, I know some people that keep their soul all to themselves. They hold onto it. They keep it inside. They treasure it. I mean, I'm an open person. I like to share my soul around, particularly, you know, if people are willing

to pay money for bits of my soul, then I can't see any reason why I would want to make more of my soul available to them on a regular basis. Is there anything else left? Are there any future sales we can expect? Obviously, you have very few physical assets left at the moment after the Zurich incident, but is there any – can we expect to see anything else coming up soon? My pride? I've been having quotes on my pride. Surely you haven't got that. Well, there's just – oh, there is.

We managed to find some. And I tell you, they were – it was, you know, quite fragmented, but we were able to put it together. And that will be on the market soon. I went ahead and put it on eBay, but apparently that's not the right way to go. No blockchains there. No, no, that's right.

I've been explained again about the the the blockchains my pride will be available at some stage i'll be selling that to the to the highest bidder um and i'd be hoping to make more than 500 for that tim it's always a fantastic honor to have you on the podcast uh we will link to the auction so people can bid try and buy your love of tommy ball that that would be quite a thing to own i know i'll be keeping a close eye on it uh so see the link in the notes for the show and we hope to talk to you again really soon tim you always have you're always you're always at the uh the forefront of pioneering ideas and money making schemes and it you know never ceases to amaze us here on the

podcast well that's right if if i mean you know If you want to bid on the internet thing for my love, my love is available. It's there. It's there. You can't say I've not put it there. It's there. And if we go through the blockchains and find your way into the crypto place and send me money, then it can be yours and that's pretty exciting

um for everyone i mean for me but especially for everyone it'll make me happy to see someone who's willing to pay top dollar for my love find that love and that'll that'll make me happy and then if there's more happiness maybe my happiness is something that i can um i can put up next who knows where this could go you can own it you can own a piece of tommy ball team a legend a legend