“I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. And I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for." Major League Baseball and Candy Digital, a next-generation digital collectible company, unveiled on Wednesday their first officially licensed NFT, a one-of-one piece of history that commemorates Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech. Delivered on July 4, 1939, the speech was Gehrig’s formal farewell from baseball after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS. 

The digital collectible features video excerpts of the iconic speech and a three-dimensional bust of Gehrig in an iron finish, representing his legacy as baseball’s “Iron Horse.” The bust also includes authentic details, such as the Baseball Centennial patch on his uniform and the iconic bend of Gehrig’s hat. The auction for this exclusive NFT opens on Sunday, the Fourth of July, which is the 82nd anniversary of Gehrig’s historic speech. Fans can visit www.candy.com to sign up for notifications ahead of the auction, which lasts four days and closes at 7 p.m. ET on July 8.Candy will also be releasing a limited-edition NFT of the bust itself in bronze, giving fans more access to owning a piece of baseball history. These 100 NFTs will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with fans able to easily purchase one by credit card.

CMG Worldwide, the official representative of Lou Gehrig’s estate, is honored that the MLB and Candy decided to honor one of the game’s greatest figures in their first officially licensed NFT launch. The collection not only commemorates his powerful words, but all proceeds from the sales will support ALS charities, including The Lou Gehrig Society, The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General and The ALS Association. It is an incredibly unique opportunity to be able to permanently maintain Gehrig’s incredible legacy in the blockchain while helping in the ongoing fight against ALS.

This single edition (1 of 1) collectible features a bust of Lou Gehrig in an iron finish, representing his legacy as baseball’s “Iron Horse.” The bust includes authentic details such as the Baseball Centennial patch on his uniform and the iconic bend of Gehrig’s hat. Behind the bust, video of the speech plays as Gehrig’s words echo through Yankee Stadium.

All auction proceeds, net of third-party administrative, minting and platform expenses, will be distributed to The Lou Gehrig Society, the Healey Center, and The ALS Association, and any amounts that may be paid in the future to MLB Advanced Media and/or Candy that are attributable to subsequent sales of the auctioned NFT will be distributed to Major League Baseball Charities, Inc.

This collectible is a limited edition (1 of 100) featuring a bust of Lou Gehrig completed in a bronze finish with audio of the iconic speech playing in the background. The bust includes authentic details such as the Baseball Centennial patch on his uniform and the iconic bend of Gehrig’s hat. These 100 pieces will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

All auction proceeds, net of third-party administrative, minting and platform expenses, will be distributed to The Lou Gehrig Society, the Healey Center, and The ALS Association, and any amounts that may be paid in the future to MLB Advanced Media and/or Candy that are attributable to subsequent sales of the auctioned NFT will be distributed to Major League Baseball Charities, Inc.

Candy is a new digital asset content company building an innovative new NFT ecosystem that will change how fans and collectors engage with their favorite sports, music, art, and cultural icons. In addition, the unique virtual storefront will provide fans and collectors the opportunity to explore and purchase officially licensed digital collectibles and trade them on a secure secondary marketplace. Candy is partnering with leading minds in blockchain to develop a new purpose-built NFT ecosystem connected to Ethereum. The blockchain architecture is 99% more efficient than current Proof of Work blockchain networks, providing a secure, scalable, and sustainable solution for creators and content owners.

Ethereum is an open-source blockchain-based platform used to create and share business, financial services, and entertainment applications. As a blockchain network, Ethereum is a decentralized public ledger for verifying and recording transactions. The network's users can create, publish, monetize, and use applications on the platform, and use its Ether cryptocurrency as payment.