Work for Pay > Pay to Play > Play to Earn
Day to day, people engage in just a few overarching categories of activity: work, rest, and play. For at least a few thousand years, by and large, most of us have been paid to work so we can rest and play in comfort.
One radical shift occurred in the late 19th century with the advent of the Professional Sports paradigm: if someone played with enough skill, society agreed to pay them, turning their play into work, so the rest of us could be entertained (also play).
The continuous forward march of technology has brought us to another pivotal moment where the ages-old model undergoes a tectonic shift — the ability for most humans to get paid to play; now commonly called play-to-earn (P2E). Still in its nascent stages, the demonstrated ability of Web3 to power micro-scale transactions is enabling new digital ecosystems which can “gamify” our physical lives. Onto this stage, in this key moment, steps the Axiom Foundation.
Unveiling the Physical Future of P2E: Axiom’s Thesis
Axiom is a non-profit entity with a singular motivation: accelerate the growth and proliferation of P2E opportunities in real world sports. For too long already, P2E has been the exclusive province of digital games and the inherent obstacle is that these games are purpose-built for P2E, and thus are not the games which the majority of e-sports enthusiasts truly play.
An example may be illustrative. Considering P2E in its present state, Axie Infinity’s $SLP token may come to mind, which is earned by its roughly 93,600 daily players. By contrast, Epic Games, with its 30 million daily Fortnite players, is so far from a token, that they are still imposing Terms of Service Bans for wagering on matches. Its tough to imagine a $DUTY token being any closer on the horizon, yet Fortnite and Call of Duty’s player-bases positively dwarf anything in P2E.
Axiom was formed to dovetail P2E with the outdoor games and sports that hundreds of millions of people have already been playing, watching, and engaging with fanatically for centuries. We aren’t creating new games and asking for adoption. We are empowering creators to reward people for playing the games they already know and love.
Where to Begin?
At this point you might be curious where, in the world of sport, Axiom plans to break ground. We’re starting with a sport which has a 45 million strong global player base. This is a sport which has seen more growth than any other in the last ten years by volume, which shares with Web3 a largest demographic of 18–34 year olds, and which currently carries an average cost of $43 for each session of play.
We’re starting on the tee box, with Golf.
Mission and Purpose: A New Tee Off
By offering tools and infrastructure, Axiom aims to amplify the adoption rate of P2E and blockchain more generally for organizations, apps, and players across the Golf Industry. The goal is for players, collectors, and fans worldwide to more readily engage with the sport they love in unprecedented ways. Given that the key enabling factor required to bring P2E to golf is a currency with which ecosystems can reward golfing, Axiom’s first contribution to the global golfing community will be the $GOLF token, minted on the Solana network.
$GOLF Token Utility for P2E Ecosystems
The $GOLF token will clear the way for an array of new engagement possibilities with Golf as a sport. Axiom’s vision is for projects to use the token to reward users for their engagement. After receiving tokens, users could potentially redeem tokens for unique real world golf experiences, green fees, merchandise, and AI-based coaching, to name a few. Furthermore, any team building a Web3 project related to Golf can apply to Axiom for a $GOLF token allocation.
Governance & Community: Decentralization from the Ground Up
Axiom will employ a decentralized governance model that values transparency, engagement, and responsiveness. Governance will be divided between the General Assembly and the Clubhouse Council, every token holder is automatically included in the General Assembly (GA) while the Clubhouse Council (CC) will be populated by more major token holders who are chosen for their expertise and experience.
We will get deeper into governance in a later article but briefly, the GA will submit proposals and the CC will act as Proposal Reviewers and give strategic guidance. Quadratic voting mechanisms are in place to ensure that no one segment has too much influence when proposals are voted. This approach ensures that the Axiom ecosystem remains adaptive and aligned with the community’s evolving needs, while fostering an environment where every voice matters. Axiom’s fortified commitment to decentralization will ensure that its communities not only grow but thrive, adapting and evolving to meet the diverse needs of its stakeholders.
The Future is Here
The Axiom Foundation stands at the convergence of sports and Web3, driving forward a vision that encompasses community-driven growth, technological innovation, and an unwavering passion for sport. It represents not just a new chapter for world sporting, but a first reimagining of what golf can be in the digital age.
As we look to the horizon, the possibilities are as vast as the fairways themselves. Axiom invites you to join us in reshaping the future of sport, golf, and P2E ecosystems. Together, we can push the status quo forward in Golf, making it more accessible, engaging, and rewarding for all.