More and more sports organizations are starting to embrace the Web3 space, providing fans with new ways to interact with their teams.
Let’s take a closer look at what sports organizations and famous athletes actively use digital assets in their activities and how they accomplish it.
Football Clubs
Football is one of the most popular sports in the world. No wonder that football clubs have been the most active in integrating digital technologies into their processes.
Some famous FCs have partnered with the blockchain platform Socios to issue their own fan tokens. Fans can now buy and use the tokens to vote on various club decisions and receive exclusive bonuses and privileges. Among the clubs participating in the system are:
- Paris Saint-Germain (France);
- Arsenal, Manchester City, and West Ham United (the U.K.);
- Juventus and Roma (Italy);
- Atlético de Madrid (Spain);
- Galatasaray (Turkey).
Football clubs are entering the cryptocurrency market by collaborating with other blockchain platforms. For example, Portuguese Benfica has partnered with Utrust, so tickets for the team’s matches can be purchased for BTC, ETH, and other cryptocurrencies. Bayern Munich has created an NFT collection with digital copies of the club’s players via the Stryking Entertainment platform. Fans can buy tokens and organize virtual competitions. Real Madrid fans can access exclusive club videos through the Fantastec SWAP blockchain platform.
Since 2021, CoinsPaid has sponsored Aris Limassol FC, which won the Cyta Championship and the Cypriot Super Cup in the 2022/23 season. Thanks to the partnership, fans could vote for the team’s best player and participate in several educational seminars on Web3 from the company.
Basketball Clubs
Basketball clubs also embrace blockchain in their business processes and as a tool for interacting with fans.
For instance, the Sacramento Kings from California, the National Basketball Association (NBA) team, became the first major sports organization to start accepting Bitcoin for buying tickets and stadium merchandise. The Dallas Mavericks from Texas also followed suit.
In 2018, the Houston Rockets from Texas were sponsored by the AntPool mining pool. This was the first time in NBA history that a team was funded by crypto-assets.
The Golden State Warriors partnered with Nifty Inc. in 2021 and issued NFT digital collectible cards. Cryptocurrencies have allowed fans to invest in equity stakes in basketball clubs such as the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors. This was made possible via the SportBLX platform.
In 2021, crypto exchange Crypto.com entered into an agreement with the iconic Staples Center basketball arena in downtown Los Angeles for $713 million. The sports complex has been renamed the Crypto.com Arena for the next 20 years.
Hockey Teams
Hockey teams aren’t lagging behind in the adoption of cryptocurrencies either. Fans of the Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) can buy tickets to the teams’ games with BTC and some other cryptocurrencies as payment. The Buffalo Sabres fans can purchase exclusive merchandise at the team’s official stadium with digital assets. The Dallas Stars hockey team works closely with Crypto.com and also allows fans to use cryptocurrencies to interact with the team.
The Vegas Golden Knights team can provide their fans with access to exclusive content thanks to their partnership with the Surprise platform. For example, a fan of the team can be given an NFT pass to practice.
The NHL management is also actively exploring the digital space. For instance, the 2022/23 hockey season will be thoroughly covered in an NFT compilation. The tokens will be created through a partnership with the NFT platform Sweet and feature the season’s best players or the league’s highlights.
Baseball Teams
