Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani Joins FTX’s Global Ambassadors, MLB Superstar to Be Paid in Crypto

November 17, 2021 Bitcoin.com

NYDIG partners with Houston Rockets basketball franchise, plans to pay team in BTC

November 16, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Basketball

The deal seems to be part of a larger move for Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who is also the chairman and CEO of a restaurant group that recently launched a Bitcoin rewards program.

The New York Digital Investment Group will be paying the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets franchise in Bitcoin as part of a partnership aimed at promoting crypto education and adoption.

In a Nov. 16 announcement, the Houston Rockets said the New York Digital Investment Group, or NYDIG, would become the team’s official Bitcoin (BTC) services partner and platform. As part of the partnership, NYDIG is planning to name some of the Rockets’ premium seating at the Toyota Center in Houston the ‘Bitcoin Suites.’

The deal with the NYDIG seems to be part of a larger strategy for Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who is also chairman and CEO of Landry’s Restaurant Group. Last week, the company announced it would be introducing a BTC rewards program for its restaurants and is already rolling out BTC payment options.

Through Landry’s and other ventures, Fertitta, worth an estimated $6.3 billion, also owns a few hotels and five casino resorts across the United States. There have been no reports of BTC or other cryptocurrencies being accepted at these venues at the time of publication. However, in June, Fertitta said his holding company planned to start validating blocks on the Akash Network.

This year the crypto space has seen many major basketball franchises in the U.S. partner with companies dealing with digital assets and blockchain technology. In October, Voyager Digital inked a deal with the Dallas Mavericks in an aim to make crypto more accessible through fan engagement. Coinbase also recently signed a multiyear sponsorship contract with the NBA to be its exclusive crypto platform partner.

Q3 NFT Report Shows Non-Fungible Token Markets ‘Are in Phase of Dynamic, Unstoppable Growth’

November 6, 2021 Bitcoin.com

MMA Entertainment Firm UFC to Launch Exclusive NFT Series With Crypto.com

November 3, 2021 Bitcoin.com

Coinbase announces multiyear partnership with NBA and WNBA

October 19, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Basketball

The deal comes as the NBA prepares to start its 2021-2022 season, marking the association’s 75th anniversary.

Major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has inked a deal with the National Basketball Association giving the platform the opportunity to educate basketball fans on crypto.

In an Oct. 19 announcement, Coinbase said it would become the exclusive cryptocurrency platform partner of the National Basketball Association, or NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and USA Basketball as part of a multiyear sponsorship deal. According to the NBA, Coinbase will create “unique content, innovations, activations and experiences” for basketball fans to learn about the crypto space, as well as be a partner of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, the USA Basketball men’s and women’s national team exhibition tours, and the NBA G League Ignite.

Coinbase chief marketing officer Kate Rouch said the partnership would involve “interactive experiences to engage with the NBA and WNBA’s incredible community and athletes around the world.” The announcement comes as the NBA prepares to start its 2021-2022 season, marking the association’s 75th anniversary.

According to data from Statista, an average of 1.6 million people watched NBA regular season games across major networks during the 2019-2020 season. Coinbase said it would be featured during nationally televised NBA games.

Many crypto companies and platforms have formed partnerships with sports organizations across the globe as the space expands and seemingly becomes more profitable as a sponsor. Crypto derivatives exchange FTX announced it had become the official sponsor of Major League Baseball in June and previously struck a deal to name the Miami Heat’s home stadium the FTX Arena until 2040.

John Cena calls his own NFT sales a ‘catastrophic failure’

September 17, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Art

World Wrestling Entertainment offered 500 gold tier packages with Cena's NFT for $1,000, but only a fraction of them sold.

Professional wrestler and actor John Cena said fans only purchased 7.4% of his World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, non-fungible tokens he made available last month.

Speaking at Florida Supercon 2021 on Sept. 12, Cena said it was a mistake to market his WWE NFTs as part of a package with physical collectibles — a hat, shirt, wristbands, belt, towel, autographed picture, and the digital collectible. The organization offered 500 gold tier packages with the NFT for $1,000, but only a fraction of them sold.

“I talk a lot about failure — this idea failed,” said Cena. “Myself and the folks in the WWE thought $1,000 was a fair price point. We were wrong. We were absolutely wrong.”

He added:

“We sold 37 of them. It was a catastrophic failure.”

Cena and WWE released two tiers of NFTs for the wrestling star: a 24-hour auction of a “John Cena Platinum NFT” and the 500 limited edition NFTs as part of the aforementioned package of physical collectibles the following day. The platinum NFT reportedly sold for $21,000, with the highest bidder receiving VIP tickets and accommodations to WrestleMania 38 in Dallas or WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles.

The WWE veteran promoted the crypto space on social media long before the surge in popularity over NFTs. Before the 2017 Bitcoin (BTC) bull run — when the price was in the $4,000s — he tweeted a picture of the physical token. Retired professional wrestler The Undertaker, part of the WWE until 2020, has also been featured in NFT collections.

It’s unclear if wrestling fans were deterred by the price of the NFT — Cena himself estimated the digital artwork to be worth roughly $500 — or just the physical collectibles. In July, an entrepreneur launched simultaneous auctions for a job application from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and an NFT of the same. The physical paper ended up selling for $343,000, while the final bid for the NFT was 12 Ether (ETH), or roughly $27,460 at the time.

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