Category: Sports

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Australia Crypto News NFTs Sports

Australia Going Crazy Over Sport NFT Trading Cards

Interest in Australian sports trading cards has surged and several businesses are hoping to cash in by offering famous sporting moments as NFTs.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have been taking the crypto world by storm over the past 12 months, and it’s a trend that most exchanges are exploiting. Binance recently ran the ‘100 Creators’ campaign, which featured Australian artists, sports stars and musicians contributing work sold as NFTs. Crypto.com also recently launched its own NFT marketplace, featuring contributions from music and sports celebrities.

Lebron James’s slam dunk NFT sold for US$200,000
MomentPrice
LeBron James “Cosmic” Dunk$208,000
Zion Williamson “Holo MMXX” Block$100,000
LeBron James “From the Top” Block$100,000
LeBron James “Throwdowns” Dunk$100,000
LeBron James “Holo MMXX” Dunk$99,999
Steph Curry “Deck the Hoops” Handles$85,000
Giannis Antetokounmpo “Holo MMXX” Dunk$85,000
LeBron James “From the Top” Dunk$80,000
LeBron James “From the Top” Block$78,000
LeBron James “From the Top” Dunk$71,455
The 10 Biggest NBA Top Shot Sales to Date – Data from Cryptoslam.

Booming Market in Sport NFTs

The sports industry is the latest to join the NFT party. The NBA, English Premier League, Major League Baseball and the UFC are among some of the big associations to have taken up the NFT craze. Grand Slam tennis champion Andy Murray has also made his entry into the NFT world, auctioning off a number of his memorable Wimbledon moments, one of which sold for US$177,777 when he won Wimbledon in 2013.

Collectibles Craze In Australia

Australian companies such as Four Points Collectables and Sport Moments are aiming to bring the sports NFT market to Australia for sports such as NRL, AFL and Basketball.

We’re creating a platform specifically built for Australian sporting codes that creates NFTs and brings a new layer of engagement to Australian sporting fans.

Jacob Osborne, Sport Moments CEO
NRL Trading Cards by fourpointcollectables.com

Collectibles in general are experiencing a resurgence. David Miller, the man behind AFL Footy Cards, says the entire 2021 collection had sold out in June. Miller believes NFTs are “where the future will be”. He will be working with Sport Moments to offer AFL fans a new way to engage with their favourite sport.

Popular NRL players such as Ryan Papenhuyzen and Sandor Earl are getting involved in the trading cards action, as they collect and share them on their social media accounts.

Ryan Papenhuyzen Sharing NRL Trading Cards on Instagram

The Dark Side of NFTs

Everyone wants a slice of the NFT pie at the moment. The ability to prove ownership is a game changer and no doubt we’re only just scratching the surface of possible applications. However, despite all of the hype about NFTs, they have also received a lot of criticism, primarily around their environmental impact.

NFTs have also been criticised for perpetuating art theft rather than preventing it, which is ironic because the latter was one of the primary arguments promoted by early campaigners of NFT art.

The Future of NFTs is Uncertain

No one knows what the future holds for NFTs. They may prove to be a pivotal part of the next digital revolution or they may prove to be just another fad that fizzles out after a couple of years.

For more on how to buy, sell and transfer NFTs, check this recent story run by Crypto News Australia.

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Crypto Memes Crypto News Cryptocurrencies Cryptos Events Sports

‘WTF Coin’ Crypto Streaker Hits Euro 2020 Match

Running up on stage or out onto the sports field has become a popular way to hijack mass audience attention, if only for a moment, and perhaps shill your shitcoin at a big event.

What The Actual?

Interrupting a June 22 Euro 2020 match in Saint Petersburg, Russia between Belgium and Finland, a young woman ran onto the football pitch wearing just a smile, a black bodysuit and tiny shorts. Across her chest in big letters read ‘WTF’ and in smaller script a website address, yoursafe.wtf. The woman lasted about half a minute before she was captured by security and escorted off the pitch.

To save yourself the trouble of looking up the WTF coin, here are the highlights:

  1. The artwork is pretty cool. That’s all.

Regular Football Fan Also Invades Pitch

The WTF woman was not the only pitch invader of the day. In the other Group B game between Denmark and Russia, a Russian fan made it onto the field before also being stopped by security. However, this fan was not promoting anything. He was simply wearing a Russia jersey and was there to support his team.

For more wacky behaviour, check out these highlights of the Bitcoin 2021 Miami Conference shenanigans.

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Bitcoin Bitstamp Crypto News Sports

Gamers Can Now Wager Bitcoin When Playing Counter-Strike

Now you can wager on your Counter-Strike games using ZEBEDEE Bitcoin gaming wallet and Infuse technology that lets you scan a QR code, join a lobby, and play Bitcoin-infused games.

Earlier this year, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) got an unofficial Bitcoin integration through Bitcoin start-up ZEBEDEE, where players pay a few Satoshis (1 Satoshi = 1/100,000,000 BTC) as an entry fee and if they perform well, they can walk away with a few extra.

Improved User Experience With Bitstamp

Using ZEBEDEE’s Infuse, servers players will be able to scan a QR code to pay a small amount of BTC – as little as 100 Satoshis – as an entrance fee. Different servers have different rules, fees and rewards. Your potential winnings will fluctuate based on your percentage of the total game score. And after the game you can withdraw your winnings.

ZEBEDEE admitted that previously it was a bit tedious to transfer funds or swap cryptos with their native wallet. However, now with Bitstamp integration “users can log into the ZEBEDEE wallet using their Bitstamp account info, making it easier for players to move and convert the Bitcoin they win while playing games”. By bridging the gap between the world of Bitcoin gaming and the global economy, gamers will be able to move Bitcoin between games and the real world with ease.

Bitcoin gaming wallet [ZEBEDEE]

ZEBEDEE’s integration uses Bitcoin’s Lightning Network to handle the transactions. In the late game, ZEBEDEE plans to launch servers that won’t require an entry fee, thanks to sponsors and advertising.

Allowing Normal Players To Monetise Their Fun-time

“The biggest revolution will be for ordinary players,” says ZEBEDEE CEO Simon Cowell, adding that “at the moment, esports tournaments are only open to a small elite of pros who win all the money”. ZEBEDEE’s service will allow no-pro gamers and crypto enthusiasts alike to leverage their skills and earn/lose some crypto playing games they enjoy. Simon also says that more infused games will be added later.

Bitcoin really does change the game, in more ways than one. Suddenly your score inside the game has real-world economic value. This massively increases the level of engagement you have with the game, but it also points to previously impossible economic models. I thoroughly believe that gaming is how we bring the next billion users into crypto and that, in the future, young people will earn their first paycheque simply by playing games.

Simon Cowell, CEO of ZEBEDEE
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Bitcoin Crypto News Sports

Top 10 Finish For The Bitcoin Car At Indy 500

On Sunday May 30, the world’s first Bitcoin car finished 8th in the 105th annual Indianapolis 500, after leading the race for 32 laps.

The car was entered by Ed Carpenter Racing who forfeited all sponsors for this year’s race (run over 500 miles) in favour of promoting Bitcoin.

Below is a video of the car being prepared for the event.

Bank Sponsored Car Runs Out Of Gas

In a humorous highlight, the Bitcoin car overtook the rival PNC Bank sponsored car when it ran out of fuel.

Bitcoin QR Code Added On The Car

Bitcoin QR Code Shown on The Bitcoin Car

There was a Bitcoin address in QR code added on the car itself, which was the primary address used for donations for the race.

It was Bitcoin Pizza Day last week, baking to support Bitcoin developers; now a car, racing for Bitcoin awareness! Exciting things are happening as Bitcoin keeps on coming; slowly but surely, creeping into our everyday lives, hidden in plain sight for those that are awake enough to see.

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Betting Bitcoin Crypto News Sports

Magnus Carlsen Wins The FTX Chess Cup Worth A$28,000 Of Bitcoin, Plus Cash

Chess world champion Magnus Carlsen has won the FTX Chess Cup, the world’s first Bitcoin chess championship, taking home the prize of 0.6 BTC and US$60,000 in cash.

In the live stream, Magnus (ranked #1) celebrated wildly after winning against Filipino-American Grandmaster Wesley So (ranked #9). See live chess ratings.

Winning this tournament provides Carlsen with a seat at the Meltwater Champions Chess Final in San Francisco.

This isn’t the first time chess and Bitcoin has been in the news, as former world champion Garry Kasparov declared his support for Bitcoin and blockchain technologies last year.

FTX is Expanding into “Crypto Sports Betting”

FTX has created a new specialised futures contract platform, which allows crypto traders to place “bets” on sporting events from the Olympics to events such as the 2024 American presidential elections.

How Australians Can Trade On The Olympics

Trading on the 2021 Olympics (OLY2021) is available to Australians, but not in several other countries as stated on the FTW website: “Trading OLY2021 is not permitted by residents of the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the UAE, Cambodia, Turkey, mainland China and Hong Kong SAR, and other FTX prohibited jurisdictions.”.

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Betting Bitcoin Crypto News Gaming Sports

Sony Publishes Patent For Bitcoin-Supported Esports Betting Platform

Sony Interactive Entertainment, the video game and digital entertainment company of Sony Group, has published its patent application for an eSports betting platform that will support Bitcoin payments.

Sony to Support Bitcoin in New Betting Platform

The patent was published this month, although it was initially filed by the entertainment firm in 2019, according to the report by IGN. The information on the patent states that the company is considering developing a betting service for livestream eSports events. The platform will basically enable viewers to bet on live streaming events like fighting game tournaments. 

In the patent, the company mentioned Bitcoin (BTC) as one of the options (wager) through which viewers can place or earn from a bet. 

Wagers may be pecuniary, e.g., money or bitcoin, or maybe non-pecuniary, e.g., game assets, digital rights, and virtual currency. 

US20210142624 E-Sports Betting Platform patent

The platform will be powered by a machine learning algorithm that can be used to learn correct odds based on a training set from past proposition bets. This algorithm will equally help identify essential events in the simulation for better proposition bets. 

Once the proposition bets are defined, the odds for those bets are established either by a human or by an algorithm accessing the game analytic data of some or all of the simulation participants.

US20210142624 E-Sports Betting Platform patent

Gaming Companies Are Embracing Crypto

It remains unknown when the proposed eSports betting service will be launched. However, it looks like a company’s effort to onboard more fans into the esports community.

The world of cryptocurrency and gaming is getting closer and stronger as more firms continue to support and integrate digital currency in their services.

Having a broader look at the sports industry, some clubs started rewarding players in crypto and issuing their own tokens, some of which have recently scored tremendous growth in price.

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Crypto News NFTs Sports

Retired Chinese Basketballer Yao Ming Launches NFTs for Wines

Retired Chinese Basketballer Yao Ming Launches NFTs for Wines

Yao Family Wines has reportedly become the first winery to offer non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles for its wines at auction.

The Napa Valley-based winery was founded back in 2011 by the retired Chinese NBA star, Yao Ming. Yao Family Wines’ move to issuing NFTs is part of the direction to bring the cryptocurrency and winery space together, according to the president at Yao Family Wines, Jay Behmke.

The CHOP DROP NFTs

The Winery issued a limited edition of non-fungible token contents during the auction of its most exclusive wine dubbed “THE CHOP” last month. According to the announcement, THE CHOP is a limited 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon produced by Yao Family Wines. The NFTs paired with the auction of THE CHOP contained images of the retired basketballer, Yao Ming, and short info about the wine.

Pairing this exquisite wine with a limited edition NFT should appeal to wine collectors, sports memorabilia collectors, NFT collectors, early adopters, and anyone who appreciates the value of one-of-a-kind assets.

Jay Behmke, President of Yao Family Wines

The auction was held on April 19 “in the spirit of experimentation” and it attracted about 33 bidders.

Yao Family Wines to Donate Part of Proceeds

Yao Family Wines didn’t disclose the proceeds from the auction, but it planned to donate some of the proceeds from the auction to the Asian American community, which includes the Chinatown Community Development Center, The Museum of Chinese in America, Asian Health Services, Lucky Chow, and many others.

As a Napa Valley-based winery with a Chinese founder, we’re also pleased to dedicate a portion of proceeds from THE CHOP DROP to the Asian American community at this critical time.

Jay Behmke, President of Yao Family Wines
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Australia Bitcoin Crypto News Sports

Australian Cricketer Brett Lee Donates 1 BTC to COVID-19 Charity in India

Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee is now the second Australian cricketer to donate towards India’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. But Brett made his payment in the form of 1 Bitcoin (BTC).

Moved by the donation made by fellow Australian cricketer Pat Cummings, who donated $50,000 USD to the PM CARES Fund for oxygen supplies in India. Pat’s donation would be worth about 4090943.37 INR or RS 40 lakh.

It saddens me deeply to see people suffering due to the pandemic. I feel privileged to be in a position of making a difference […] I’d like to donate 1 Bitcoin to Crypto Relief to help with the purchase of oxygen supplies for the hospitals across India.

Brett Lee

Is India Still Banning Crypto?

Currently, Bitcoin is still not considered legal tender in India.

A Cabinet note is being prepared. It’s almost nearing completion and then it will be taken to the Cabinet… We will allow a certain amount of window for people to experiment on blockchain and bitcoin. However, the what formulation of cryptocurrency will be part of the Cabinet note which will get ready soon.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Indian Finance Minister

Cryptocurrency donated within India can be exchanged for Indian Rupee, but the industry is “still exploring” the process for using such funds from outside India.

The crypto fund was started by Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon (a Bangalore-based blockchain company), to help buy supplies of food and oxygen. So far the fund has collected $3 million USD, with a donation of $600,000 from Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum (ETH).

Considerations will need to be made by a regulatory body in India otherwise the cryptocurrencies gathered in the fund will not be usable. But it seems Sandeep is championing the initiative with great urgency.

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Bitcoin Crypto News Sports

Top Quarterback, Trevor Lawrence Signs Multi-Year Sponsorship Deal with Blockfolio

Top Quarterback, Trevor Lawrence Signs Multi-Year Sponsorship Deal with Blockfolio

A popular American football quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, has signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with Blockfolio, a cryptocurrency portfolio tracking and management company. Under the agreement, the footballer can choose to receive his future bonuses in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

Blockfolio Now Sponsors Trevor Lawrence

As reported on Monday, the development marks the first crypto sponsorship deal ever bagged by the Clemson Tigers’ quarterback.

We believe that Trevor is the future of football, and we think that crypto is the future of finance. Trevor represents a lot of the promise and potential of football at the highest level, and we think that crypto represents the same thing at the highest level of finance.

Sina Nader, COO of Blockfolio

Although Blockfolio did not disclose the exact number of cryptos – Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana – paid to the footballer, the company said the player’s first bonus was paid in cryptocurrencies on Friday. As per the report, the cryptocurrencies deposited to Lawrence’s Blockfolio account are worth more in today’s price.

Lawrence’s interest in cryptocurrencies led him to choose the crypto company amongst other companies in the banking and stock trading sector.

When it comes to my crypto portfolio, I wanted a long-term partner in the space that I could trust.

Trevor Lawrence

The Sports Industry is Loving Crypto

Interest in digital currencies in the sports industry seems definitely on the rise. For example, one of the top English football teams, Southampton FC, recently scored a new sponsorship deal with Coingaming Group. It will enable the club to distribute performance bonuses to players in Bitcoin at the end of every season until the next three years.

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Bitcoin Crypto News Sports

English Football Team Southampton FC Can Now Pay Players in Bitcoin

English Football Team Southampton FC Can Now Pay Players in Bitcoin

Southampton FC, an English professional football club, has secured a new sponsorship deal with Coingaming Group, the leading operator of Sportsbet.io, which will enable the club to distribute performance bonus to players in Bitcoin (BTC).

The Saints Players to Receive Bonus in Bitcoin

According to the announcement, the football club, which is nicknamed “The Saints”, signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Coingaming Group last week. The new offer comes as an extension of a one-year sponsorship agreement between Coingaming Group and Southampton FC at the start of the season for the 2020/21 campaign.

This means Coingaming Group’s Sportsnet.io will continue to be the shirt sponsor for The Saints until 2024.

This is the biggest sponsorship deal ever secured by the English football club, according to the announcement. The interesting part of the renewed sponsorship deal is that Southampton players can choose to receive bonuses in Bitcoin. So, for the stated period of the sponsorship, Southampton FC will distribute performance bonuses to players in Bitcoin at the end of every season.

Our first season as Southampton FC’s main club partner has already exceeded all expectations. We’ve been inspired by the passion of the club and its fans, and it was an easy decision for us to extend our partnership with the Saints for another three years. [..] We can’t wait to continue this journey with the Saints, and we’ll be doing everything we can to support the team and its community into the future.

Maarja Pärt, CEO of the Coingaming Group

Soccer Teams Are Embracing Crypto

The development today is one of the things that drive more attention and adoption of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies among football players and clubs. Moreover, some professional football teams, including Manchester City, have launched fan tokens as a medium to strengthen engagement with their supporters.