The San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League announced that as early as June 15, they will be accepting cryptocurrencies as payments, making them the first NHL team to do so.
The new and relatively volatile digital assets can be used for the purchase of season tickets, luxury boxes, and even sponsorships.
Sharks President Jonathan Becher commented on the decision and said, “We’re accepting PayPal, so then by definition, we’re accepting cryptocurrency. Why not embrace it and make it more visible as opposed to just doing it through third party?”
Partnering with BitPay
In order to facilitate this development for their loyal fans and supporters, the team partnered with BitPay in order to be able to accept a variety of digital currencies that include bitcoin, ethereum, dogecoin, and more.
Using his Twitter account, the team president also elaborated that initially, they will accept the form of payment for season tickets, suite leases, and partnerships, with other use cases including single-game tickets, F&B, and merchandises due for additional evaluation over time.
The organization is also not closing its doors on crypto collectibles and other related engagements as well. Replying to a query about NFTs and smart contract collectibles, Becher said, “Perhaps. I do think the blockchain will have more of an impact on sports and entertainment than people realize.”
NHL warming up on crypto
The NHL continues to slowly but surely open its doors for the nascent digital asset class.
Last March, crypto exchange Crypto.com entered into a partnership deal with Montreal Canadiens following news that the exchange successfully partnered with the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Meanwhile, teams also found another way to engage in the crypto world through fan tokens as New Jersey Devils of the NHL signed a deal with Socios.com and Chiliz for marketing efforts to integrate blockchain technology in audience monetization and engagement.
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