An Australian baseball team, the first to fully adopt a bitcoin standard, is well-positioned to be a bitcoin advocate in the sports world.
Almost 100 years since the Globetrotters were formed in 1926, the Perth Heat, Bitcoin’s baseball team from Australia, is set to change sports forever, but in a different way.
Originally, the Globetrotters played a huge role in the desegregation of professional basketball. But some 20,000 wins later, and having played for more than 120 million fans in 123 countries worldwide, the Globetrotters’ legend lives on.
Back in November, 2021, Perth Heat became the first team in the world of sports to begin operating on a Bitcoin standard. It’s a move which surprised many — a move which the skeptics laughed at, and a move which normies had no idea the meaning of or why a business would even consider BTC.
But just like every piece of technology that’s passed through human hands over centuries, these attitudes will change, and it won’t be too long before all professional sport teams have bitcoin integrated into their business.
Why Will Sport Teams Integrate Bitcoin?
Firstly, because their players will demand payment in bitcoin. Athletes understand low time preference better than most.
Secondly, sports organizations won’t remain competitive if they stay on the sidelines.
Likewise, bitcoin won’t win if it stays on the sidelines.
Recently, Block Inc. published some research on the global awareness of bitcoin which Marty Bent summarized in his issue-1218:
“Currently, the conversation around bitcoin is confined to Twitter, YouTube, technical mailing lists/forums, and GitHub. Whether you like it or not, one thing bitcoiners can do to try to close the information gap is meeting the audience where they live these days, which include platforms like TikTok and Instagram,” Bent wrote.
So how does the famed history of Globetrotters and a baseball team from Perth, Australia, help the global adoption of bitcoin?
Well, just like the Globetrotters helped bring basketball to so many new fans, the Perth Heat can bring bitcoin to many new communities.
Did you know there is a semi-professional baseball league in France?
Now picture this.
The Bitcoin baseball team lands at Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, to play a series of games against the best baseball team in France, the Huskies de Rouen.
The Huskies are like the Yankees. They have won 15 of the last 17 championships — they win a lot.
So, can a baseball team, operating on a Bitcoin standard, halt the Huskies juggernaut?
Would such a game intrigue France’s leading newspaper L’equipe?
How about scenario two?
This time the Bitcoin baseball team crosses the Atlantic sea for a trip to Mexico!
Mexicans love baseball and we know Ricardo Salinas loves bitcoin.
Now, if Uncle Ricky was to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the game, do you think photos of Salinas throwing a bitcoin-branded baseball would make headlines?
While in Mexico, the Bitcoin baseball team could play a series against Durango. Durango are in the Mexican league and the organization has developed their very own fan token, Xoy Coin!
Suddenly, we could have the first-ever international event between a Bitcoin sports team and a tokenized team — and when Perth wins, the inevitable conquering of bitcoin over all other coins will become apparent!
The cities and host venues are endless.
Tournaments around the world could be created, and the Bitcoin Cup could be hosted in different cities like London, Shanghai or Johannesburg.
Imagine, the Bitcoin Sports League! Perth Heat (baseball), Peter McCormack’s Real Bedford (soccer) and the NBA’s Houston Rockets who have partnered with NYDIG (basketball).
Out of season, March to October, the Bitcoin baseball team could travel around the world to help education and global adoption as role models and community partners, even supporting projects like Jack Dorsey and Jay Z’s Btrust in Nigeria.
Just like the Globetrotters took basketball to all parts of the world, entertaining communities who knew little about basketball, the Perth Heat are primed to play a similar role for bitcoin.
It’s time to play ball.
This is a guest post by Steven Nelkovski. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
