NFL Players Take Crypto Salaries as Cryptos and Sport Continue to Unite

There’s been plenty of crypto sports news in recent weeks, as platforms look to harness sports media coverage for growth. Last week, crypto exchange Crypto.com (CRO) bought Super Bowl LVI airtime as it looks to become a top 20 consumer brand within 5-years. The move came off the back of announcing a sponsorship deal with U.S female soccer team Angel City F.C.

It’s not just the crypto platforms that are looking to sports, however. There has also been greater interest from players for crypto or fiat-crypto blended salaries.

Top NFL Players Accept Crypto Salaries

This week, news hit the wires of a number of leading NFL players jumping into the crypto space by asking to be paid fully or partially in crypto.

The moves come off the back of an impressive year for the crypto market and for the NFL.

A number of the largest cryptos, including Bitcoin (BTC), hit all-time highs in late 2021. As crypto adoption continues to rise, the latest news will continue to drive interest in Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader crypto market.

The players who have recently announced taking crypto salaries include Aaron Jones, Aaron Rodgers, Odell Beckham Jr, Saquon Barkley, Sean Culkin, Tom Brady, and Trevor Lawrence. Sean Culkin stands out from the list by being the only player to take his entire salary in BTC. Others are swapping a portion of their salary or will be receiving endorsements in crypto.

Such is the interest from sports, that Aaron Jones has also reportedly become an FTX ambassador.

While crypto salaries within the U.S National Football League is nothing new, the latest list of players is significant.

Aaron Rodgers is the 2020 NFL MVP, with yearly earnings in excess of $20m. Tom Brady, requires few introductions as the leading touchdown passer in NFL history. A greater accolade, however, is his 7 Super Bowl wins.

The seven latest players are not the first to take a crypto salary, however. Russell Okung reportedly became the first NFL player to take a crypto salary. He reportedly received 50% of his salary in Bitcoin (BTC) in 2020.

Sports Impact on Cryptos

When looking at the U.S National Football League and its following, news of leading players embracing crypto can only be positive for the crypto market.

Super Bowl TV audiences alone can exceed 100m, which is almost one third of the U.S population. The 2015 Super Bowl had the largest TV viewing of 114m. Influence on the crypto market should therefore be inevitable. If the country’s sporting icons are accepting and embracing cryptos, others are likely to follow.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin (BTC) was down by 0.07% to $50,753, while up 75% year-to-date. In November, Bitcoin (BTC) had struck an ATH $68,958 before easing back. Increased adoption supports the more bullish projections for 2022, with some eyeing a visit to $100,000 levels.