Mark Weaden
Five-time MVP champion Tom Brady has stated that he wants part of his salary to be paid to him in cryptocurrency
Tampa Bay Buccaneers leading man Tom Brady is the latest athlete to make his intentions clear regarding cryptocurrency, requesting that a portion of his salary be paid directly in digital assets.
Reigning Super Bowl champions the Tampa Bay have made the perfect start to the new season and their all-star quarterback Tom Brady has been a key feature of their success. Appearing on the Let’s Go SiriusXM podcast, Brady made the claim as well as stating that there are other NFL players that will make a similar request quite soon.
What was said?
The interview revealed more about Brady than just a faint interest in being paid in crypto, rather it showed a fairly broad knowledge of digital assets. The 7-time Super Bowl champion stated he’d like to get “paid in some Bitcoin or Ethereum or Solana tokens.” For him to have knowledge about Ethereum and Solana is a credit to him and shows that even sports stars are adjusting to the times.
Brady highlighted other sports stars that are already receiving their salaries in cryptocurrency, the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie of the Washington Wizards and NFL free agent Russell Okung, already having some of their salaries paid in crypto. Brady eyes cryptocurrency as the future of finance and signed a deal with trading platform FTX just a few months ago.
Cryptocurrency and sports sponsorships
There may be some relationship between so many high-profile athletes declaring their interest in cryptocurrency and the growing number of crypto-related companies striking sponsorship deals with sports organizations. Earlier this year Inter Milan dropped their iconic Pirelli sponsorship in favor of Socios NFTs, as well as the UFC signing a colossal $175 million deal with Crypto.com
While it’s not an athlete sport, the esports industry has also seen a huge influx of sponsorship deals over the last couple of years. The latest saw American esports giants sign a 10-year $210 million deal with FTX.
The focus for many companies is to gain exposure and become the market leader, whether that’s in the NFT, exchange, or any other aspect of the industry, now is the time to gain market dominance. Cryptocurrencies are still not accepted by the mainstream, so many companies vie to gain control of their respective markets.
