What sports do crypto firms care about?

Over the past several years, crypto marketing teams have been vying for the eyes of millions of sports fans through sponsorship deals with some of the world’s most popular clubs, teams, and franchises.

These firms have paid millions to rename arenas, display their branding front and center during tournaments, and take up valuable real estate on shirts, jerseys, and merchandise.

And, needless to say, they’ve launched way too many tokens.

The burgeoning relationship between crypto and sport shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, top-level sport gives sponsors access to a global audience of literally billions of people who they know will be watching week in, week out.

On the other side, many of these partnerships give this audience the opportunity to engage with their club, team, or favorite players. It appears to be a match made in heaven.

Of course, things don’t always work out — see the collapse of FTX after inking numerous sponsorship deals, or the Washington Nationals’ partnership with the Terra DAO — but the potential exposure is just too big an opportunity to pass up.

Protos decided to take a deeper look at where these eyeball-hungry crypto firms have spent their sponsorship funds and we’ve also put together an at-a-glance chart.

Binance

Binance is the highest-volume crypto exchange in the world, despite its recent legal issues. 

Most of the exchange’s sponsorship efforts have involved football. It has inked deals with the Argentinian National Team, FC Porto in Portugal, the Compeonato Brasileiro de Futbol Feminino, and the Campeonato Paulista in Brazil, as well as the CAF Africa Cup of Nations. 

Additionally, it partnered with S.S. Lazio of Italy and promoted its fan token on Binance’s launchpad. It has also supported the Santos FC fan tokens on Binance and Binance US. 

Outside football, Binance has also sponsored motorsports, linking up with Alpine’s Formula 1 (F1) team.

Coinmerce, a Binance broker, also sponsored Team Jumbo-Visma, a Dutch cycling team.

Read more: Binance directs Dutch users to Coinmerce — a Binance broker

ByBit

ByBit has also sponsored the Argentinian National Football Team as well as German top-flight outfit Borussia Dortmund and Avispa Fukuoka in Japan. 

Like Binance, it has also branched out into motorsports, sponsoring Red Bull Racing’s F1 team.

ByBit has also focused heavily on eSports, sponsoring Astralis and Natus Vincere, and has partnered with eSports team MIBR to list its fan token.

Crypto.com

Crypto.com has been one of the most active sponsors among crypto firms, entering into partnerships with football, basketball, Australian rules football, eSports, hockey, and motorsports teams, UFC, and even named a whole arena.

The arena in question — previously the Staples Center — is now the Crypto.com Arena. 

It was also one of the sponsors for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as well as the UEFA European Championship, the CENMEMBOL Copa Libertadores Cup, and the Lega Serie A. 

As you might expect, it has also sponsored football teams, including Paris Saint-Germain FC and Angel City FC. 

Not wanting to eschew the more violent end of the football spectrum, it also sponsored the Australian Football League as well as the Adelaide Crows, the Fremante Dockers FC, the Gold Coast SUNS, the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS FC, and the Richmond Tigers. 

And speaking of violent sports, it also partnered with the Ice Hockey World Championship and the Montreal Canadiens. 

Elsewhere, it signed deals with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Grand Prix and helped Aston Martin’s F1 team to launch an NFT project.

Finally, its eSports sponsorships include Fnatic.

Read more: CHART: Listing every crypto sponsor for the 2024/25 Premier League

Coinbase

Coinbase, one of the most important US-domiciled crypto exchanges, has focused on sponsorships in basketball. However, like ByBit, it has also sponsored German football club Borussia Dortmund. 

The firm was also a major partner for the NBA and WNBA, becoming the exclusive crypto platform. It has additionally partnered with the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and the Dallas Mavericks for NFT collections and has also partnered with the New York Liberty 

In terms of eSports, it has partnered with Berlin International Gaming and Team Liquid.

FTX

FTX is no longer sponsoring anyone due to the criminal behavior that led to its spectacular collapse. However, before its collapse, it purchased naming rights to what is now the Kaseya Center, naming rights to the field at California State University, was the official partner of Major League Baseball, as well as multiple basketball teams, a motorsports team, and Riot Games. 

Besides purchasing the naming rights to the Miami Heat Arena, FTX also sponsored the Golden State Warriors, the Wizards, the Capitals, and the Mystics. 

Additionally, it signed deals with the Mercedes F1 team. 

FTX even took an interest in cricket, partnering with the International Cricket Council. 

Kraken

Kraken’s sponsorship and partnership efforts have been slightly less extravagant than those of its rivals, with the exchange content to dip its toes into just motorsports and football. 

Kraken is a sponsor of the Williams F1 Racing team and sponsors football clubs Atlético de Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.

Read more: Has the naming rights curse finally hit crypto?

OKX 

OKX has chosen to sponsor a motorsports team, a football club, a golf club, and an eSports team.

In F1, it was a sponsor for McLaren and it also sponsored its Shadow eSports team, which races in F1 Sim Racing. 

Meanwhile, it also inked a $70 million three-year deal with Premier League champions Manchester City and it also sponsored the Majestics GC LIV Golf team.

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