Perth Heat, one of the most successful baseball teams in Australia, announced today that it has decided to pay its players in Bitcoin . As part of the club’s strategy, Perth Heat will hold Bitcoin on its balance sheet.
Perth Heat collaborated with OpenNode to send and receive instant BTC Payments powered by the lightning network. The club aims to accept Bitcoin payments for sponsorships and merchandise. Moreover, the staff of Perth Heat will be able to receive payments in the world’s most valuable crypto asset.
“We firmly believe that the mindset that Bitcoin imparts on network participants will be felt by our players, coaches, staff and our loyal fan base, and we look forward to setting the bar for how much value a sports organization can bring to a community in the BTC age. By embracing the underlying values of the Bitcoin protocol, we believe that the organization can reach new levels of success both on and off the field and remind the world of the true value of sports,” Steven Nelkovski, CEO of Perth Heat, said.
Bitcoin and Sports
BTC is getting popular among athletes around the world. In December 2020, Russell Okung, who plays for Carolina Panthers in the American National Football League (NFL), received 50% of his annual salary in Bitcoin. In June 2021, the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) became the first pro sports league in North America to adopt Bitcoin as a mode of payment for salaries.
“The Perth Heat is committed to operating according to a BTC Standard and in doing so are shifting the corporate treasury from dollars to Bitcoin. The club has already established an initial position in BTC to help secure its digital property rights on the world’s most secure monetary network and will continue to reinvest available capital into BTC," Patrick O’Sullivan, Chief Bitcoin Officer at Perth Heat said.
