The shirtsleeves of UK Premier League’s Watford football club will bear the Bitcoin “B” logo this season, according to an official announcement from the club and crypto-friendly sports betting platform Sportsbet.io. Watford FC merchandise can also be purchased with cryptocurrency.
We are pleased to announce the @Bitcoin logo (₿) will appear on our shirt sleeve this season, as part of an educational drive led by the sports betting brand @Sportsbetio.
Find out more about the landmark deal ⤵️ — Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) September 12, 2019
The announcement explained that that the decision to print the logo on the players’ uniforms is part of an effort to raise awareness of the partnership and to “give back” to the cryptocurrency community.
“The crypto community have been hugely supportive of us since we began, so putting the Bitcoin logo on the sleeve felt like a fun way to give something back while also showing them our support,” said Justin Le Brocque, head of Sportsbook.io’s Marketing department.
And of course, increased awareness around crypto can’t hurt the company, either: “some of the biggest challenges we and others like us face is raising awareness, dispelling common myths around cryptos and educating the public on the advantages and opportunities presented by cryptocurrencies,” he added.
The three-year partnership between the sports betting platform and the football club was originally announced just last month preceding the kickoff of the 2019/2020 Premier League season. The collaboration between the two entities also grants anyone who wishes for it the opportunity to place Bitcoin bids to access a public LED screen shown during live matches.
Crypto and professional sports grow closer
The partnership between Sportsbet.io and Watford is the latest in a growing number of collaborative efforts between the cryptocurrency industry and the world of professional sports.
In August, the Dallas Mavericks became the second NBA team to accept Bitcoin as a means of payment for merchandise and tickets to matches. The first team, the Sacramento Kings, became the first NBA team to accept BTC Payments in 2014.
In August of 2018, social trading provider eToro made a historic $6 million combined sponsorship with seven different Premier League teams.
In 2017, Argentine star football player Lionel Messi announced in a Facebook post that he had become a brand ambassador for Sirin Labs, the creator of the Finney blockchain phone: "I am usually busy trying to decentralize defenses and after digging deeper into Blockchain and decentralized systems, I’m excited to join SIRIN LABS as an ambassador to make blockchain more friendly with their upcoming operating system for smartphones!”
