Richard Sherman was a pioneer in the NFL. He was an early adapter of cryptocurrencies, accepting Bitcoin for merchandise purchases on his website in 2014. Richard is also a holder of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. If any good came out of the crypto bubble back in 2017, it caught the eyes of NFL players.
Footballers make a ton of money. However, many go broke shortly after retiring. Those that go broke become learning lessons for those that follow. The smart ones take the right steps to not only protect, but grow their money bags. And some are looking to cryptocurrencies as a means to accomplish their longer term financial goals.
As mass adoption of cryptocurrencies continue, they will become more stable and less volatile and appreciate against fiat. We are all personally witnessing this as a result of COVID-19. And as mass adoption continues, cryptos will become more and more accepted. However, Richard isn’t the only pioneer of cryptos in the NFL.
In 2019, Anthony Pompliano, revealed that Matt Barkley, asked two of his previous teams (the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals) to pay him his salary in Bitcoin. Both refused.
But a breakthrough just happened the other day, when Russell Okung who plays for the Carolina Panthers got paid in Bitcoins.
In May 2019, NFL offensive lineman Russell Okung wrote on Twitter that he wanted his salary to be paid in bitcoin, a type of digital currency.
On Tuesday, he indicated that his wish had been granted.
"Paid in Bitcoin," he wrote on Twitter.
Okung is receiving half of his $13 million base salary for the 2020 season in bitcoin, according to a news release from Strike, a company that helps users convert traditional money to the cryptocurrency. The company claims that Okung, who is now with the Carolina Panthers, is the first player in league history to receive part of his annual paycheck in the form of a digital currency.
Football in general is a pioneering for cryptocurrencies. Last year, Litecoin Foundation a partnership with the Miami Dolphins as they claimed Litecoin as their “official cryptocurrency.”
I'm now looking forward to the news when NBA and MLB players make similar announcement. What if Lebron James did something like this, once could only imagine what this would do for the crypto space?
