Aug. 16 Update and Disclaimer: In response to this piece, as well as the VentureBeat story on which it is based, Mike Tyson and his wife and manager Lakiha Spicer have denied involvement with Fight to Fame, which is an alleged fraudulent enterprise. Cointelegraph has issued a correction piece including Tyson’s commentary, which can be read here. The below should not be taken as factual. Iconic American boxer Mike Tyson is spearheading a new blockchain-powered cross-entertainment platform for a new generation of fighters. On Aug. 13, VentureBeat reported that the new venture — dubbed “Fight to Fame” — will use …

On Aug. 2, English Premier League football club Leicester City FC announced the renewal of its partnership with multi-asset and cryptocurrency investment platform eToro. EToro’s second season with the Foxes The Foxes’ head of partnerships Harj Hir added: “Our relationship with eToro last season was a really positive one so we’re pleased to renew the partnership and continue our work with such an exciting, innovative industry leader. The global reach of eToro is huge and we hope to further strengthen our relations with them as we embark on our second season together in 2019/20.” Per the press release, “a landmark …

Everton Football Club of the British Premier League has signed a deal with the crypto-inclusive investment and trading platform eToro. Everton shared news of the partnership in an official announcement on Aug. 1. As per the report, eToro will now be Everton’s “Official Online Trading Partner”, which will offer advertising for the platform via its marketing assets and matches at home stadium Goodison Park. Everton’s commercial director Alan McTavish commented that he is “excited to see what can be achieved by bringing blockchain technology into the world of football.” The eToro Platform As stated in the announcement, eToro supports investments …

The United States National Basketball Association (NBA) and its affiliated union — the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) — have partnered with Dapper Labs of CryptoKitties-fame to release a new crypto collectibles game. According to an official announcement on the NBPA website, the upcoming game is scheduled to launch in early 2020. The game, called NBA Top Shot, will be a roster-building competitive game that is based on crypto collectibles. According to the announcement, fans will be able to gather live footage of NBA games that can then be used in some capacity to build a competing roster for the …

Cryptocurrencies and digital tokens have become powerful tools for a variety of industries over the past few years, and the world of sports is no exception. Sports fans are notoriously passionate about the teams they support, and there is a massive market for everything from tickets to memorabilia, collectibles and content. As the world continues to move online, sports teams and organizations are beginning to embrace the use of cryptocurrencies and digital tokens to give fans access to exclusive content and items using these new technologies. This move toward crypto-acceptance has been happening for some time in the sporting space. …

Italian football club AS Roma will join blockchain-based voting platform Socios through a partnership with sports and entertainment blockchain firm Chiliz. In an official announcement published on July 19, Chiliz revealed that AS Roma is joining Socios, a sports platform powered by Chiliz, in order to launch an AS Roma fan token. The dedicated tokens are set to provide fans with the right to vote in certain club-delegated decisions. The post further explains that “the more fans vote and interact with the club through the app, the more rewards they can earn, competing for once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and gaining access to …

Ohio-based professional basketball team the Cleveland Cavaliers (The Cavs), along with its associated esports club Cavs Legion GC, have partnered with the cryptocurrency firm UnitedCoin. The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the new partnership in a press release on July 15. The partnership will reportedly be used to advertise UnitedCoin and provide the Cavs with an inroad to the fintech sector via cryptocurrency. For the Cavs, one aspect of this partnership will reportedly be LED signage inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during Cavs games. The Cavs Legion will reportedly advertise UnitedCoin as its official cryptocurrency partner. Within NBA 2K, this means …

American professional football team the Miami Dolphins announced that Litecoin (LTC) is now the team’s official cryptocurrency, according to a press release on July 11. The Miami Dolphins and Litecoin have also partnered with Aliant Payments, a crypto merchant services and payment processing firm, to enable crypto payments for the team’s upcoming 50/50 raffle, which reportedly donates half of its revenue to charity. Cryptocurrency users will reportedly be able to buy raffle tickets with LTC and Bitcoin (BTC), and can do so online or via in-stadium kiosks at Hard Rock Stadium. LTC and BTC are cryptocurrencies with similar technical underpinnings. …

Major Portuguese sports club SL Benfica now accepts cryptocurrency for merchandise and tickets, Verdict reports on June 6. According to the report, SL Benfica partnered with cryptocurrency service Utrust to provide the new payments option. Fans and customers can now buy tickets any products on the club’s website with Utrust’s native token (UTK), or with top cryptocurrencies bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH). Utrust purportedly supports instant crypto-to-fiat conversions, allowing SL Benfica to essentially pocket its revenue directly in cash. The press release explains that this allows the club to avoid issues around the volatility of cryptocurrencies, while still making use …

Sports blockchain venture Chiliz has announced a strategic partnership with Binance Chain, the mainnet of major cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The news was revealed in an official press release on May 17. As previously reported, Chiliz ($CHZ) is a sports industry-oriented digital currency that powers the tokenized fan engagement platform and blockchain-powered mobile app, Socios.com. High-profile Socios partners to date have included major soccer teams Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, who plan to use the platform to launch fan token offerings for their club-branded tokens, which will confer voting rights for club-related polls and offer rewards for their holders. While crypto exchange …

Decentralized sports investment and funding firm SportyCo will reportedly not purchase English Championship football club Hull City AFC, the Next Web reported on May 1. Sources familiar with the matter reportedly told the Next Web that the deal price appeared to be too high when disclosed to investors supporting SportyCo’s bid. Sources reportedly said that the price was “higher than the real market valuation.” Last October, sports-focused media outlet SportsPro reported that SportyCo partnered with the Hull City Supporters Trust (HCST), an organization founded to represent fans and strengthen the link between the club and the local community it serves, …

London-based West Ham United — a soccer team that plays in the English Premier League — is partnering with blockchain platform Socios.com to launch a fan token ecosystem. The news was revealed in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on April 30. As previously reported, the Socios tokenized voting platform and blockchain-based mobile app is operated by sports blockchain venture chiliZ, which has the backing of high profile crypto industry players that include crypto exchange Binance and OK Blockchain Capital. West Ham United, currently ranked 11th in the Premier League, has over 2.3 million likes on the club’s official Facebook …