Bitcoin Lands NCAA College Football Bowl Sponsorship Through BitPay

Bitcoin payments processor BitPay will sponsor the St. Petersburg Bowl over the next three years.

AccessTimeIconJun 18, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 11, 2021 at 10:53 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Merchant bitcoin payments processor BitPay has announced that it will sponsor the St. Petersburg Bowl, an annual college postseason football game sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), through 2016.

This year’s game will kick off at Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays, on 26th December under a new name. The bowl was previously sponsored by chain restaurant Beef 'O' Brady'sand USB provider magicJack.

Thanks to BitPay sponsorship, however, the bowl will now be known as the Bitcoin St. Petersburg BowlBitPay hopes the sponsorship will raise awareness by promoting bitcoin to a much wider, mainstream audience.

Executive chairman Tony Gallippi explained:

"Our goal is to continue to move bitcoin into the mainstream and sponsoring the St. Petersburg Bowl offers us that opportunity. College football fans and the bitcoin community represent a similar target demographic – tech-savvy men between the ages of 18 and 40 [years old]."

Brett Dulaney, executive director of the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl, welcomed BitPay to the world of college football and one of its venues, St. Petersburg.

The game will air on ESPN, a sports-centric US television network that reaches nearly 100 million American households.

More details

In addition to a new prefix for the bowl, the event itself will become bitcoin friendly, too. ESPN Events says tickets for the 2014 Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl will go on sale later this year, with prices starting at $40.

However, this time around fans will be able to purchase tickets and merchandise in bitcoin.

It is not yet clear what types of merchandise will be available or whether this promotion will extend to in-stadium purchases for food and beverages, though more details are likely forthcoming.

Bitcoin in sports

Bitcoin has intrinsic properties that can make it a viable alternative payment method at sports arenas and other entertainment venues, and major professional teams are taking note.

Earlier this year, the San Jose Earthquakes soccer club started accepting bitcoin at its stadium box office, gift store and concession stands. Earthquakes President Dave Kaval told CoinDesk that the team decided to embrace bitcoin thanks to the relative proximity of Silicon Valley and its strong association with the digital currency. He also explained why bitcoin is a good choice for sports venues.

Additionally, the Sacramento Kings became the first NBA team to accept bitcoin back in January. Like the Quakes they also cited the close proximity of Silicon Valley as one of the reasons behind the decision.

Disclaimer: CoinDesk founder Shakil Khan is an investor in BitPay

Image via BitPay

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.