Perth Heat Will Be The First Sports Club In The World To Pay Their Players And Staff In Bitcoin

The Australian Baseball League (ABL)’s most successful team, Perth Heat, has just announced they will become the first professional baseball – and sports – club in the world to use Bitcoin for payment. The club announced yesterday it has partnered with Bitcoin payment company OpenNode to accept/send instant Bitcoin payments powered by the Lightning Network.

“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 organisation can bring to a community in the Bitcoin age,” said Perth Heat CEO Steven Nelkovski. “By embracing the underlying values of the Bitcoin protocol we believe that the organisation can reach new levels of success both on and off the field and remind the world of the true value of sports… The players and organisational staff have fully embraced the opportunities that being paid in Bitcoin can provide.”

According to their statement today, Perth Heat will pay players and staff in Bitcoin, accept Bitcoin payments for sponsorship, merchandise and ballpark concession and “hodl Bitcoin on the club’s balance sheet”.

“The Perth Heat are committed to operating according to a Bitcoin Standard and in doing so are shifting the corporate treasury from dollars to Bitcoin,” added Perth Heat Chief Bitcoin Officer Patrick O’Sullivan. “We believe the world has begun to recognise the power of sound money principles and are determined to lead from the front. This is not a one-off purchase to hedge against future uncertainties or inflationary pressures. The Perth Heat are embracing the reality that the future of money and corporate treasuries will live on the Bitcoin blockchain.”

Image via Facebook.