Once thought of as a passing trend, crypto has proved it’s here to stay. Not only that, but it’s also grown increasingly popular. Businesses are beginning to stop assuming that their customers wish to pay in mere fiat currency.
When Satoshi mined the first Bitcoin block in 2009, the first public price for Bitcoin was $0.0008 per coin, and $1,000 would have bought 1,250,000 coins. Today, Bitcoin is trading at $63,000, and 1.25 million coins would be worth $78.75 billion. Astonishingly, that vast sum isn’t even Bitcoin at its peak: October 2025 saw an all-time high of $126,000, which translates into $157.5 billion.
Among those taking advantage of cryptocurrency’s potential benefits are some of the world’s biggest sports stars, including New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr, who wanted his salary paid in cryptocurrency. Below is a look at the player’s interest in digital currency, the impact of his decision, whether other athletes are doing the same, and how this might influence payment of wages in the future.
Paychecks in crypto, please!
In 2021, Odell Beckham Jr converted his entire 2021 NFL salary of $750,000 into Bitcoin through a partnership with Cash App. The wide receiver had joined the Los Angeles Rams halfway through the 2021 season in a one-year deal worth $4.25 million. This includes his $750,00 base salary, a $500,000 signing bonus, and $3 million in incentives after winning the Super Bowl that season.
There was a lot of doubt around his request to have his salary paid in Bitcoin. At the time, the cryptocurrency was worth around $64,00, but in 2022, it dropped by around 70% in value from around $69,000 to approximately $19,000.
Incidentally, the sportsbooks don’t view Beckham Jr’s club as being so capable of winning the coming season’s Super Bowl. DraftKings has placed the Giants at +7000 on the betting lines, so whether he’ll net any incentives for a Super Bowl win is still to be decided. If you want to check their odds or any other team’s for yourself, you can view them at https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/football/nfl.
Clearing up doubts
Those who feared the worst for Beckham Jr’s investment are less vocal now. In July 2025, the player tweeted he was still happy with his decision, and it appeared the investment had almost doubled in value. In August 2025, Bitcoin was trading at more than $108,000. Today, Beckham Jr’s investment could be worth more than $1.2 million before tax, calculated to have climbed to around $1.35 million if he has kept all his Bitcoin from the $750,000 of 2021.
Despite some rough times for cryptocurrencies, institutional investors have been ploughing money into their crypto holdings. President Trump’s enthusiasm for digital currencies has also likely had a profoundly positive impact on their value.
A growing trend
The NY Giants wide receiver may have hit the headlines, but he’s not the only who has seen the value in crypto. In December 2021, the retired former Carolina Panthers lineman Russell Okung had announced he’d be taking half of his $13 million salary in Bitcoin. At current prices, that investment would be worth $22 million.
Other men are plumping for crypto, too. In July 2021, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who was an RB for the New York Giants at the time, announced he’d be converting all income from marketing deals and endorsements into Bitcoin. The value of his investment is estimated to have increased by a healthy 260%.
Outside of the NFL, other athletes are seizing on opportunities to make extra coin from crypto. Over in the NBA, Dallas Mavericks guard and small forward Klay Thompson, who was at the Golden State Warriors at the time, announced in January 2022 he’d be accepting part of his salary in Bitcoin. His teammate, guard-forward Andre Iguodala, also confirmed he’d be receiving payment in Bitcoin.
Could payment of salaries become more normal in the future?
One thing that’s very clear is that some sports professionals out there see cryptocurrency as the future of money.
The payment of salaries in cryptocurrency isn’t restricted to the NBA and the NFL and could become common across the world. Across the Atlantic, sponsorship by crypto companies and platforms is becoming more common in the UK’s top-flight soccer league, the Premier League. Now, there is talk that cryptocurrencies could replace traditional ones when paying players in the league.
Besides sponsorship, soccer is already seeing transactions conducted in cryptocurrency. In 2021, the former Real Madrid striker David Barral moved to Segunda B division side Internacional de Madrid in a deal funded completely by crypto.
Professional sports stars are considering cryptocurrency the future of money and want to get in on it. It’s a risky venture, but if it pays off, the earnings are vast. As technology develops and times change, clubs are becoming willing to pay their stars’ salaries in crypto. Just like their pros, clubs move with the times, and embracing crypto is one sign of this.