The 2025 Polynesian Bowl All-Star signed with the College of Southern California and can use funds app Strike to obtain a portion of his compensation in bitcoin (BTC).
Newly Signed USC Linebacker Opts for Bitcoin
Matai Tagoa’i one of many high faculty soccer prospects within the nation not too long ago signed a “identify, picture, and likeness” (NIL) take care of the College of Southern California (USC) and can obtain a portion of the proceeds in bitcoin through the Strike app, in line with a launch shared with Bitcoin.com.
Traditionally, faculty athletes have been prohibited from monetizing their picture, however the Nationwide Collegiate Athletic Affiliation (NCAA) lifted that prohibition in 2021 opening the door to profitable NIL offers.
Particulars of the contract resembling quantity and period weren’t supplied to Bitcoin.com however related offers can vary from a number of tons of of hundreds to thousands and thousands of {dollars}.
Strike has onboarded a number of skilled athletes permitting them to transform their compensation to bitcoin, most notably former Carolina Panthers offensive sort out Russell Okung who transformed half of his wage in 2020 – $6.5 million – into bitcoin. And now, 18-year-old Tagoa’i is poised to comply with in Okung’s footsteps.
“It is a game-changer for me,” stated Tagoa’i. “By taking a part of my NIL earnings in bitcoin, I’m setting myself up for long-term monetary development.”
The San Clemente Excessive College graduate additionally emphasised that he needs to “set an instance for different younger athletes.”
Marquel Martin, CEO and founding father of expertise administration agency 3Point0 Labs, is without doubt one of the key facilitators of Tagoa’i’s bitcoin deal.
Martin is not any stranger to introducing skilled athletes to crypto. In 2022, he orchestrated a profitable NFT launch for one among his star athletes, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
“Too many athletes face monetary challenges after their careers, and we imagine bitcoin provides a pathway to long-term stability and development,” Martin stated.
A 2009 Sports activities Illustrated article reported that 78% of former NFL gamers file for chapter or expertise monetary stress after retirement and that “inside 5 years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA gamers are broke.”
“Inflation is eroding the worth of money, and conventional saving strategies merely don’t minimize it anymore,” stated Strike CEO Jack Mallers. “Your high quality of life will undergo. Bitcoin is the primary asset constructed to unravel this drawback and shield towards inflation.”
