Share this article
FTX Strikes Sponsorship Deal With MLB, Umpires to Wear Crypto Exchange's Logo
Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX is doubling down on sports sponsorships.
By Zack Seward
Updated May 9, 2023, 3:20 a.m. Published Jun 23, 2021, 1:46 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Fresh on the heels of the unveiling of the FTX Arena in Miami, the crypto exchange is becoming the “Official Cryptocurrency Exchange brand of MLB,” FTX and Major League Baseball said in an announcement Wednesday.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The data-minded traders at FTX crunched the numbers and found sports naming rights to yield the best return on investment for their marketing spending, a source with knowledge of the matter told CoinDesk. Earlier this month, FTX reached a $210 million naming-rights deal with esports team TSM.
Under the baseball deal, FTX branding will appear on all umpire uniforms starting at the All-Star Game in Denver on July 13 and continue into the postseason. MLB is calling FTX its “first-ever umpire uniform patch partner.” An MLB spokesman said images of the patch are not yet available.
“FTX.COM and FTX.US are excited to enter this first-of-its-kind partnership with Major League Baseball,” FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried said in the statment. “We look forward to announcing further details of our long-term partnership throughout the remainder of this year."
In a tweet, Bankman-Fried said FTX and MLB have plans on "collaborating on products and experiences together." The deal includes a provision with the MLB Players Association to "use highlights of players in content creation," according to Wednesday’s press release.
Naming rights for the Miami Heat arena went for $135 million in a 19-year deal. Financial terms of the MLB sponsorship weren't disclosed, though an FTX spokesman told CoinDesk it’s a five-year deal.
Calls to the MLB Players Association were not returned by press time.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Michael Saylor's Strategy catches a break from MSCI, but analysts caution fight isn’t over yet
MSCI won’t drop firms like Strategy from indexes yet, but a broader rule change may still be on the table
What to know:
- Shares of Strategy rose 6% after MSCI decided not to exclude digital asset treasury firms from its indexes.
- The decision alleviates immediate pressure on companies holding large amounts of bitcoin but not directly operating in the blockchain sector.
- Analysts caution that the situation may not be resolved, as future MSCI rule changes could still impact firms like Strategy.
Top Stories
