Paris St Germain is one of the most well-known and revered soccer clubs in the world. They currently have the third-highest revenue of any club on the planet, with a valuation of 4.4 million euros. In a move mirroring that of many companies, it has diversified its assets into Bitcoin. As crypto begins to creep into mainstream finance, how will this impact the rest of the world and will it make its way to college sports?
Paris St Germain Acquire Bitcoin
The Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas was where the news of this acquisition broke. Par Helgosson, the head of PSG Labs, acknowledged that part of the club’s fiat currency reserves had been transferred to Bitcoin. PSG Labs is the global venture platform of the club, who aim to accelerate breakthrough ideas.
He then went on to add that this was due to demand from the club’s demographics. Around 80% of them are believed to be under the age of 34. He also noted that they were not ceasing with any treasury management. Instead, this was a move through the innovation department.
Bitcoin Treasuries in the United States
The Bitcoin price OKX has supplied currently stands at $107,646. However, it was not long ago that it reached a record high past the $111,000 mark. This was hugely beneficial for one company: Strategy, the first to change its business model from that of a software company to one that acquired Bitcoin. Favorable conditions have made the Bitcoin price rise, and as a result, so has the company’s value. Now, there are hundreds of others doing the same, from coffee chains to AI firms.
This has also been done at the federal and state levels. The US Government has begun to build a treasury from seized digital assets. Yet states are also following suit. New Hampshire was the first to approve a state-level reserve followed by Texas and an amended and scaled-back version in Arizona. A form of wider institutional acceptance, many believe this will soon be the norm.
Bitcoin in College Sports
There has been an increase in the link between sports and cryptocurrency. Many companies have signed sponsorship deals, particularly with European soccer clubs. Yet it is not the only sport to do so. Motorsport has had some extremely lucrative deals with several major exchanges. Both Mercedes and Red Bull have benefited from sponsorship. Recent figures place a sum of US$565m on crypto sports sponsorship alone, a rise of 20% in a year.
By no means does college football provide the lucrative audience of F1. Yet it has just as fervent a following, and even if shirt sponsorships are not something yet explored, it is being used in the game.
Most recently, cryptocurrency became a method of payment for name, image, and likeness deals (NIL) in college football. Matai Tagoa’i, a four-star linebacker for The Trojans, was the first person to accept this. However, it did seem more of a promotional play for his app than a request he made specifically. In his somewhat formulaic response, he said “By taking part of my NIL earnings in Bitcoin, I’m setting myself up for long-term financial growth,” before naming the apps and exchanges that had helped him.
Bitcoin Treasuries for College Sports
The main difference is that college sports rarely make a profit. While they do generate revenue through television deals and sponsorship, many have to turn to private investors to attract new athletes. Often paid through a scholarship, this is also revenue taken from the pocket of the university.
What would be more likely is the University they are attached to setting up their own cryptocurrency reserve. So far, only the University of Austin has announced plans to do this. In February this year, they provided plans to make a $5 million Bitcoin fund. The University has said that it will hold this Bitcoin for five years.
Prior to this, Emory University had also invested in Bitcoin. However, this was done through an exchange-traded product (ETF). These are a way for people to invest in crypto without the risk of buying it directly. It was announced that $15 million had been put in.
There have been dangers announced with these treasuries that college sports must be wary to avoid. Many relate to how the money is spent to acquire Bitcoin, and in the corporate world, it has often been at the expense of share value.
It seems inevitable that cryptocurrency if more widely accepted in financial institutions, will make its way to college sports. Attracting a young demographic can be extremely lucrative for exchanges and Web3 developers. For now, however, it seems a slow roll and for the time being, sponsorship may be the most likely method of crypto investment in college sports.
