At the start of April, we learned some really interesting news with regard to the San Jose Earthquakes — and Major League Soccer sports team out of California.
The news was that them team would “soon” be accepting bitcoin for everything from team merchandise to game tickets.
The day has come.
The team today announced that they are the first professional sports team to accept bitcoin payments at the Buck Shaw Stadium where the Houston Dynamo will be hosted on Sunday, the 25th of May.
This will mean that sports fans can purchase tickets, merchandise, and yes, even concessions at the 10,000-seat venue located at Santa Clara University.
“In the spirit of Silicon Valley, the Earthquakes are constantly looking for ways to innovate,” said Quakes club president Dave Kaval. “Coinbase’s bitcoin payment processor adds another cutting edge payment option that further streamlines the commerce experience for fans.”
Each point of sale (the ticket gate, merchandise store, and concession stand) will be equipped with a tablet running the Coinbase Merchant application. Bitcoin users can then pay for their items using the wallet of their choice.
And while the Earthquakes may have made history in becoming the first professional team to accept the emerging digital currency in-stadium, they aren’t the first to accept bitcoin.
That title goes to the Sacramento Kings, a NBA team that announced their support for bitcoin payments in January.
Could even more professional sports teams follow suit? Time will tell.