During the 2021 bull run, crypto companies dived deep into sports sponsorships. But, in 2022, things slowed down, when the crypto market wiped out about 70-85% of its market cap, a decline fueled further by the fall of FTX which was once a major player in sports partnerships.

CoinGecko Research put together a top of crypto companies with the most sponsorships between 2021 and 2024.

Top Crypto Companies By Number of Sports Sponsorships

CoinGecko listed six companies with major sports deals and partnerships between 2021 and 2024.

1. Crypto.com (11)

Crypto.com became one of the most significant players regarding sports sponsorships and established deals across various regions and multiple sports. Here are the sports in which the crypto company invested:

Basketball

Back in 2021, the Singapore-based exchange Crypto.com signed an important deal valued at $700 million for the naming right of the Staples Center, home to the LA Lakers. The venue was renamed Crypto.com Arena.

CoinGecko noted that this partnership was historic, marking one of the largest sports sponsorships ever recorded.

Motorsport

Crypto.com fueled its relation to motorsports by teaming up with Aston Martin’s Formula 1 and sponsoring Formula 1 itself with $100 million back in 2021.

During the 2021 season, the Crypto.com Overtake Award was created to reward the individual driver who made the most overtakes during the season, and the winner was Sebastian Vettel.

The crypto company also sponsored the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix back in 2022, strengthening its ties to motorsports even more.

Soccer

Another focus regarding Crypto.com’s deals was soccer. In 2021, the crypto company sponsored Coppa Italia, and the match’s highlighters between Atalanta and Juventus were minted as NFTs.

The soccer deals for Crypto.com continued the next year as well with the following moves:

They backed the FIFA World Cup and the Australian Football League in 2022.
They became official sponsors of the UEFA Champions League in 2024.

Combat Sports

Crypto.com also entered combat sports and secured a deal with UFC in 2021, a historic partnership that highlighted the platform’s interest in mixed martial arts.

2. FTX (6)

FTX was one of the crypto companies with the most sports deals before its 2022 collapse. Here are its most notable sports deals:

Esports

In 2021, FTX signed a $210 million deal with Team SoloMid (esports).

Baseball

The same year, FTX signed a $135 million deal with Major League Baseball (MLB).

Basketball

FTX teamed up with NBA teams, securing a $135 million naming rights deal with the Miami Heat’s arena. FTX also sponsored the Golden State Warriors with $10 million.

Motorsports

FTX signed a deal with Mercedes Formula 1, but in 2022 the team suspended its partnership.

3. Polkadot (5)

Polkadot has important partnerships in the sports world, especially in motorsports and esports.

Motorsports

Polkadot sponsored racing driver Conor Daly across multiple events:

The Indianapolis 500
The NASCAR Truck Series
The Nitro RallyCross
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Esports

In 2024, Polkadot also teamed up with Heroic, a top-tier esports organization.

4. Coinbase (4)

Coinbase expanded its presence across multiple sports and it signed various sponsorships in 2021 and 2022.

Esports

In 2021, Coinbase signed a sponsorship deal for BLAST Premier, renewing the partnership in 2022.

Basketball

In the same year, Coinbase signed a deal with NBA star Kevin Durant.

The exchange also teamed up with the Women’s NBA.

Soccer

Kraken also signed a sponsorship deal with Borussia Dortmund in 2022, to get exposure to European soccer. This year they extended their partnership

5. Kraken (4)

Kraken currently has four significant sports partnerships.

Football

Kraken is the official crypto and Web3 partner for Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League) for both their men’s and women’s teams. The exchange is also a partner of Atlético de Madrid (La Liga).

Kraken signed a partnership with LP Leipzig’s men’s first team.

Formula 1

Kraken also sponsored the Williams Racing Formula 1 team.