- Crypto firms passed up the opportunity to advertise at this year's game.
- Despite that crypto managed to make it into the conversation at Sunday’s Super Bowl.
- Jack Dorsey sported a Satoshi branded T-shirt for the second year in a row.
Crypto adverts were sidelined at this year’s Super Bowl, but digital assets still managed to sneak in some airtime in Las Vegas on Sunday.
Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and Block, wore a Satoshi t-shirt as he watched the game alongside music stars Beyonce and Jay-Z.
Sneaky
Viewership figures for the 58th Super Bowl aren’t in yet, but they’re expected to increase substantially after dipping between 2017 and 2021. Crypto firms sat out the spectacle.
Despite the industry swerving the showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, crypto still managed to sneak into the conversation.
Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and Block, wore a Satoshi t-shirt to the game, honouring Bitcoin’s pseudonymous founder.
The tech entrepreneur enjoyed the game alongside Jay-Z and Beyoncé. His decision to wear the t-shirt was “the real crypto Super Bowl ad,” Coinbase engineer Yuga Cohler said on X, formerly Twitter.
Jack Dorsey wearing a Satoshi shirt sitting next to Jay-Z and Beyoncé was the real crypto Super Bowl ad pic.twitter.com/LtLYOVzp1Q
— yuga.eth 🛡 (@yugacohler) February 12, 2024
Dorsey wore the same Satoshi t-shirt to the 2023 Super Bowl, where he was also spotted alongside the star couple.
Coinbase and FTX spent millions on crypto advertisements during 2022′s Super Bowl. FTX collapsed months after its prominent Super Bowl slot, which included “Seinfeld” creator Larry David.
Customers that lost funds due to FTX’s failure sued David and other celebrities who endorsed Sam Bankman-Fried’s firm.
While Coinbase has fared considerably better in the past two years, the crypto exchange decided to sit out this year’s game.
In the conversation
Players from both teams also took time out to chat crypto and the economy ahead of the game.
San Francisco offensive lineman Jake Brendal told CNBC that crypto still has a role to play, despite what he called a slowdown. Brendal’s teammate, linebacker Jalen Graham, was less positive, saying he was “never with crypto.”
Kansas City wide receiver Justin Watson predicted the US Federal Reserve won’t cut interest rates until later this year.
Watson, who graduated from University of Pennsylvania, told CNBC that he expects rate cuts to come in the fourth quarter, adding that Fed Chair Jerome Powell has been careful to avoid raising expectations.
Crypto market movers
- Bitcoin slipped 1% to trade just below $48,000.
- Ethereum fell to around $2,480 fell on Monday, down 1.6% since Sunday.
What we’re reading
- Wrapped TAO on Ethereum soars to $82m — but it’s all controlled by one person — DL News
- Coinbase’s lawyer doesn’t expect to win next legal round with SEC — and that’s OK — DL News
- NY Attorney General Seeks Over $3B In Expanded DCG And Genesis Lawsuit — Milk Road
- California Voters Show Strong Support For Crypto: Coinbase — Milk Road
Adam Morgan McCarthy is a markets correspondent for DL News. Have a tip? Contact the author at adam@dlnews.com.
