Naomi Osaka, a Japanese professional tennis player, is mulling investing in crypto. A report unveiled this news earlier today, noting that the 23-year-old has been eyeing crypto investment for quite a while. Reportedly, her interest in the nascent asset class came after noticing the hype surrounding the nascent asset class.
According to the report, Osaka has been in talks with her agent about cryptocurrencies. While Bitcoin’s (BTC) strong performance this year has attracted a lot of investors, it is not the coin that captured Osaka’s attention. She disclosed that she started considering crypto investments after reading about Dogecoin (DOGE) and its potential to blow up online.
Although Osaka revealed her awe for DOGE, she did not say whether she intends to invest in the meme-inspired cryptocurrency or any other digital asset. She, however, referred to the Dogemania, saying she is aware that everything online is getting bigger, and something new and interesting will pop up.
At the time of writing, DOGE is changing hands at $0.2791 after gaining 1.59% over the past 24 hours. DOGE is currently the eighth-largest cryptocurrency by capitalization after losing the seventh place to Solana (SOL) earlier today.
Osaka’s interest in emerging industries sees her dive into NFTs
This news comes after Osaka and her sister Mari Osaka released a six-piece of one-of-one non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The sisters auctioned the NFT collection dubbed The Colors of Naomi Osaka on Basic.Space and fetched $600,000. One of the pieces netted $200,200, becoming the most expensive NFT sold by a professional tennis player.
Osaka’s decision to embrace NFTs and consider crypto investment comes as both industries become increasingly popular in the sports world. For instance, legendary footballer Sir Kenny Dalglish partnered with NEM to issue NFTs of unique moments in his career. According to him, NFTs offer athletes a new way to reward loyal fans.
Lionel Messi also joined French football club PSG in a deal that saw him accept the club’s fan token as part of his salary. In the past week, a one-of-one NFT of the Argentine footballer sold for $1 million on Ethernity. Dubbed The Golden One, the NFT is part of a collection comprising four pieces. However, it is the only one that hit $1 million.
Leading organizations are also warming up to NFTs
Apart from individuals, organizations associated with the sports world are also embracing NFTs. An example is Japan’s Rakuten, which has sponsored clubs such as FC Barcelona and NBA’s Golden State Warriors. The organization announced plans to launch an NFT platform. Reportedly, the company, which has over 1.4 million users across the globe, seeks to bring NFTs to an audience beyond the crypto space.
Financial services giant Visa, which has sponsored the National Football League for decades, also embraced NFTs by purchasing a Cryptopunk #7610 for $150,000 in Ethereum (ETH). Per the company’s Head of Crypto, Cuy Sheffield, Visa decided to dabble in NFTs because digital collectibles can play a significant role in the future of retail, social media, entertainment, and commerce.
