Retired Carolina Panthers NFL player Russell Okung wants to make sure players in his new flag football league, aptly named Bitball, are paid in Bitcoin. Okung announced the new venture on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. Okung began envisioning a league where players earn Bitcoin, fans could own real stakes, and communities could build wealth, he told Decrypt in an interview.
“No more middlemen taking their cuts or making backdoor deals,” Okung added. “Now, it’s about pure sport and pure Bitcoin, which means pure opportunity. That’s what I’m building—a new league.” According to Okung, the idea for Bitball came after leaving the NFL and unsuccessfully trying to convince league owners of Bitcoin’s merits. “That’s the revolution,” Okung said. “We’re moving away from seeing athletes go broke and losing generational wealth.”
Players Okung reached out to were enthusiastic about the idea, including friends and former NFL players he needed to fill the Bitball’s initial ranks. “It’s been great to see that I made this cultural statement, and the response is for people to lean in and go deep,” he said.
The inaugural Bitball game will be played in Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on December 10 and will feature 24 professional football players. Holders of Bitcoin conference tickets can attend the game for free, Okung said. In December 2020, Okung made headlines when he announced he would take half of his $13 million salary, around $6.5 million, in Bitcoin. He still holds all of his Bitcoin, which he’s never sold, and continues to scoop up more, he confirmed to Decrypt.
While Okung did not disclose how much he currently owns, the 240 Bitcoin he received in 2020 would be worth around $21 million today. Despite the ups and downs of crypto, Okung said he’d never sell. “I didn’t do this “Pay me in Bitcoin” thing to trade it in for dollars,” Okung explained. “For me, it was an opportunity to transform my family’s future. Bitcoin isn’t just an investment—it represents freedom in digital form.” “From a purchasing power standpoint, that’s exciting,” he said. “I took a risk, and it turns out it was a smart risk,”
Okung sees potential in building assets on Bitcoin and views the currency as a foundation for new value creation. “I also invest in Bitcoin mining, so I’m interested in both land and energy,” he said. “Energy, in particular, serves as an anchor for a high-output civilization.” Bitcoin and “civilization-building,” he believes, are central to his investment philosophy. “If we focus on establishing the essential elements an enlightened society requires,” he said, “I believe we can build sustainable businesses that can meet our needs, whether in cash or fiat.”
While speculators say that Bitcoin could reach $1 million if Trump honors his promise of creating a Bitcoin Reserve in the U.S., Okung emphasized the symbolic impact of Trump’s support, including speaking at the Bitcoin conference earlier this year. “That’s a very serious gesture, showing that those involved in Bitcoin are finally being taken seriously,” he said. “We’re a legitimate and powerful voting block that can shape America’s future and other nations as well.”
Despite the current excitement, Okung remains keenly aware of Bitcoin’s volatility—still, he remains focused on the bigger picture. “When I first bought Bitcoin, I knew about the volatility and studied the market cycles. I expected highs and lows, but one key metric stood out: over a four-year horizon, Bitcoin generally goes up,” he said.
“I asked myself if people globally see Bitcoin as valuable. If yes, then it’s unlikely to ever go to zero. That gave me confidence, even through the FTX fallout.” Okung is optimistic about Bitcoin’s future in sports and envisions a day when other leagues, including baseball, basketball, and more, adopt Bitcoin as payment for athletes.
