Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani Joins FTX's Global Ambassadors, MLB Superstar to Be Paid in Crypto

The cryptocurrency firm FTX Trading Ltd. announced on Tuesday that the Major League Baseball (MLB) legend Shohei Ohtani also known as “Shotime” has joined the company’s global ambassadors. According to the announcement Ohtani will be paid in cryptocurrencies and will acquire an equity stake in the crypto company.

Angels’ Shotime Joins FTX

At the end of June, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady and his wife Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen joined FTX as global ambassadors. At the beginning of September, Brady and Bündchen starred in a $20 million ad campaign for FTX. Just before the deal between FTX Trading Ltd. and Brady, the crypto exchange preceded by inking a long-term partnership with MLB. Two months after the ad campaign with Bündchen and Brady, the company has announced that the MLB pitcher, designated hitter, and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani, is joining FTX’s ambassadors’ list.

The announcement notes that Ohtani will get all of his compensation in FTX equity and cryptocurrencies. The statements sent to Bitcoin.com News further details that the crypto payment acceptance illustrates the MLB player’s “strong belief in both FTX and the crypto industry.” Ohtani, also called “Shotime,” became the first MLB player in 88 years to become an All-Star as both a pitcher and hitter during the Midsummer Classics. The deal between Ohtani and FTX notes that the MLB player will serve as a spokesperson for the crypto firm.

FTX believes Ohtani as a global ambassador will “further elevate the FTX brand, increasing awareness of the company’s platform.” Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and CEO of FTX, explained in a statement sent to Bitcoin.com News that the firm is always looking for partners that share the company’s vision. “Shohei has become a transcendent player in baseball in just a short period of time and this, combined with his support of digital assets, made it an easy choice to enter into a partnership with him,” Bankman-Fried said. The FTX CEO added:

Off the field, Shohei has a passion for bettering the global community, something both he and FTX share, and we’re excited to partner with Shohei on various charitable initiatives, particularly with a focus on helping animals.

While FTX has made deals with Ohtani, Brady, Bündchen, and the MLB, it has also acquired a naming deal with the professional esports organization TSM and won the naming-rights for the arena of the NBA’s Miami Heat. No one knows if FTX’s deep dive into the world of sports is working for the firm, in terms of garnishing more clients, but the crypto exchange holds one of the top positions in the industry today, in terms of global trade volume.

Statistics from coinmarketcap.com indicate that FTX has seen around $22.7 billion in 24-hour global trade volume, while Coingecko.com metrics indicate that FTX.US, the company’s platform for Americans, has around $686.9 million. The company offers both spot market cryptocurrency exchange and derivatives and holds the second-largest market in terms of crypto derivatives in the world, below Binance’s $14.8 billion in open interest. During the last day, FTX saw $9.3 billion in crypto derivatives open interest among 170 perpetuals and 627 futures markets.