PANews reported on November 15 that according to Decrypt, retired NFL Carolina Panthers player Russell Okung announced on Thursday that he hopes to ensure that his newly established flag football league Bitball can pay its players in Bitcoin. In an interview, Okung revealed that he envisioned a league in which players can earn Bitcoin, fans can own real shares, and the community can accumulate wealth. Okung added: "There are no more middlemen taking commissions or black-box operations. Now, this is pure sports and pure Bitcoin, which means pure opportunity. This is what I am building - a new league."

According to Okung, the idea for Bitcoin Ball came after he left the NFL, when he tried to convince league owners of the benefits of Bitcoin, but was unsuccessful. In December 2020, Okung made headlines when he announced that he would convert half of his $13 million salary (about $6.5 million) into Bitcoin. He still holds all the Bitcoin he has never sold and continues to accumulate, he confirmed to the media. While Okung did not disclose how much Bitcoin he currently owns, the 240 Bitcoins he received in 2020 are worth about $21 million today.