KuCoin enlists golf champion Adam Scott in rare crypto-sports crossover

KuCoin has brought golf icon Adam Scott on as its first global brand ambassador. The deal marks the exchange’s inaugural step into professional sports sponsorships, signaling a clear ambition to connect with a new audience.

Summary

• KuCoin names golf champion Adam Scott as its first global brand ambassador, marking its entry into professional sports sponsorships.
• The deal was announced September 10, with Scott set to front global campaigns highlighting trust and precision.
• Meanwhile, crypto sports sponsorship spending surged 20% YoY to $565 million, led by Crypto.com, Coinbase, and OKX.

A September 10 announcement confirmed the partnership with Scott, the 2013 Masters champion and a former world number one. KuCoin said the collaboration is built on a shared ethos of trust and precision.

According to the release, Scott, celebrated for his remarkable consistency and enduring career on the PGA Tour, is slated to lead a number of the platform’s global campaigns.

“It is an honour to partner with KuCoin as their first Global Brand Ambassador. I firmly believe that cryptocurrency will play an important role in the future of finance, and I am personally interested in how it empowers people worldwide. I am looking forward to working closely with KuCoin as we build something special together,” Scott said.

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KuCoin’s move reflects a broader surge in crypto-sports engagement

The deal arrives as crypto’s love affair with professional sports intensifies, though KuCoin’s choice of sport and ambassador stands in stark contrast to the industry’s established playbook.

According to a recent report from sports marketing agency SportQuake, total crypto sports sponsorship expenditure rocketed 20 percent year-on-year to $565 million.

The landscape is dominated by big-ticket deals in soccer and Formula One, with Crypto.com leading the pack as the category’s biggest spender at $213 million, followed by Coinbase and OKX. Soccer remains the most targeted sport, claiming 20 of the 34 new crypto sponsorship deals this period.

This spending spree marks a vigorous comeback from the crypto winter of 2022/23, which saw high-profile collapses like FTX void hundreds of millions in deals with properties like Major League Baseball and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1.

The subsequent rebound has been characterized by aggressive entrants like Gate.io, which went from zero to $53 million in sports sponsorships in just 12 months. As SportQuake forecasts, this momentum is expected to push total crypto sports sponsorship spending in the 2025/26 season back toward its all-time peak of $685 million, signaling a full recovery and a new wave of market entrants.

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