On January 16, 2014, The Sacramento Bee in its article Kings will be first pro sports franchise to accept online currency Bitcoins announced that by March 1, 2014, Sacramento Kings fans “will be able to purchase team merchandise and tickets using Bitcoins through BitPay.” Bitcoin is a virtual currency which can be transferred through various exchanges. In the article, Vivek Ranadive, the Kings managing partner and founder of the Silicon Valley tech firm Tibco Software Inc., confirms that “he wants the team to be among the most technologically-advanced franchises in the world. He calls his philosophy ‘NBA 3.0.'” Among other technological advancements the Kings plan are a technology-rich proposed new arena and “a new Kings app for smartphones that allows fans to upgrade their seats at games, provides detailed maps of Sleep Train Arena and includes a virtual noise-making cowbell.” Their approach is intended to make “the experience for those fans more seamless and hassle free.”
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