DUBAI: Dubai-based Baseball United, the first professional league focused on the Middle East and South Asia, has announced BONK DAO as the official presenting partner for its inaugural 2025 season.
In addition, the leading technology and lifestyle brand and cryptocurrency will serve as the presenting partner for Baseball United’s upcoming national team tournament, the Arab Classic, as well as the region’s first franchise tournament, The Baseball United Cup.
“We are very excited to welcome BONK to the Baseball United family,” said Kash Shaikh, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Baseball United. “Our organizations have a lot in common.
“BONK’s young journey began around the same time as ours, and, like BU, they’ve been able to quickly create a deep and meaningful impact across the globe.
Season one next year will run from Oct. 23 to Nov. 23 and feature five franchises — the Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Arabia Wolves, Mid East Falcons, and a new Riyadh-based franchise to be announced early next year.
Each team will play 12 regular season games, culminating with a United Series best-of-three championship featuring the top two teams. Overall, the league will host 33 games in 32 days.
The Baseball United Cup will take place next year from Feb. 22 to March 1, and feature the league’s first four franchises — the Cobras, Monarchs, Wolves and Falcons — in an eight-day tournament. Teams will compete in a round robin format, followed by the semifinals and finals.
The Arab Classic is BU’s signature event this year, taking place from Nov. 7 to 10 in Dubai. The event will have eight national baseball teams from the region, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
BONK will be integrated into all marketing channels for each event, with a full suite of creative and content assets, including venue branding, broadcast segments, social content, and fan experiences.
BONK is a leading technology and lifestyle brand with a market cap of nearly $1.5 billion and one of the most engaged communities in Web3.
BONK’s sponsorship of Baseball United builds upon the brand’s portfolio of sports partnerships, including a growing footprint across combat sports and football.
The collaboration also represents one of the most significant digital currency sponsorships within sports to date, and one of the largest for professional baseball worldwide.
“We are truly honored to join Baseball United’s historic mission as the Presenting Partner for all 2024 and 2025 events,” said Kadense, core contributor at BONK.
“We focus on the cross-section of currency and culture, and we truly believe that baseball — an iconic part of many cultures — will be the Middle East and South Asia’s next great sport.”
Kadense added: “Dubai is quickly becoming a lighthouse for crypto innovation, and Baseball United’s year-round presence in this amazing city is another element that inspired this partnership.”
