The LA Chargers’ left tackle, Russel Okung, has just announced a Bitcoin meetup focusing on beginner fundamentals of the cryptocurrency. Although details of Russel Okung’s event are scant, we do know that it is penned for the start of September and will be hosted in Los Angeles, California.
Russel Okung has made little secret of his passion for Bitcoin of late. The NFL star repeatedly brings attention to the number one cryptocurrency by market capitalization on Twitter with pro-Bitcoin posts.
The American football player is also at the centre of a growing movement of athletes in the NFL requesting the league pay them in Bitcoin. Joining Okung is Matt Barkley and, as Bitcoin proponent Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano claims, a growing list of other names.Pay me in Bitcoin.
— russ (@RussellOkung) May 14, 2019
Okung’s latest effort to spread Bitcoin awareness is a meetup that he will host on September 1. The player stated via Twitter that he hopes his efforts will help promote mainstream adoption:NFL Quarterback @MattBarkley tried to get the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals to each pay his contracts in Bitcoin.
— Pomp 🌪 (@APompliano) May 14, 2019
Neither would do it.
Matt is just one of many Bitcoiners that are playing in the NFL on Sundays 🔥🔥
In the above thread, Okung says that he has decided to host his meetup because he has heard personally from people who were misinformed about cryptocurrency in their early days. He calls this “the most costly kind of false start.” Okung goes on to state that his team and himself are creating a “simple, practical session.” He also claims to be working with some to-be-disclosed Bitcoiners in shaping the educational sessions. Unfortunately, further information about the meetup is still to be announced. Without knowing crucial details such as the cost of entry, content, speakers, capacity, and sponsorship of the event, it would be presumptuous to make any calls on how effective at spreading Bitcoin awareness such a meetup by a high profile athlete will be.I will be hosting a one-day event Sunday, Sept 1st in LA for Bitcoin rookies. I’m excited to jump in more personally to help advance efforts for mainstream adoption. 🚀
— russ (@RussellOkung) July 28, 2019
That said, it is encouraging to see Okung focus his group on newcomers to the industry. As the man claims, there is a lot of misinformation out there for beginners. That, and the entire market is relatively uneducated, which allows for the variety of Bitcoin-related scams that target newbies.
Hopefully, Okung’s Bitcoin presentation will focus on fundamental issues regarding Bitcoin’s use. We’d much rather see sections on private key storage and the importance of monetary sovereignty take center stage over introductions to trading indicators and the like. Given that a small portion of the NFL star’s Twitter activity relates to Bitcoin references trading, it seems likely that the sessions will consider the importance of Bitcoin’s monetary policy as well as how to safely store the digital asset yourself in favor of trying to teach trading. Regardless, it’s good to see high-profile people in the United States pushing Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, considering the country is falling behind the technology on a regulatory level.
Further details of Okung’s first-ever beginner Bitcoin meet are expected in the coming days and weeks.
What do you think about Russel Okung’s Bitcoin meetup? What kind of topics would you expect to see addressed there?
