The Winklevoss twins, who are crypto millionaires and soccer magnates, have taken exception at the BBC’s portrayal of them as unfamiliar with the sport.
The Winklevoss twins were Mark Zuckerberg’s bitter enemies and early Bitcoin investors. They also co-founded the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange. A modest ninth-tier English team with huge aspirations of Premier League glory, Real Bedford FC, became co-owned by the twins last week after they added “soccer magnates” to their résumé with an investment of $4.5 million in Bitcoin.
After a successful 2023–24 campaign in which they lost only once and had a staggering 93–goal differential, Real Bedford will play in the eight-tier next season after promotion. However, in an effort to dampen the atmosphere, the BBC decided to publish an article in which they claimed the American twins were completely ignorant of the exquisite game. However, that storyline was not one the Winklevoss brothers were going to ignore.
The BBC’s depiction of Tyler and his brother’s soccer ignorance prompted a vehement reaction from Winklevoss. It wasn’t the sport of soccer per se that the twins were initially unfamiliar with, but rather the ins and outs of the English league’s promotion and relegation system, claims Tyler.
Since there is just one level in the United States’ Major Soccer League (MLS), clubs do not compete for promotion or safety from relegation.
Tyler Winklevoss said that the BBC might have used the chance to teach “Us Yanks” about the rules of the English soccer league. That they resorted to “short-termism, mis-direction, and dishonesty” instead is something that Tyler complained, as it further undermines public faith in the media.
For Tyler, this piece of reporting was just one more sign of a deeper problem with the traditional media that, when combined with AI, would eventually make them irrelevant.
The maximum amount of bitcoin Real Bedford FC were a team in England’s tenth division until Peter McCormack acquired them for an unknown amount in 2021 with the intention of promoting them to the Premier League. The team has risen quickly through the soccer divisions under McCormack’s ownership, achieving two promotions and now lying seven levels below the top flight.
It is quite evident that Real Bedford FC is “intrinsically related to” Bitcoin, according to the club’s website. Coincidentally, the website cautioned its audience against Bitcoin investments, pointing to the cryptocurrency’s instability and lack of customer service as reasons against it. On the contrary, the group urged its members to learn more about Bitcoin and the reasons why “it is one of the most significant innovations in recent times.”
Real Bedford’s pursuit of Premier League success will be aided by the $4.5 million Bitcoin investment made by the Winklevoss brothers. A new training facility, a youth school that promotes local talent, and a Bitcoin treasury would supposedly be the recipients of the funds, according to the club.
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