Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41684526›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2025

Cryptocurrency in sport: a thematic review.

Xinliang Zhou, Yunfei Tao, Li Huang, Haodong Tian, Haowei Liu, Xing Zhang, Mingyue Yin, Zhenhuan Wang, Hansen Li

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Xinliang ZhouSchool of Physical Education, Xihua University, Chengdu, China.
Yunfei TaoSchool of Sport Training, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, China.
Li HuangFaculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Haodong TianCollege of Physical Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Haowei LiuCollege of Physical Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Xing ZhangDepartment of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Mingyue YinSchool of Athletic Performance, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Zhenhuan WangInstitute for Health and Sport (iHeS), Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Hansen LiSchool of Physical Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Blockchain-enabled products (e.g., cryptocurrencies and fan tokens) have rapidly expanded across professional sport, but the research landscape remains dispersed across finance, marketing, information systems, and sport management. Methods: This study conducted a thematic review of Web of Science Core Collection records supplemented by snowball searching, yielding 30 English-language peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2025. Results: Based on the included titles, we mapped how the literature has developed and what it collectively implies for sport organizations, platforms, and consumers. Five recurring strands were identified: (1) fan tokens and sport cryptoassets as financial assets, emphasizing volatility, spillovers, and sensitivity to sport- and crypto-market events; (2) adoption, identity, and engagement research explaining why supporters buy/hold tokens, participate in voting, and engage in advocacy; (3) computational and platform-data approaches (e.g., sentiment/discourse analyses and poll/voting participation patterns) to quantify online engagement and market narratives; (4) blockchain applications and governance, including stakeholder-oriented discussions and ethical critiques regarding value creation, transparency, and power asymmetries; and (5) gambling-like risks and addiction-related correlates, highlighting the convergence of trading, betting-like dynamics, and potentially harmful consumption. Discussion: Limitations include dependence on WoS-indexed English-language publications, topic and context concentration (especially European football and major platforms), and heterogeneity in study designs and outcomes that precludes comprehensive data synthesis. Future research should broaden contexts beyond dominant sports/regions and use stronger longitudinal or quasi-experimental designs to test mechanisms and harms.

Indexed as

addictionbitcoinblockchainfan tokensgambling risk

Identifiers

PMID41684526
PMCPMC12891126

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.