What if you could trade your favorite sports team the same way you trade Apple stock? That's the genuinely wild idea behind InPlay Global, which is building what it calls Performance Securities—a regulated marketplace turning college and pro sports teams into tradeable assets.
"We will introduce a regulated market structure, applied to something universal – sports competition," says President and COO Troy Kane.
Kane, who comes from the derivatives world, wants to be crystal clear: this isn't sports betting, fantasy leagues, or prediction markets. It's an actual financial marketplace with real regulatory oversight.
"This is a regulated financial marketplace designed around transparent price formation, capital market operations, and unified liquidity," he explains. The regulatory piece isn't an afterthought—it's central to the whole concept.
How Team Trading Actually Works
Performance Securities let investors trade based on team performance across entire seasons, playoffs, and tournaments. Prices shift based on wins, losses, and market sentiment—basically everything that affects how people feel about a team.
Here's a concrete example: the Chicago Bears might launch with 8 expected wins priced at $5 each, a projected off-field value of $2.50, and an IPO fee of $0.30. Total IPO price: $42.80 per share.
Then the fun begins. Prices fluctuate throughout the season based on actual results and fan engagement. Injuries, player transfers, locker room drama, trade rumors—everything that moves sentiment moves the price.
"We will create a new team company every season, but there will be two issuances—one for the regular season and one for the playoffs. At the end of the season, we will do the final distribution. Next season, the entire process starts again," Kane explains.
Trading runs 24/7 on a FINRA-supervised Alternative Trading System. Market makers will provide liquidity, but expect volume to spike during actual games.
"That's the entire premise behind our name," Kane reveals.
The roadmap includes expanding beyond basic equities into options. Picture this: when media companies lock in broadcast deals at the season's start, they could hedge their exposure to team performance. And yes, you can short a team—it works through standard share locating and lending, just like regular equities.
Education Through Competition
Financial markets have caught heat recently for gamification trends. Smartphone-first platforms made trading feel like a game, while products like zero-day options shifted retail behavior in concerning ways.
Kane thinks InPlay sidesteps these criticisms entirely. In fact, he believes Performance Securities will actually educate users.
"We will enhance financial literacy through sports. Financial markets can be rather complex, and InPlay Global's mission is to help educate all investors through sports. If you're a sports fan, you will be able to quickly grasp why and how the value of the security has shifted."
Interestingly, while President Donald Trump recently floated moving public companies from quarterly to bi-annual reporting, InPlay is going hyperlocal on transparency.
"Every match played is basically a performance update. We would have one every week. Thus, it would be one of the most transparent markets out there," he explains.
World Cup Launch Strategy
InPlay plans to launch for the FIFA World Cup 2026. A massive global sporting event makes for a perfect debut. After that, the company shifts focus to domestic sports seasons.
"At the moment we're focused on team sports, but there are plans to have certain individual sports, like tennis, in the near future," Kane says.
"We're getting ready to provide commoditization of the sports data, unlike the world has ever seen. We want InPlay data to become a gold standard. Sports fans should be excited for what's coming."
