miji.beURLs occasionally take center stage in sports. Crowds of viewers visit a URL shown during a seconds-long commercial, or domain name choices shape team branding strategies.
Super Bowl ad slots are known for being expensive, with 30-second slots costing about $7 million in 2024. In 2022, crypto exchange Coinbase aired a 60-second ad showing only a floating QR code. The QR code linked to a short URL, and after the ad aired, traffic surged and Coinbase's app was reported to have become temporarily hard to use. The ad itself was also covered in the news.
At the Olympics, different domains are used for different purposes. The IOC has its official domain, while each Games' official site also uses a domain containing the host city's name.
Sports betting URL regulations vary by country. In Japan, online gambling is generally illegal. In the UK, Premier League jerseys displayed betting site URLs until tighter regulations took effect in 2026.
Individual athletes' URL strategies have evolved too. Some athletes take domains in their own names for official sites, and use Linktree URLs in social media bios to manage sponsor links, merchandise pages, and fan club signups from a single URL. When you scan a QR code you spot on a broadcast or at a venue, it is safer to check that the page it opens is on the official domain of the event or team. When a local team or shop puts out announcements timed to a game, making a separate short URL for each place they post it, such as posters and social media, lets them compare afterward where people came from.