Getting Started

SPORTSBLOCK is a sports content platform built on the Hive blockchain. It brings together sports fans, writers, and analysts in a community where quality content is rewarded with real cryptocurrency.

Unlike traditional sports platforms, everything you post on SPORTSBLOCK is stored on the blockchain. That means no central authority can censor, remove, or alter your contributions — you truly own your content.

Hive is a fast, feeless blockchain designed for social applications. When you post, comment, or vote on SPORTSBLOCK, those actions are recorded on the Hive blockchain.

Key things to know:

• No transaction fees. Posting, voting, and commenting are free. Instead, you use "Resource Credits" (RC) that regenerate over time.
• Censorship resistant. Content is stored across a decentralized network of nodes — nobody can take down your posts.
• Your account, your keys. Your Hive account is secured by cryptographic keys that only you control. No passwords stored on a server.
• 7-day reward window. Posts earn rewards through upvotes during their first 7 days. After that, rewards are distributed and the post remains permanently on-chain.

There are two ways to join SPORTSBLOCK:

SPORTSBLOCK has two types of content:

• Posts: Full-length articles with titles, rich text formatting, images, and tags. Great for in-depth analysis, match reviews, and opinion pieces.
• Sportsbites: Short-form, tweet-like takes for quick reactions, hot takes, and real-time sports discussion.

Things to keep in mind when posting:

• 7-day reward window: Your post earns upvote rewards for 7 days after publishing. After that, rewards are paid out to you and your voters.
• Resource Credits: Every action on Hive uses RC, which regenerates at about 20% per day. New accounts start with enough RC for several posts and comments daily.
• Editing: You can edit posts within the 7-day window. After payout, edits are still possible but won't affect rewards.
• Permanent: Posts live on the blockchain forever. You can edit content, but the history is preserved.

Upvoting content on SPORTSBLOCK isn't just a "like" — it distributes real rewards to the author and earns you curation rewards in return.

• Voting Power: You have a voting power bar that starts at 100%. Each full-strength vote uses about 2% of your voting power. It regenerates at roughly 20% per day.
• Vote weight: You can adjust vote weight to conserve voting power. A 50% weight vote uses ~1% of your voting power.
• Curation rewards: When you upvote a post that earns rewards, you receive a share of the curation pool (roughly 50% of the post's total rewards go to curators).
• Timing matters: Voting earlier on quality content can earn you more curation rewards, as the curation reward algorithm favors early voters.

"Staking" HIVE means converting liquid HIVE tokens into HIVE Power (HP). This is also called "powering up."

• Why stake? More HIVE Power means your upvotes are worth more, you earn more curation rewards, and you have more Resource Credits for actions on the blockchain.
• Power Down: You can unstake (power down) at any time, but it takes 13 weeks. Your HIVE is returned in equal weekly installments over that period.
• Delegation: You can delegate your HIVE Power to other accounts without transferring ownership. This is often used to support communities or new users.
• Influence: HIVE Power also determines your influence in governance votes (witness voting) on the Hive blockchain.

MEDALS is SPORTSBLOCK's native Hive Engine token. Staked MEDALS earn a 10% APR, paid weekly, and place you in a staking tier. Tier badges are live; the other benefits arrive with Staking Tiers v2.

Earn MEDALS when curators reward your content, from monthly prizes, predictions and contests. Stake them in your wallet: a new tier applies once your stake has been held for 7 days. See the whitepaper for the details.

The Wallet page shows everything about your on-chain balances:

• HIVE: Your liquid, transferable HIVE tokens.
• HIVE Power (HP): Your staked HIVE — determines vote strength and influence.
• HBD: Hive Backed Dollars, a stablecoin pegged to ~$1 USD. You can save HBD in Hive savings to earn ~20% APR interest.
• MEDALS: Your SPORTSBLOCK token balance and staking tier.
• Resource Credits: How much blockchain activity you can do before needing to wait for regeneration.

From the wallet, you can transfer tokens, power up/down, stake MEDALS, and view your transaction history.

1. Introduce yourself. Write a short intro post telling the community about your sports interests. It's a great way to get your first upvotes.
2. Engage with others. Comment on posts you enjoy. Quality comments can earn rewards too, and they help you build connections.
3. Be consistent. Regular posting and curation builds your reputation and following over time.
4. Use tags wisely. Add relevant sport tags to help people discover your content (e.g., football, basketball, cricket).
5. Don't drain your voting power. Aim to keep your voting power above 80% for optimal reward distribution. Vote selectively on content you genuinely value.
6. Save your keys. If you signed up with Google, make sure you've downloaded and securely stored your Hive private keys. Without them, account recovery is difficult.
7. Explore communities. Check out the Communities page to find sports communities that match your interests.