Sportsblock Development Update. Building in Utility

SportsBlock Development Update - Feature Drop

It's been one of the biggest weeks in SportsBlock's development so far. @blanchy has been delivering at an incredible pace and we want to walk you through everything that's landed on sportsblock.app this week.

Prediction Bites — Stake Your MEDALS on the Outcome

This is the big one. Prediction Bites are live, and they've already been a hit with the community.
The concept is simple — before a match kicks off, you can create a Prediction Bite with your call on the outcome. But here's the twist: you stake your MEDALS tokens on it.

Other users can back different outcomes, building a pool. When the match is settled, winners share the pot based on what they staked.
Under the hood, @blanchy built a full prediction engine — that's a database schema, seven API routes, an escrow system to hold staked MEDALS securely, a settlement engine, and auto-settle cron jobs that resolve predictions based on results. The frontend features prediction cards with outcome bars showing the pool distribution, a stake modal, and a settlement panel. Nearly 4,000 lines of code across 33 files to bring this one to life.
It's prediction with skin in the game, and it gives MEDALS real utility as a spend token — exactly what the tokenomics need.

Tipping — Reward Great Takes in Real Time

See a brilliant Sportsbite during a live match? Now you can tip the creator directly. Tipping is live on SportsBlock, letting users send MEDALS to content they rate.
This creates organic token circulation between users. Someone earns MEDALS through staking or curation, tips a creator whose take they enjoyed, and that creator might stake those MEDALS or use them for predictions. It's a virtuous cycle that keeps the token economy healthy and rewards quality content in real time.

New Comment System

We've reworked how comments work across the platform. The comment modals now feature a rich toolbar with bold, italic, emoji, image, and GIF support — so replies are no longer limited to plain text. We also show the original comment preview when you're replying, so you always have context.
Sportsbite cards now have inline expandable replies, and the comment counter includes all comments so you get an accurate picture of engagement. We've filtered non-sportsbite replies from feeds to keep things clean, and fixed issues with ghost posts and shallow comments.

UI/UX Redesign — Glassmorphism and Simplification

The platform has had a visual refresh. @blanchy introduced a glassmorphism design treatment across the top navigation, left sidebar, and profile popup — giving the whole interface a more modern, polished feel.
We've also been working on simplification. The previous design was getting cluttered as we added features, and we heard that from the community. The navigation is cleaner, the layout is tighter, and the overall experience is more intuitive whether you're a Hive veteran or completely new to blockchain.
Dark mode received a major upgrade too — full support across the wallet page, staking panel, transfer modal, market info, premium badge, and wallet card components. If you're a dark mode user, the experience is now consistent everywhere.

10% APR Staking — Now Live

This one went live last night. If you're holding MEDALS, you can now stake them and earn a 10% APR return. Staking rewards will be allocated every Sunday at 00:00, so your first payout is just around the corner.
This is a key part of the MEDALS tokenomics — rewarding holders who commit to the ecosystem. The longer you stake, the more you earn, and staked MEDALS also unlock tier benefits on the platform. If you've been sitting on MEDALS waiting for staking to go live, now's the time.

Live Score Integration

Match Threads now pull in live scores directly via ESPN, displaying real-time results in match thread cards and headers. You no longer need to tab out to check the score — it's right there alongside the conversation.
This was part of a broader sports data upgrade where we switched from TheSportsDB to the ESPN API, giving us more reliable coverage across more sports.

Performance and SEO Sprint

Behind the scenes, @blanchy ran a serious performance sprint. Cache headers were added to 10+ API routes for faster page loads. Double-fetches were eliminated on discover, authors, profile, and post detail pages by moving to proper server-side rendering patterns. The landing page was split into lazy-loaded components, and JS bundle size was reduced by deferring non-critical initialisers.
On the SEO side, we added Open Graph tags, Twitter cards, and JSON-LD structured data across the platform. When someone shares a SportsBlock link on X, Discord, or anywhere else, it now shows a proper preview with images and descriptions.

Legacy Cleanup

We stripped out all legacy Aioha authentication code, removed old mock and demo pages, and cleared out outdated integration tests — 1,176 lines of dead code removed, keeping the codebase clean and maintainable as we push towards launch.

Auth and Session Improvements

Session lifetime has been extended to 7 days so you're not constantly logging back in. We fixed an issue where Hive user sessions were silently degrading, fixed HiveSigner mobile login, and resolved the Sportsbites feed flickering on login. Accessibility got a boost with aria-labels added throughout.

Mobile Layout

Always on the backburner but very important the mobile layout is improving. We are not there yet but we have come along way last week.

Curation Starts in April

We've been focused on getting the platform right before turning on the rewards engine, and we're nearly there. Starting in April, MEDALS curation will go live. @niallon11 is managing the allocation, and we'll be running scripts to track who's posting on SportsBlock, who's creating Sportsbites, and who's contributing quality content to the community.
The rules are simple: include a 5% beneficiary to @sportsblock on your posts, use original non-copyrighted images, and make sure your content meets Hive community standards — no posts under 400 words, no AI-generated content. Play by the rules, contribute quality, and you'll be rewarded. We want real sports fans sharing real takes.

SportsBlock is heading towards our April launch with serious momentum. The features are landing, the community is growing, and the platform is getting better every day.
Come see for yourself at sportsblock.app. Make some Sportsbites, drop a Prediction Bite before tonight's match, tip a great take, and let us know what you think.

@blanchy | @niallon11 | @sportsblock
Follow us: @sportsblockinfo on X | https://discord.gg/Cxpj9DjcB