One month after launching a successful pilot program in the UCF market, McKenzie Milton and his NIL platform Dreamfield Sports are now bringing an assortment of subscriber-based fan experiences to the Florida State community.
Dreamfield was founded last summer by Milton and former University of Miami quarterback D'Eriq King, and today they are unveiling Warpath 850, an initiative that will allow fans to take part in a variety of chats and other live activities with FSU student-athletes.
The fans can participate by paying a monthly subscription, and the proceeds go to the athletes in exchange for using their name, image and likeness.
"We just want to give opportunities to each and every athlete at Florida State to connect with fans," Milton told Warchant.com in an interview earlier this week. "Just see it as a great opportunity for the athletes."
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The subscription plans are tiered, ranging from $10 to $200 per month, and they each come with their own levels of access.
At the lowest price point, for example, subscribers get "general access" to private events and clinics. The higher tiers offer frequent Discord chats with athletes, along with "priority" or "VIP" access at various events and functions. (Complete pricing and lists of benefits are available at Warpath850.com.)
Corey Staniscia, external affairs director for Dreamfield, said the UCF version drew more participation -- and greater revenue -- than originally projected.
"Within the first 10 days, we had over 100 people sign up," Staniscia said.
Dreamfield projected that UCF supporters would buy in at an average of about $18 per month, but they actually have been closer to $38. Using that revenue, they have signed deals with nearly 20 Knights athletes to either participate in the Discord chats or to make public appearances.
During the Discord chats, an athlete typically will make around $125 to $150 for answering members' questions for 20 or 30 minutes.
The group also will schedule live events at restaurants and other establishments, which Staniscia described as, "a win for everybody." The players get compensated for their time, the fans get access to an exclusive function, and the businesses have a large gathering to which they can sell food and beverages.
Milton and Staniscia made it clear that Warpath 850 will not be limited to football players. They are currently finalizing contracts with quarterback Jordan Travis and volleyball player Skye Ekes to be their first ambassadors, but they plan on contracting with athletes in all men's and women's sports.
Several Florida State athletes already are making money through their own individual NIL deals, and the independent Rising Spear group is also brokering contracts between athletes and businesses and non-profits.
Since Warpath 850 is more focused on the fan experience, Staniscia said he doesn't believe there will be any conflict with Rising Spear's existing operations.
"We do not see this as competition," he said. "We think both can exist."
In fact, athletes at FSU will be free to work on deals with both organizations as well as ones on their own.
"I always advise athletes to sign non-exclusives," Milton said. "I don't think it's smart to start signing exclusives at 18 years old."
Dreamfield makes its money by charging administrative fees to the businesses it works with. If a firm agrees to pay an athlete $500, for example, an additional $75 (15 percent) would be charged to the business for handling payroll and tax documents, and making sure the arrangement is compliant with state and NCAA regulations.
"The whole goal is to not have the NCAA show up at the athletic director's door on Monday morning, saying, 'Show me all your documents because of this group,'" Staniscia said, adding that Milton and King have insisted from the beginning that no money be taken from the athletes' cut.
"There are people that have their hands in athletes' pockets," Staniscia said. "We cannot be one of those people. We will not charge the athlete anything. Period."
Unlike some NIL collectives around the country, which are promising athletes five-, six- or even seven-figure contracts, Staniscia said Warpath 850 is more in line with the original intent of name, image and likeness legislation.
They're not trying to turn college athletes into millionaires, but they do want to help them capitalize on their followings through social media and other platforms. Which is why Staniscia bristled at recent comments from Chris Sprowls, speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, suggesting that NIL is nothing more than a "race to the bottom in college sports," in which athletes are provided luxury items such as sports cars.
"No one on Dreamfield is driving sports cars at 18 years old," Staniscia said. "These are people that are just trying to send some money home to help their mom and dad, help their brothers and sisters, help their teammates and friends. They're trying to pay their cell phone bills and pay their car payments on their Toyota Corollas. Not their Ferraris, as our Speaker of the House so eloquently explained to us a few weeks ago."
While no live events with FSU athletes have been formally scheduled yet, Staniscia said the group plans to announce those opportunities in the near future.
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