USC's BLVD collective announces website rollout, comments on Student Body Right
With game week finally here for USC football, the school’s BLVD collective is treating it similarly in the NIL space.
In a detailed message on WeAreSC’s forum Sunday, BLVD’s staff has outlined the future plans for the group. The organization’s membership program and website will launch Sunday night at 5 p.m. PT.
USC announced the formation of BLVD back in June. The forward-thinking collective was the product of Stay Doubted founder Michael Calvin Jones working closely with former Trojans chief of staff Brandon Sosna. The collective will operate as an agency and media company exclusively serving USC athletes in their search of partnering with businesses. And at least seven full-time Stay Doubted employees will be dedicated to BLVD activities.
Sunday’s message reaffirmed BLVD’s plans for USC student-athletes. Thanks to a major contribution from the Trojans, the collective only needs to take 5% in deals for operating expenses. Donors will also be able to direct 100% of their funds to the sport of their choosing.
BLVD has a rollout of NIL announcements set for the rest of the week, including partnerships with multiple major brands, sources told On3.
Plans for membership program
Outlined in the letter were details of the buy-in from USC’s football program. Since the program launched in June, more than 90 members have signed on with BLVD and will receive compensation this season. In under three months, the collective has dished out seven figures in deals. More than 33 percent of that cash has gone to offensive and defensive linemen.
The membership program has officially taken shape, too. Similar to other collectives across the country, BLVD is committed to providing a base salary to USC football players. The organization is approaching it as a salary-cap model, outlining how most blue-chip prospects expect to make $250,000 a year off of NIL collectives.
“We determine market value and our salary cap numbers based on analytics in several different areas including social media, NFL potential, brand perception, character, etc,” the BLVD staff wrote on the WeAreSC forum. “We also have close relationships with all major sports representation agencies and other key NIL organizations giving us insight and data into the NIL market.
BLVD addresses Student Body Right concerns
In an article in the Los Angeles Times, Florida businessman and USC fan Dale Rech detailed plans for a third-party collective to join the LA market earlier this month. Dubbed “Student Body Right,” the organization claims to have “a group of deep-pocketed USC donors and diehard fans” on board. Rech has a plan to provide “the equivalent of a base salary” for every member of the school’s football team who is academically eligible.
BLVD has addressed those concerns in Sunday’s message. Outlining the advantage the collective has with constant contact with USC athletics and Lincoln Riley, the letter stated that a one-collective market continues to be the best option for the Trojans.
The other point made by BLVD was how Riley is aligned with the collective, specifically when it comes to recruiting.
“Whether SBR is associated with USC or not, USC is 100% still responsible for all actions of SBR that involve its student-athletes and donors,” Sunday’s statement read. “USC’s and BLVD’s goal is to be as aggressive as possible in NIL, while avoiding NCAA or legal investigation. We have the right experts and relationships to ensure we walk the line perfectly.”