WACO, Texas — Football season is just around the corner and the Bears are taking action both on and off the field.
The recent name, image and likeness era has opened a whole new door for these players, and the football team is taking advantage.
"Baylor fanbase is actually a group that will get behind and support the players that are there," Joe Goodman, a Baylor fan and contributor for SBNation's blog Our Daily Bear, said. "And it'll show that we'll put our money where our mouth is."
Fans screaming on a Saturday in McLane Stadium.
Those times are weeks away and the Baylor football players launched a new program just in time for the season.
"Having an avenue like the NIL Club that is directly player driven is key. The money goes directly to the players and is evenly distributed equally to all of them," Goodman said. "I think that's a huge piece of this."
On Wednesday, the Bears took to social media to announce the start of their new Waco NIL Club. This membership-based community focuses on the fan to player interaction.
The club is operated by YOKE to provide website development, message board moderation, tax and compliance, marketing, analytics and operation guidance.
Co-Founder and CEO of YOKE, Mick Assaf, played football at Notre Dame. He feels the bears approach to launching this club comes from their goal as a team.
"The guys all wanted to do something together. They felt like everything they do is together," Assaf said. "And so from their perspective to do NIL where the top three players make all the money, that doesn't really make sense. That's not what their team identity is all about."
Members can choose from different monthly fee options starting at a minimum of $5. With a $25 subscription, a fan can receive an RGIII jersey and a $100 subscription will get the member a steak dinner with the players this fall.
The various membership plans include an online chatroom, digital events with players and player-generated content discussing past and upcoming matchups.
Bear fans and club members like, Joe Goodman, will now get to hear from all players.
"It allows another level of access to players that we've never seen before. And i think they should be able to monetize that," Goodman said.
All proceeds of the club are split equally between the participating players at the end of each month -- regardless of position and regardless of spot on the depth chart.
"Every single person that's a part of the team drives their success. They're doing just as much work as everybody else behind the scenes that we may not be able to see," Goodman said. "And so as a fan, I'm really excited that we have a forum that we can support them through."
With various other clubs like this across the country, Baylor is hopping on the train but taking the player/fan engagement to the next level.
They take a huge chunk of my Saturdays throughout the years so I think it's not too much to ask to support them wherever I can," Goodman said.
With a monthly goal of $50,000, the club has currently raised $1,807 with 56 active members.
Click here to become a member of the club: Waco NIL Club.
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