This NFL season has been very different from those we’ve seen in the past. Of course they’ve added a game to the schedule to make it a 17 game regular season, but the game has changed off of the field as well. Over the span of the 2021 NFL season there has been a lot more attention than usual around pre-game warm ups, and more specifically what the players are wearing for the pre-game warmups.
Fashion has always been a big thing in the NBA. From the different hair styles, length of shorts, brand of shoes and accessories worn during games; people have always paid attention to the swag and fashion in the NBA. Many would say it was Allen Iverson that brought fashion to the sport and recently with players like Russell Westbrook in the NBA, the evolution has continued. Until recently it has seemed like it was only the NBA that had these fashion icons; there wasn’t really much talk around any other professional sports leagues and the swag that the athletes were pulling off. That is simply because there wasn’t anything to special to talk about. Recently, there has been a lot of talk around the fashion in the NFL regarding what players wear prior to games and even in public as well. But who started this trend in the NFL?
Well, there’s a lot of NFL players that have been making fashion statements over the years, starting with Joe Namath and his signature fur coat in the 1970s. Deion Sanders’ “prime-time style” started in the 1990s and that changed the culture. In the early 2000s it was Chad Ochocinco making statements on and off of the field by wearing whatever he wants and rocking it. In 2021 it has been Bruce Thompson starting a trend with his brand Dreamathon.
Thompson, a professional wide receiver himself, originally from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also an alumnus of Langston University in Oklahoma. His brand has gone viral and gotten the attention of many every week of this 2021 NFL season. First worn by NFL receiver Odell Beckham Jr in his first game back from a torn ACL. He was seen wearing a Dreamathon (Jarvis) Juice Landry graphic t-shirt, paying respect to his teammate and starting the trend of wearing statement-like clothing during pre-game warmups. Beckham Jr went on to wear two different colour ways of the Juice Landry Dreamathon t-shirts early in the 2021 NFL season. Since moving to Los Angeles, he’s worn several other Dreamathon t-shirts including those of Virgil Abloh, The Greatest Show On Turf and Justin Jefferson. Beckham Jr is not the only one to wear CEO Bruce Thompson’s Dreamathon clothing brand.
Thus far in the season, Minnesota Vikings defensive back Cameron Danzler has worn several different Dreamathon graphic t-shirts. Some of them feature Patrick Peterson, Odell Beckham Jr, Harrison Smith, Terrell Buckley, Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter (also seen on Vikings DB Kris Boyd), Justin Jefferson, Minnesota’s super star receiver has been seen a number of times wearing t-shirts. Some of them feature Odell Beckham Jr (twice), LeBron James, Randy Moss, Cris Carter, and Tre’Davious White, Arizona Cardinals’ receiver Christian Kirk wore a “Legends Never Die” t-shirt showing the faces of the greats Martin Luther King Jr, Muhammad Ali and Kobe Bryant. Saints’ receiver and returner Deonte Harris also wore a Dreamathon “Famous Jameis” t-shirt showing love towards his quarterback Jameis Winston. Tee Higgins drew the attention of Chad Ochocinco as well by wearing a Dreamathon graphic t-shirt of him. Recently, Philadelphia Eagles star receiver DeVonta Smith wore a Dreamathon Desean Jackson Eagles graphic t-shirt, paying respect to the veteran receiver. New York Jets’ Elijah Moore has worn Dreamathon shades prior to a Jets-Texans game and San Fransisco 49ers superstar Deebo Samuel has had himself and his teammates wearing Dreamathon graphic t-shirts that pay respect to their coaches. One of receivers Coach Wes Welker and another of Head Coach Kyle Shanahan.
In collaboration with CEO Bruce Thompson and his brand Dreamathon, NFL players like Odell Beckham Jr, Justin Jefferson, Cameron Dantzler, Deebo Samuel, Tee Higgins, DeVonta Smith, Christian Kirk, Deonte Harris, Kris Boyd and Elijah Moore are all setting the tone for fashion in football. More and more people talk about what these athletes are wearing on and off of the football field every week, and it is bringing a whole new culture to the game of football as we know it. With CEO Bruce Thompson’s brand going viral every week with something new happening, all eyes are on what’s next for Dreamathon. Who will rep the brand next? What will be the next release from Dreamathon? Sooner or later it will be in the resale industry because everything that Dreamathon releases is sold out in the lick of time, making it more exclusive and harder to get.
Something to look into that could be next for Dreamathon was already seen on social media going viral. As the world watches CEO Thompson taking his brand to international heights with Brazilian soccer player Vinícius Júnior wearing some Dreamathon apparel, there is a hint that he is changing the game in not only football but other sports as well.
JZ MEDIA 