Former UGA players providing opportunities for current Dawgs and their fans

HOMER, Ga.—Attending UGA football lettermen functions while growing up, Ty Frix came to realize the closest relationships held by his father, Mitch Frix, a snapper at Georgia in the early 1980s, were with other Bulldog lettermen—and of all ages. Notably, Ty would follow in his father’s footsteps, snapping for Georgia from 2009-2012, as would his younger brother, Trent, from 2015-2017.

“Seeing those relationships my dad had built, it made me wonder one day, ‘What if we could take that network of relationships and expand it from just Georgia players-to-Georgia players to something much more, like Georgia players-to-Bulldog fans as part of a large community?’” Frix informed UGASports on Friday at the Chimney Oaks Golf Club. “Eventually, I wanted to help build that players-to-fans network in an authentic way to allow athletes to have great relationships they could benefit from for years.”

Frix’s idea came to fruition last January when The Players’ Lounge was launched as a platform to connect current and former athletes with their respective fan bases while providing opportunities for student-athletes to monetize their individual brands via NIL (Name, Image, Likeness). The Players’ Lounge is the first NFT (non-fungible token) community envisioned by players built for both fans and players alike. The community is divided into subcategories: the DGD Mafia for Georgia players and their fans, Bayou Cat Crew (LSU), Burnt Orange Heroes (Texas), and Boom Squad (Oklahoma), to only name a few. Besides Frix and his brother, Trent, The Players’ Lounge founding group includes former Georgia football standouts Aaron Murray and Keith Marshall.

“For the community we’re building, the DGD Mafia, we got some awesome Dawg fans,” Murray said. “And, right now, we have 50-plus former and current Georgia players signed up on the platform. So, there’s the opportunity for these fans to come on our Discord and chat with the players online. They can ask them questions and get to know them—and, in person, go to the events like this here and mix with the players. A good number of former Bulldog players will be around this weekend, like Tavarres King, Knowshon Moreno, Champ Bailey, and others.”

Today’s invitational golf tournament at Chimney Oaks Golf Club opened a three-event weekend for the DGD Mafia of The Players’ Lounge. Tonight’s G-Day-Eve Welcome Party at the Silver Dollar bar in downtown Athens will be followed by tomorrow’s G-Day Tailgate at Creature Comforts Downtown Taproom and Brewery in Athens.

According to Aaron Leicht, who handles much of the marketing and public relations for The Players’ Lounge, tomorrow’s G-Day Tailgate is extended beyond members. Still, to join the DGD Mafia is a rather simple process.

“For people who aren’t members but want to join the DGD Mafia, all they have to do is go to the Marketplace and pick out a DGD NFT,” Leicht said. “And, it doesn’t matter the rarity or price of the DGD, purchasing just one of them is a digital lifetime pass connecting the individual with the community and giving them access to unique player experiences.”

When The Players’ Lounge was launched with the Georgia Bulldogs as its focus, approximately 5,000 NFTs were sold out in less than four hours.

“The 11 current Georgia players involved in that launch—players like Stetson Bennett, Keele Ringo, Brock Bowers, Christopher Smith—divided $305,000 in profit, which amounted to each receiving a check for $28,000,” Leicht said. “Now, there are more than 40 current Georgia players involved. Running back Kendall Milton is one who comes to mind as one of the recent additions.”

Besides receiving NIL money, current players benefit from the platform as a good way of building their brand, according to Murray.

“For a lot of fans, they only know the players by what they see and hear on the field and on television—that’s it,” Murray said. “However, through The Players’ Lounge, fans can actually interact with and get to know the players. We’ve created a very safe environment for everyone—an area where players and fans can come together and interact with one another. In turn, we have found that most fans are just grateful that these players are taking time out of their day to come chat with them.”

According to Frix, NIL has given The Players’ Lounge an opportunity to provide financial incentives to athletes building relationships with fans. However, as evident by Frix's father, relationships will ultimately pay more dividends than any financial benefits.

“At the end of the day, life is primarily about relationships—about meeting people and making authentic relationships that last a lifetime,” Frix said. “Those relationships will open doors for the athletes down the road, providing real value to their lives. So, years from now, our athletes have a network to fall back on when their football-playing days are over.”

Saturday’s DGD Mafia G-Day Tailgate at Creature Comforts will feature live music from the Splitz Band, appearances from UGA football lettermen, and will run for four hours from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.