“Ducks Of A Feather” Takes Off With Flying Formations NFT Launch
Division Street has a new platform to help University of Oregon student athletes take advantage of their NIL opportunities: “Ducks of a Feather” an online NFT platform designed to connect U of O student athletes to fans, boosters and collectors.
It’s a market not much older than the NIL opportunity itself, which, according to Division Street CEO Rosemary St. Clair, is right on brand:
“The Oregon brand has always stood for innovation and been immersed in culture, so it was natural for us to create the first unique online platform dedicated to representing and benefitting student-athletes.”
Ducks of a Feather’s first offering, “Flying Formations,” was created in collaboration with the Oregon football team and consists of 120 unique, one-of-one digital art pieces created and serialized by legendary Oregon alum Tinker Hatfield based on the Oregon Duck logo. Each NFT in the collection will be accompanied by a hyper-limited special-edition Nike Air Max 1 also designed by Hatfield and featuring a representation of the NFT on the tongue of the shoe.
Hatfield says the inspiration for the NFTs’ design stemmed from stories of brotherhood from Oregon football players, and that he wanted to represent both the unity and the individuality of the players on the team, represented through the Oregon Duck.
“As a former Oregon student-athlete, I remember clearly the sense of brotherhood that exists within our teams, and it was an honor to create a depiction of that through the design of Flying Formations.”
“I have such a passion for the school and the athletes—it’s a dream to work on something unique like this that directly supports them.”
Seven of those athletes– Jamal Hill, Noah Sewell, Justin Flowe, Mase Funa, Kris Hutson, TJ Bass and Brandon Dorlus—all members of the Oregon Football team, were contracted to provide specific content for the initiative. Nearly 70% of revenue from the initial auction of the collection will go to participating football team members, while 10% will go to Division Street to distribute amongst the broader roster of teams.
Said Hill about the collection, and the opportunity:
“Oregon is a special place that’s meaningful to each of us individually, but it’s our work together as a team that makes us who we are. We came from all over, with different backgrounds, experiences and circumstances. But once we landed at Oregon, we become family. We can’t wait to share this collection with the world and provide 120 fans with a truly unique experience.”
Flying Formations’ initial auction will take place on Division Street’s DucksOfAFeather.xyz site, while secondary market sales of the NFT can take place on existing NFT marketplaces like OpenSea. Each time an NFT is sold on the secondary market, 10% will go to a Division Street fund that provides support across all U of O athletic programs.
While Flying Formations is the first collection from Ducks of a Feather, St. Clair emphasizes it is only the beginning:
“We continue to focus on creative and distinct ways for Oregon athletes to monetize their brands, and we think Ducks of a Feather will serve as a long-term platform to do that.”
NFT Athlete Imagery by Anthony Taylor