Image via Complex Original
On Nov. 7, 2021, the Minnesota Vikings took the field for their Week 9 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Before the game even started, Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson and cornerback Cam Dantzler already had fans talking. During the pregame warmups, both of them wore T-shirts with “Free Odell” printed across the front. Odell Beckham Jr.’s relationship with his then-team, the Cleveland Browns, had become tumultuous and the players wanted to show him support. The Browns had released Beckham Jr. a few days earlier.
Bruce Thompson, the founder of Dreamathon who has had a personal relationship with Beckham Jr. since high school and calls him a step brother, designed these T-shirts, which caused a stir on social media and inquiries from fans who wanted to purchase one.
“When I made the ‘Free Odell’ shirts, I was kind of like, let me give the people what they want. This is for the culture. This is for the world. It wasn’t about me,” says Thompson regarding the attention-grabbing design. “The players really love each other and support each other that much to put it all on the line saying, ‘You can fine me or whatever. I’m still gonna wear Dreamathon.’”
Thanks to Thompson’s Dreamathon T-shirts, players have been able to praise their peers on the field or tip their cap to a legend they idolize in a unique way every Sunday. Each T-shirt features a collage of graphics across the chest arranged like the bootleg designs that were popularized in the ‘90s and have recently started to trend again. The designs hone in on specific players from the past or present, highlighting memorable images and accolades from across their career.
While the brand is just approaching its one-year anniversary at the end of the month, its T-shirts have already become a pregame uniform for some of the NFL’s biggest names. Beckham Jr. and Jefferson, two players he says have developed a “real brotherhood” off the field, are Thompson’s most consistent supporters. During their Christmas weekend matchup, they showed love by wearing Dreamathon T-shirts covered in images of each other. Beckham Jr. has worn other designs that honor the “Greatest Show on Turf” era Rams to the late Virgil Abloh. Jefferson has celebrated individuals like LeBron James, who reposted the shirt on his IG Story, and fellow LSU alumnus Tre’davious White via the T-shirts. Other fans include Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers Tyler Boyd and Ja’Marr Chase, Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Cyril Grayson, and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Von Miller who could all be seen in Dreamathon T-shirts this past weekend to kick off the NFL playoffs.
“The players really love the movement,” Thompson tells Complex. “Sometimes the players don’t even want the shirt for them. They just want the other players to get involved.”
Thompson grew up playing football. Born in New Orleans, he moved to Texas after he and his mother were temporarily displaced following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Thompson would spend his middle school years there before returning to New Orleans in 2009 to attend the Miller McCoy Academy high school and become the first graduate to receive a football scholarship. During high school, Thompson would connect with Odell Beckham Sr. who would act as a mentor to him.
“[Odell Beckham Sr.] really guided me, directed me, motivated me, and taught me all the right things. I connected the struggle of what I was going through with what he was teaching me about being a man, to expect greatness and nothing less,” says Thompson. It was through this relationship that he initially connected with Beckham Jr., who he has remained close with to this day. “Every time I’d make a good play or have a good game I used to call [Beckham Sr.] and tell him and he would say, ‘Make a play so loud I can’t hear you talk.’ He always had high expectations of me. I put that on my life with everything that I do. I always manifest and dream big.”
Thompson would play college ball at Langston University, an NAIA program in Oklahoma. During this time, he would also spend summers mentoring at Peyton and Eli Manning’s Manning Passing Academy, the same camp he attended throughout high school, and eventually he declared for the 2017 NFL Draft. Despite going undrafted, he got a tryout with his hometown New Orleans Saints that ultimately didn’t result in a spot on the roster. Thompson kept up with training and conditioning on the field in hopes of reaching his NFL goals—he still aspires to play in the NFL—and he began modeling for brands like Fashion Nova and Cross Colours. With Dreamathon, he has been able to combine his passions for sports and clothing.
What started in January 2021 as a brand selling colorful pairs of logo-covered socks expanded to include the popular T-shirts this past summer. Thompson liked the bootleg T-shirt style so he decided to make some for Dreamathon. Thanks to the various co-signs from around the NFL, Thompson’s brand has quickly landed at the forefront of the NFL’s movement into the fashion space, which is being documented now more than ever. Similar to the NBA pregame tunnel, certain NFL teams have started posting their players’ pregame fits on social media, too. There’s accounts like Instagram’s @blitzfits dedicated to showcasing the best drip from around the league. The fast trajectory of Dreamathon may be surprising for some, even Thompson, who has had to rely on a pre-order system for his $60 T-shirts to keep up with the new demand. But he says in the back of his mind he always knew this would happen eventually.
“I always believed and I always had a crazy vision,” says Thompson. The 28-year-old says throughout his last semester of college (he went back to finish his final classes this fall) he tacked a sheet of paper to the wall in his room and would jot down an inspiring message or dream until it was full. “I always beat the odds. I was always going up and down. I was always denied. But then at the same time I took that L and I always turned into lessons and I still came out on top just ‘cause I didn’t quit. I kind of took all that and put all that in the perspective of Dreamathon. I’m always chasing dreams, but I’m always in a marathon with obstacles that come in my way. I wanted to build my brand for that audience of dreamers.”
He cites his two favorite rappers, Nipsey Hussle and Meek Mill, as individuals who partially helped inspire his vision for the brand. Another big inspiration: his mother.
“My mom has been with me this whole way, through our whole journey, homeless, struggling,” says Thompson. “She never gave up on me. I’m just so blessed to have a great parent as well. I feel like I just do it so much for her.”
Thompson acknowledges that while plenty of other people make vintage-inspired graphic T-shirts, he sets himself apart with his commitment to actually learning about the players he’s featuring. He researches each player to highlight certain images that nod to iconic moments from their career, their playing days in high school, or shed light on awards they’ve won in the past.
“Anybody could have a vintage brand, but what makes mine stand out? I love paying homage. I love talking about the ones that come before us. ‘Cause that’s what’s missing in the world,” says Thompson. “It’s really all about respect. It’s real genuine.”
His brand is still young, but Thompson already has major plans. He’d love to make shirts for people like Jay-Z, Meek Mill, LeBron James, Allen Iverson, and Paris Hilton, and he wants to see his designs in the NBA 2K video game alongside the other streetwear brands. Eventually he’s interested in having official partnerships with the NFL and Nike. He’s using his platform to give back to the next generation, too. A Dreamathon scholarship is in the works with his alma mater, Langston University. He’s worked with the university in the past, designing a special T-shirt for their 2021 homecoming. To Thompson, anything is possible.
“I just wanna use [Dreamathon] to just keep inspiring all the dreamers in the world. I can’t touch everybody, but I can at least put a sparkle in the world,” he says. “Dreamathon is changing the world.”