From Four College Transfers to Revolutionizing Athlete Representation | Ep. 28 ft. Braxton Wilks

From Four College Transfers to Revolutionizing Athlete Representation: Braxton Wilks on Data-Driven Sports Management

Braxton Wilks played college baseball at four different schools — Kansas State, McLennan in Waco, Texas, Abilene Christian, and Virginia Commonwealth. He lived the transfer experience before the transfer portal became what it is today, giving him unique insight into what athletes really need when navigating career decisions.

After baseball, Braxton practiced law for five years, specializing in Wealth Preservation. This legal background became the foundation for something bigger: Perennial Sports Group, a full-service sports agency that's revolutionizing athlete representation through data-driven sports management.

What makes Braxton different from typical sports agents? He's not just negotiating contracts — he's an attorney who understands wealth preservation, a former multi-transfer athlete who knows the system from the inside, and a founder who's built an agency focused on sustainable careers rather than just big deals.

In this episode of The Standard Podcast™, Braxton shares:

• The biggest lies the sports industry tells athletes about representation
• What the NIL era and transfer portal really mean for college athletes
• Why wealth preservation matters more than contract size
• How data-driven sports management changes athlete representation
• What athletes need beyond what typical agents provide
• The legal insights most agents can't offer their clients

Whether you're an athlete navigating NIL, a parent trying to understand representation, or a coach helping athletes make smart career decisions, Braxton's combination of legal expertise, athletic experience, and business insight offers a perspective you won't hear anywhere else.

This isn't just about sports representation — it's about what building sustainable careers really looks like.

This isn't motivation. This is a movement.

Connect with Braxton: Social Media: @braxtonlwilks Company: Perennial Sports Group

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Awesome. All right, here we go. Welcome to the Standard Podcast, where we raise the bar, rebuild the culture, and call out the lies or misconceptions that nobody else will. This isn't motivation, this is a movement. I'm Thomas Rowe with my host Aaron Charles, and today we're sitting down with Braxton Wilkes, founder of Perennial Sports Group, a full-service sports agency revolutionizing sports representation by providing data-driven sports management for elite athletes, coaches, and sports media personalities. Awesome. Let me turn that off. Prior to founding Perennial Sports Group, Braxton practiced law for five years, primarily focusing on wealth preservation, a specialty that allows him to provide PSG clients with a worldwide range of services and insights above and beyond those offered by typical agents and agencies. Braxton was also a college athlete playing baseball at Kansas State, McLean and Waco, in Waco, Texas, Albert, Albert, Albert Albaline, Christian, and the Virginia Commonwealth, giving him a unique perspective into the current landscape of college athletics, particularly the transfer portal and the NIL era of college sports. We're diving into the truth behind what it really takes to build identity, discipline, and legacy in sports and in life. Let's get into it. Welcome to the Stan Podcast. Bryan's been your rosar. Thanks so much for joining us today. We really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Yeah, no, thanks. Thanks for having me. Sorry, sorry, my collegiate background had so many different things. I mean, I always joke that I was in the transfer portal before the transfer transfer portal existed. So yeah, no, it's it's been it's great to have to be on. It's great to talk with y'all again. I know we've gotten to talk a couple of times, and and I truly support what y'all are doing. One with this podcast, but two with blueprint, the blue chip, and and and everything that y'all are about. So I'm glad we found kind of common ground and other people that are trying to do things the right way, take care of athletes and kind of change the culture around athletics.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

No doubt. You know, the it's kind of a blessing and a curse when we were looking at how many times you transferred. I was like, well, he's the ideal guy to talk to right now, because you're starting to see athletes across all sports making, you know, used to be just one time that kids would transfer. Now it's two, three, sometimes four, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Yeah, no, exactly. And for me, it was basically my freshman year. I was, I was, you know, like I said, pre-transfer portal. But my freshman year, we had, I was at Kansas State. We had had a great year the year before, brought back the entire team, and then had a really bad year my freshman year. So that kind of ended up being the coach, you know, after we finished our last weekend set against Texas, our coach walked us in and said, basically, if you have eligibility left and you're planning on coming back with scholarship, you know, don't worry about that because you're not going to have a scholarship. So then I went to McClennan and Junior College, which I feel like a lot of kids kind of kind of don't want to be around, go don't want to go to the JUCO route. And I am a firm believer that that was one, the best thing for me, but two, for a lot of young athletes, it's the best thing to do. I mean, it's one, you get all your basics out of the way, you get credits out of the way. But two, it's the the rules allow you to play more, practice more, get more reps. Sure. And all of that meant that towards the end of my career, I was a much better player than I had been when I went to college. So then, yeah, then I went to Abilene Christian, graduated, had a year left, grad did a grad transfer to VCU, Virginia Commonwealth, and actually remember having to hire an attorney to make sure that I wasn't, you know, losing eligibility when I grad transferred and I would be able to play. So obviously there's still a need for attorneys to do this, but with the transfer portal, it is kind of the Wild West, like we were talking about, where for better or worse, kids can transfer now. I don't think a lot of times they're thinking, you know, about all of the factors that should be going into this, all the variables, and they're just seeing the fact that they can transfer. But the the transfer portal for football, I guess, and we can keep getting into this and everything, but I know you and I and Aaron had talked about this before. Transfer portal ended last Friday. As of last Friday, there were almost 11,000 uh football athletes that were just into double A. So FDS, FCS, D2, D3, almost 11,000 players in the portal. And as of that Friday, when it officially closed, over 6,000 still had not found a spot. So that's something that we are trying to help with in at PSG at Perennial Sports Group. But I know y'all are doing that as well. And I'm I'm excited to help with that in any way I can.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Right. Let's get right into that. You founded perennial sports group to revolutionize sports representation with data-driven sports elements and management. What does raising the standard mean to you, especially in the work you're doing, doing with athlete coaches and media personalities?

SPEAKER_02 5:21

Yeah, no, I mean, it's a great question. I mean, I think for me, the standard is kind of what's expected. It's the expectations that either you put on yourself or that the you know, the world, the culture, coaches, whatever it is, put on you. Raising the standard there then then must mean that your expectations, you're starting to expect more out of yourself. Your expectations are raised so that now what used to be kind of just an expectation is now a requirement for yourself. And then you're expecting more out of yourself. For us, specifically at PSG, that means that we're not just kind of the typical agents, you know, like, and I always joke as an attorney, I'm used to like the face that I get when I would tell people I'm an attorney. So when I tell people I'm an NIL agent, it doesn't baffle me that I'm getting that same face because that's the reputation. You know, the reputation is NIL agents just come out, they find an athlete, they tell them to enter the transfer portal, and then once schools inevitably call, they get a kid to sign and take 20% of that. Sure. And, you know, it's a it's a pretty good gig if if that's what you're trying to do, just make money. But you're really just taking advantage of the kids and that and taking advantage of of kind of the situation that has been created over the past five, six years. So what we do is we're trying to, I mean, if you think about kind of a pie or a pizza or something, you know, an agent will take a slice, a CPA, an accountant, an attorney. We're trying to essentially do financial advisor. We're trying to essentially do all of that for a much smaller slice than anyone else is taking. We're trying to essentially set up long-term, lifelong relationships with our athletes. And we represent coaches and media personalities as well, but lifelong relationships with them so that while they're in college, you know, either high school athletes, college athletes, but as as early as we can get to them and help them along their way, if they ever get to the NFL, the MLB, NBA, whatever, our relationship never changes. So that we've had the same financial relationship, commission-based, all of the same things that the NFL, NBA, MLB, whatever it is, kind of set, the caps or whatever. We're trying to do that from the very beginning. And so we're trying to raise the standard, if you will, of what the sports world expects out of agents. You know, I don't think that agents should just be there to get, you know, shoes and get baseball bats and batting gloves and and all of that for their athletes. I think that they should be there doing everything, making sure their athletes are protected, their assets are protected, their future is protected, doing what's best and in their best interest no matter what. Even if that means that, you know, we make less as agents, that should be fine. But for some reason, there's this this mag magnetism towards people who look out for themselves becoming agents rather than people who are looking out for the athletes themselves.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

No question. No question. With that being said, what do you think is the biggest lie or misconception that you feel a culture of the sports industry has told athletes about agents, about representation, and what it takes to build a sustainable career?

SPEAKER_02 8:55

That's a great, another great question. Just hitting me with all the good questions. I I think that when I was coming up, I think the biggest lie was that it wasn't a business. Right. Or at least, and maybe they never told us that, but that was kind of, I guess, the assumption, you know, you play Little League or whatever, you know, AAU, whatever it is, play select ball, you play high school, and then you get to college and it's completely different because it is a business. You know, you're relying on 18 to 22-year-olds to put food on the table if you're a coach. So they treat it like a business. And if you perform well, you're their best friend. If you don't, they don't care about you anymore. And so when I was coming up and when I was playing, that's kind of the lie that I either I don't know if I was told that or if I just assumed it and I told myself that, that this wasn't a business. It's just kind of business as usual, me playing a sport. And it's completely different. Now, because of NIL, kids are kind of coming up earlier and earlier, understanding that. And so they kind of at least it's a little more transparent where kids know that you know, you step the second you step foot on campus, it's a business. And you have to treat yourself like a business man, businesswoman. You have to treat it like it is a job because when you're getting paid for something, whether it's a scholarship or whether it's a scholarship and name, image, and likeness, kind of marketing or revenue share or whatever it is, you're getting paid to be there and to play. And because of that, you have to treat it like it is a business and it is a job. I guess the the biggest lie now, kind of going off all of that, that I think the culture, the the sports world tells kids. And this is really just because all of the media narratives and all of the exposure is to these people, but that everyone's making a million dollars. You know, or or if you're a college athlete, you're all making money. I mean, you're all getting paid to play, even though they'll never say that, you know, but they're everyone's making a lot of money. Whereas the reality is there's probably only a handful or a few handfuls of college athletes making a million plus. But the more that you see Shador Sanders or Arch Manning or or any of those guys, Brendan Soresby, Sam Levitt, and you see the the amounts that they're making, and and those are reported, the more that kids coming up think, oh, well, if they're worth that, then surely I'm worth a million dollars. Totally. Because of that. They're expecting all of this. And I think that's a big reason. And it's not the only reason, but I think it's a big reason why there's a lot of kids that are FBS V1 transfers in the in football, because they're expecting to get more money out of the portal. And so they either they have an agent telling them that or something else, but they're expecting to get paid a lot of money. And that, you know, isn't necessarily the case. And that's again why it's not the only variable, it's not the only factor that should go into your decision on where you're gonna play, whether or not you're gonna transfer any of that. It definitely is a factor and a variable, but it's not the only one.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

No doubt. You know, one of the things Aaron and I talk about is I mean, maybe this is a poor analogy, but it's kind of like when you see the people that win the lottery, or if you've ever gone to Vegas or a casino where they show you that person with the board that said that they won$5,000 on this slot. So, you know, people just continue to go to that slot machine. It's like like the what we've found out, and maybe you can confirm this, is like the average NIL deal is like a thousand bucks or less. And you know, you have your handful of people that have won the lottery big, right? Like you mentioned in the Archmannings and so forth. But for the most part, these guys that jump into the portal, it's illusions of grandeur because they get in there, they're chasing the dollar, they're chasing the money, and then you know, when the portal closes, they're like, oh shit, now I'm out in the cold.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

Right. Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's it's kids want kids want to get the bag. And right, I I understand that. And and for some kids, you know, you might not go play professionally, and and so this might be your only chance to make money playing a sport. And I understand that. And that's why, again, it is a factor that should be thought of. It kind of the same thing. It's because it is a business, if coaches give you more money, you're gonna get more opportunity, or at least you're gonna get more looks.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 13:38

But it is kind of illusions of grandeur in in a lot of ways because there are only so many guys making that much money. You know, it it one is very sports specific, two is very position specific. You know, the starting quarterback's gonna make the most of the time, the vast majority of the time, be the highest paid guy on the team. But, you know, yeah, the the average athlete in college, you know, if if you're getting outside third party NIL money, not from a revenue share or or anything like that, yeah, that probably average is less than a thousand. You know, most of the agreements that I see from third parties are five to ten thousand dollar range, and and a lot of them are less. So, so it it's not, you know, it's it's not professional sports, at least it's not supposed to be. And so you're not making the money that all those kind of that are reported make just because you're playing college athletics. And and that's one of the lies, one of probably the biggest lie being told right now, and kids are hearing it, or even if they're not being told it directly, they assume it, kind of like I assumed that it wasn't a business, it was just business as usual playing a sport, that you're gonna make a lot of money in the port in college athletics. And if you go into the portal, you'll make more money. Right. And and that, yeah, it's it's tough to combat that, but things like this podcast are one of the best ways to do it. Just get the information out there.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

I appreciate that. That's so true. You know, the one thing we didn't tell you about is that we're gonna tag team you and we're gonna break up the segments. We're gonna go into segment two, which is identity and legacy. And I'm gonna turn it over to Aaron and she's gonna she's gonna grill you a little bit. Aaron, take off a okay.

SPEAKER_00 15:30

I will, I will grill you. Um, I want to know first and foremost, who is Braxton beyond the law degree, the baseball career, even as an agent? Just who are you and what are the values that shape you?

SPEAKER_02 15:45

Yeah, no, it's it's a great question. And and it kind of goes into exactly what y'all are about in terms of identity. And I know we've talked a little bit about that off-air, but uh first and foremost, I am a Christian. I so that's always has to be my first thing because my identity is in Christ and Christ alone. I also am husband to a beautiful wife named Sheridan and a father to a now 17-month-old kid. His name is Greer. And that's kind of who I am. I obviously am made up of a lot of the decisions and and all of the choices that brought me to this point in this moment. And a lot of that kind of is summed up in how PSG got started, how perennial sports group got got started. And it really was a lifelong dream for me. Always wanted to be involved in sports, wanted to be an agent. That was when I went to law school, kind of my dream to be an agent. And then you kind of start working in big law and you get the golden handcuffs, and and you get, you know, a good salary and benefits and all of that, and you have a a child and you get married and all of that. And you, it's it's tough to kind of leave all of that to start something. And I definitely could have tried to go to a bigger agency and tried to work my way up there or whatever. But when I looked at the the landscape of college sports and uh of sports in general, college and professional sports, I just knew that I wanted to do it differently and there had to be a better way, kind of what Tom was talking about. It's we're trying to revolutionize sports representation. So God just started opening doors for me about a year ago and closing others. And then my brother-in-law, who had worked at on Wall Street for five years, decided he wanted to be closer to family and moved to Austin with us to be closer to us and his nephew, my son. And it just started working out. And we we were talking and we we created and founded PSG, kind of not out of the blue, because this, like I said, was a long time coming, but this was a lifelong dream for us. And so out of that, you kind of just like anything, you're starting out, you think you know some, you know you don't know a lot, and you make mistakes and you try to figure out what works, what doesn't, how to, how to reach kids and how to build a reputation for doing things the right way and and for always making decisions that are in you know athletes' best interest and our clients' best interest rather than ourselves and our best interests and all of that. And so, you know, at the end of the day, to get to who I am, it's it's someone like that who is gonna take a leap of faith, follow God. He opens doors, closes others, and says, All right, these doors are opening for a reason. I'm gonna, I'm gonna follow them. And I should say that that wasn't a decision only by myself. My wife was the one who was really pushing me to do that because she knew 30 years down the line, I would look back and say, man, that was my chance to chase my dream. But so really the credit, let's be honest, the credit goes to her. She's she's my better half. So we should ask her at some point to define me and my identity, and she would probably do a better job.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

I love that. Yes. Sometimes you need that nudge. And I would say God's plan is always perfect, but sometimes we have a very hard time listening and following the nudges that are right there and guiding us along the way. It's like I need to get out of my way and allow God to lead this because it will certainly turn out better than if Aaron's sometimes in charge, is what at least what I found over the course of my life.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

No, and and yeah, you're you're exactly right. I mean, it really is so rare. Well, one, we want we want to control. Like as human beings, we want control and we want a say over our lives and everything. So it's so hard to kind of take that leap of faith and give our plan a like have our plan go out the window and like God just take over. But that's what PSG really was, and how we got in this business was I was just doors were opening at in, you know, before my very eyes, and doors were closing before my very eyes. So the I I can kind of think back at my life and I can always look back, and I'm sure y'all are the same way. I can look back and see what God was doing, you know, five years ago and go, oh, that's why he was doing that. So I would be here and this would happen. So I'd meet Sheridan or whatever. There are very few times in my life where I could, you know, present moment see what God was doing in my life. And that's what this was is exactly that. It was just things were moved opening and closing, things were happening that were pushing me to do this, my wife was pushing me to do this. All those things were happening at one time to where I could kind of before my eyes see God's plan and kind of just have to give it up and say, all right, God, this is, you know, uh what your will be done kind of thing, which is incredibly hard. It really is.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

It is so incredibly hard. And what I would love to know from you, obviously, you are creating something very, I think, unique in the NIL space, the portal transfer. What separates athletes who build sustainable careers and or how do you help athletes build those sustainable careers versus the ones that don't?

SPEAKER_02 21:11

Yeah, uh the it y'all are just hitting me with great questions. And this is something that if if y'all let me talk long enough, I'll probably say this over and over again. But the thing that really I see separate athletes is daily decisions. You know, that is so much of what discipline is or or character or any anything that you need to be successful, one on the athletic field, but two off of it, is just daily decisions. The vast majority of the time, the you hit a point in any career, you know, whether it's athletics or otherwise, where talent alone won't get you to the next level or talent alone won't make you successful. And normally for most people, that's college athletics. You kind of hit a point where you say, Man, I have to work hard. As well as be talented because everyone else here is talented. Or if they're not as talented, they work really hard. And so it's it's all those daily decisions that they make to be successful. And that's really what separates the ones that are successful long term from the ones that kind of fizzle out. And for us, how we help that and how we help athletes with that is we make sure that we can, we are, we are setting them up for the future kind of from day one. In terms of no matter who you are, if you're a five-star or you know, a two-star, the odds are against you making it to professional sports. You know, if you're a football player, the odds are just against you playing in the NFL and even making it in the NFL. And if you do, you know, staying there for more than two and a half years, the odds are just against you. So from day one, we're ensuring that all of our athletes, and honestly, I shouldn't say this because it's probably not good business, but even if you don't sign with us, if you have questions, if you, you know, if you have a problem, if you if you just need advice, like we're here to help, kind of thing. Because there's so many bad actors and people that are taking advantage of kids. Like I want to be a force for good, just like I know y'all do. So, but but back to what we're doing, you know, we're trying to set our our our athletes up, our clients up for future success. And that means kind of from day one, making sure that assets are protected. If you're making any money in college, that's great. But let's make sure that at the end of it all, you have something to kind of start your own business with, get a, put a down payment on a house, buy an engagement ring, whatever it is. And you're not just going out and and buying the the most expensive card you can find and and as you know, and and getting the biggest apartment you can find in in your city or your town or whatever, and and all of that. Let's let's start making good decisions, good financial decisions, good decisions for your future, kind of from day one. And that's something that I think that all athletes should do, whether we're representing them or not, just kind of plan for your future because sports might not always be there.

unknown 24:20

No doubt.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

That's such great advice. Kids listen up and parents too. So, what's one truth you wish every athlete, coach, or parent understood about NIL representation and building occurring sports that most aren't hearing?

SPEAKER_02 24:39

Yeah, I mean, we've kind of hit on it a little bit. You know, one like one of the lies kids are told, or either they're told this or they just assume it based on the coverage that it gets is that everyone is milli or all the athletes, college athletes are millionaires now because they're getting paid millions and millions of dollars. That's just not the case. At the end of the day, you know, the vast majority of kids aren't making six figures, let alone, you know, a million dollars. But then you you tack all tack on that any you know commissions an agent might take, which for some agents, some some agents 20%, some they're I've heard 45%, which all that is crazy to me. But but you tack on that, you tack on taxes, all these other things, which the majority of kids aren't paying taxes on their NIL money either, which is a problem. But but you tack on all those things, and you know, it's it's not it's not necessarily life-changing money, although it can be. You know, if you're if you're smart with it from day one and and you think of yourself kind of going back to it like a businessman, business woman, a business person, and you invest it and and let it grow and all of that, you can have something that can change your life at whenever sports ends, which for everyone, sports kind of I guess the one truth that kind of to your question is that sports ends. You know, even Tom Brady had to stop playing at some point. So yeah, I guess you know, sports is gonna end at some point. So going back to those daily decisions, you need to be making decisions that are help gonna help you in the future, whether that comes at 22, 25, or like Tom Brady, 45.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

That's such a great point. I'm gonna turn it back over to Thomas now.

SPEAKER_01 26:30

Awesome. Braxton, we're gonna get into segment three, which is advice across stages. If you could sit down with yourself as a college baseball player, transferring between schools like you did, what would you tell the younger version of Braxton about what you understand the sports is a business side now? What advice would you give that version of Braxton?

SPEAKER_02 26:52

I I I would honestly tell him that it's not, which NIL wasn't a point anything at that point, but you know, it so much of it comes down to opportunity and and the the best decisions you can make are gonna come down to where do you have an opportunity to play and to to to to get playing time and and showcase what you can do. Because at the end of the day, you can be a five-star going to Alabama or going to from in my case, Kansas State. But if you're not gonna play, you're never gonna make it to professional sports. You're just not. Because you like coaches and college coaches want to see what you can do. Professional coaches, professional scouts, all of that want to see what you can do too. And if you have no stats, no game film, no highlight reel or anything like that, because you either followed the money or or you went to places where you didn't have an opportunity opportunity to play, then you're not never gonna kind of achieve your dream of professional sports. Sure. The other thing I would probably tell myself is that professional sports and and sports in general is not your identity. I remember kind of when I was done with sports, when I was injured, it it happened a little bit, but when I was kind of officially hung up my cleats, it was kind of a wake-up call as into who am I? Because so much of me and so much of how I thought of myself was an athlete, a baseball player. And when that gets taken away, you know, who are you now? And so that was kind of something else I would tell myself is that you have to be able to find find who you are and be able to express who you are in your identity in something other than the sport you play.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

No doubt.

SPEAKER_02 28:40

Because you're more you're more than the sport you play, just like you are more than a football player, you know.

SPEAKER_01 28:45

Absolutely. And you know, one of the things, I mean, without going down a rabbit hole, one of the one of the things we talk about with our athletes is that that that's a huge issue, is your identity. Are you a full not just a football player, but you're a linebacker, right? I'm not just a basketball player, but I'm a point guard. I'm not just a baseball player, but I'm a short spell. One of the things where we've seen where a lot of athletes make a nice transition is when they identify as a Christian first, right? And they have strong faith. And then they, with that faith, they have a strong family around them. And everything's not wrapped up in sports. So now that you with perennial sports established and representing elite athletes, what's the one thing you're trying to make sure athletes understand about NIL representation and wealth preservation that you wish someone would have told you?

SPEAKER_02 29:35

Yeah, I mean, I I think all of that comes down to make again, like I said, I'm gonna sound like a broken record because it's it's all it comes down to just making those small daily decisions. The NIO representation, and this is probably good advice for life itself, but when you're choosing a representative, you need to choose someone that you trust first and foremost. And you you need to kind of when it comes to to setting yourself up for your future, you need to be one, have someone you trust and and kind of if they're if it's agents, financial advisor, attorney, all of those things, someone you trust, and then make decisions for yourself 10 years from now. Sure. Because at the end of the day, if you're a college athlete, you like I said, the odds are against you making it to professional sports. Even if you do, the odds of being, you know, in professional sports for 20 years are astronomically against you. And so you need to be setting yourself up for the next stage of your life while you're in the current stage. You know, setting yourself up for whatever you want to do, whatever your dream is. Because that's the great thing about NIL now, is no matter how much you're making, whether it's just a scholarship or, and I say just that that's a big deal. Don't let that come off as like, oh, it's just a scholarship. But whether you have a scholarship or you have scholarship and NIL money and revenue sharing money and all of that, you can set yourself up for a future better than any other collegiate or any other person in college because you played collegiate sports and because you made money now. And so that's one of the great things about NIL. I know, you know, a lot of times people get mad about it and say it's ruining college athletics or anything like that. But one of the great things is now you can really set yourself up for long-term success and to be able to chase your dreams. And if you want to start a, you know, if you're a big sports fit physio person and you want to start your own gym in your hometown, you can go do that and you'll have the funds to be able to do that or whatever it is.

SPEAKER_01 31:48

That's awesome. That you and that pretty much touched on my last question for you. And I'm gonna turn it over to Aaron for segment four, which is the rapid fire round. Aaron, take it away.

SPEAKER_00 32:01

Okay, perfect. So, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna start a sentence and you're gonna finish it for me. So, with that being said, I would love to for you to tell us what discipline equals.

SPEAKER_02 32:15

Consistency, like I said, daily, daily decisions.

SPEAKER_00 32:19

Leadership equals.

SPEAKER_02 32:21

Leadership equals sacrifice. I mean, I think I think being a good leader in any field, whether it's as an athlete or or you know, a owner, a co-founder, a small business, anything like that, it takes sacrifice. And and you're kind of it reminds me of the Teddy Roosevelt, the man in the arena. I mean, you're the man in the arena if you're the leader. And so you have to be able to sacrifice for your teammates, your co-workers, whatever it is.

SPEAKER_00 32:49

I love that. What about faith? Faith equals.

SPEAKER_02 32:53

Faith is a necessity. It's essential. I think that faith for me is my identity. And and I think that kind of like Tom was saying, if if it's not, you know, faith in Christ, you need to be able to find your identity somewhere other than your sport if you're an athlete. And for me, that was always my identity in Christ. That's why faith is a necessity for me.

SPEAKER_00 33:18

I love that.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

Legacy equals daily decisions, daily choices. Like I said, I'm a broken record here. But like legacies, and it's funny. So the the obviously started perennial sports group also kind of the thing that tries to keep the lights on is a law firm as well. I practice law for five years, wanted to keep that going. And the law firm that I have is called Wilkes Legacy Law. So I thought a lot about legacy, and at the end of the day, legacies are a bunch of small daily decisions. You know, someone's obituary that has a great legacy is gonna say their their highlight real best things that they did in life. But the real legacy is what they did to get there, the discipline that it took to get there, the daily decisions that you won't hear about, but allowed for the great things to happen in someone's life.

SPEAKER_00 34:18

I love that. What's one thing that you would never compromise on?

SPEAKER_02 34:24

I think I would the first thing that pops in my head, we're doing rapid fire is barbecue. My my wife is from my wife is from Memphis, and so she always talks about Memphis, Tennessee barbecue and says it's the best thing ever. I'm obviously from Texas, and so I will never compromise with her on that argument. It's just an argument that comes up every once in a while between us. But I think the the real answer is I'm never gonna put myself, I'm never gonna compromise, you know, an athlete, a client, or someone like that for my own gain. I'm never gonna put myself above another. I'm never gonna put myself above one of our athletes, one of our clients, anything like that.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

I love that. And what if you could put a message on a billboard for the next generation of athletes? What would it be?

SPEAKER_02 35:15

It would be decisions today, decide tomorrow. I think.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

Decisions today decide tomorrow. That is so good.

SPEAKER_02 35:26

I think because again, I mean, like I said, broken record, but the the decisions you make each and every day, you know, that comes up with discipline, integrity, character, kind of the decisions you make when no one's watching all of that. But those decisions are gonna become your legacy. And you might see someone's legacy as how many Super Bowls they won or World Series championships they had or MVPs they had or whatever it is. But when you look under the hood of their life, it's all those daily decisions to get to that point.

SPEAKER_00 36:01

That was so true. So true. Very well said. Okay, Thomas gets to come back and join us again. Here he is.

SPEAKER_01 36:08

Awesome, Braxton. All right, so we're gonna get into the closing round here. And before we wrap up, is there something we didn't touch on today that you feel athletes, parents, or coaches need to hear about NIL representation or building a sustainable career?

SPEAKER_02 36:25

Yeah, no, I mean, I I think that, and and we we touched on these briefly, but we didn't kind of fully flesh them out. I think one of the things that is incredibly important about NIL in general, but NIL representation, especially because, like we said, there's a bunch of agents, NIL agents representatives that will push kids to go into the portal because they'll say, we can get you a million dollars or we can guarantee you something, which kind of and it go off on a tangent here, but if any just a good rule for life, if anyone ever guarantees something, it's they're probably not someone you should be dealing with, you know. But the the thing that I really want to harp on is that NIL money is not the only thing that you should be worried about. You know, it's definitely a part of the equation and it's definitely a something that goes into the decision you make, but it's not the only one. And, you know, the the kind of the line on a on an NIL revenue sharing agreement that says how much you're gonna be making is not the most important thing, but it is a factor. And so you need to be looking at that. You need to look at what state you're in. You know, if you're going to California, if you're leaving Tennessee to go to California, you're gonna be making less money, even if the bottom line contract is the exact same. You should you should also be thinking about kind of what you want after sports and and what career you want. And if if the school you're at has a great program or the school you're trying to decide between has a great program for accounting and you want to be an accountant, or or sports, sports journalism and you want to be a broadcaster or something like that, then that should take precedence over it. And and kind of the last thing is if you do enter the portal, and this is something that no one ever talks about or discusses, at least I haven't seen it, you need to remember that lots of schools won't take classes that you've already taken, won't take credits. So, you know, if you if you're like me, luckily I was able to always ensure that I had my credits um and I and I was able to fight for my credits. And when I transferred and when I went to four schools in five years, I didn't lose, lose my path towards graduating on time. But yeah, if you if you transfer four times, you might be losing credits each time, and there therefore you're not moving towards graduation, which is at the end of the day going to be incredibly important when sports inevitably ends, and you need to do something that you want to do for the rest of your life. And and so I think that's something that it comes down to the advice you're getting from representatives, agents, whoever it is, and most people seeing that dollar sign figure as the most important thing, and it just it's a factor for sure, but it's not the most important.

SPEAKER_01 39:17

Of course, of course. All right, final question hot seat. What are Braxton's top three sports movies of all time?

SPEAKER_02 39:26

And we kind of we kind of hit on this a little bit, but you were very baseball specific when you asked that.

SPEAKER_01 39:31

Right.

SPEAKER_02 39:32

Sports movies of all time. I'm not I'm not gonna, this is no in no order, but I would the first the first movie that always comes up, and I told y'all I watched it a couple weeks ago and of course cried, but Field of Dreams. Sure. Great baseball movie. There's a bunch of baseball specific. I'm trying to like not just do baseball, but sad sadly, I've watched a lot of the baseball movies. Let's see, what else would it be another good one? Would be eight men out is a great movie. Oh, yeah. I don't know, you know, eight men out is phenomenal. And then I I told y'all this last time. It just has a it's probably not the best movie, but it's a John Grisham novel that they turned into a movie, and it's very nostalgic for me just because I watched it when I was playing Little League Baseball, but it's called Mickey. And it's a John Grisham novel, it's it's a great movie. Probably if I watched it with freshed eyes, not as good as I remember it, but it's very nostalgic for me.

SPEAKER_01 40:34

Right on. Awesome. And where can people get a hold of you, whether that's your website, social media handles, or anything you'd like to share?

SPEAKER_02 40:43

Yeah, yeah. So me specifically, you can go to on X or Instagram, maybe even TikTok, although my like personal TikTok I don't do, I don't, I'm not on very often. But Braxton L Wilkes is kind of at Braxton L. Wilkes for all of my stuff. For per just search perennial sports group on socials as well. And we at PSG has, you know, on every major social media, is there. And then you can always go to perennial sportsgroup.com and contact us there. I can also give out my phone number. Anyone's watching that just has questions can text me. It's 281-904-0332. Text me, call me. Like I said, even if you don't sign with us, I'm I just want to combat the amount of bad advice and bad actors that are out there and help out athletes any way we can.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

That's badass, Braxton. Thanks so much for joining us. And thank you for revolutionizing athlete representation. And Tim, if this conversation hit you, do two things for us. One, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. An athlete navigating NIL and representation, a parent trying to protect their kid, their student athlete, a coach helping athletes make smart career decisions. And to two, connect with Braxton, and that's at Braxton, B-R-A-X-T-O-N-LIX, W-I-L-K-S on social media. To learn more about perennial sports group, head to their website. And if you're serious about data-driven representation and wealth preservation, Brandon brings Braxton brings the not brings the legal expertise and the athletic experience to help build a sustainable career. And if you're an athlete parent or coach ready to raise the standard, join us at blueprintbluechip.com. We help athletes build identity, discipline, and legacy that goes well beyond the game. And if this episode resonated with you, leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps us reach more athletes, parents, and reader or lead leaders that need to hear this message. This is the standard podcast, and this movement only grows when we raise the standard together. Talent fades, but truth endures. Let's raise the bar, let's rebuild the culture, and let's become the standard. Brandon, Aaron, thanks for Braxton. God damn it. Braxton, thanks so much, Aaron. Thanks so much for joining us. Those are some good output right there. Yeah, thanks for joining us today.

SPEAKER_02 43:10

I'm so used to being called Brandon, like all throughout all, you know. Hey, Brandon, and it's yeah, that's probably me. There's no other Brandon, you know. So I just I answer to it now.

SPEAKER_01 43:22

I actually I have a client, Brandon, and and I mean he just stepped away for a minute. He's gonna be coming back, but it's so funny because what's your Starbucks name?

SPEAKER_02 43:31

Ooh, that's honestly like probably my wife's name. Like we probably share an account, but well, I'll pull it up. Let's see. Oh, oh, I get what you're saying. You l you literally not like on the app, you literally mean like when some when someone on a cup. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, it's oh oh it's Brandon for sure. It's Brandon, yeah, every time. There you go. I always have to look around and be like, is it okay, yeah, we're good. We're good.

SPEAKER_01 44:00

Two reasons why I tell you that story. One that when I was married, my ex-wife and I, her name is Lizanne, and we were in Starbucks one day, and they said, Can we get a name? She goes, Lisa. And I just looked at her and I'm like, I don't even know who you are. She goes, It's my Starbucks name. And then Aaron worked for Starbucks for 10 years, or I think more. And I mean, she just she got it, you know.

SPEAKER_02 44:19

It's just that is so funny. Yeah. Yeah, definitely, yeah, Brandon.