500 LEVEL
500 LEVEL is a privately held, direct-to-consumer apparel brand that designs and prints officially licensed sports fan apparel, including tri-blend t-shirts, hoodies, and family-sized clothing, for consumers across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, UFC, WWE, MLS, and college sports.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What 500 LEVEL does
500 LEVEL, legally BOREDINCLASS LLC, is a privately held direct-to-consumer apparel company founded in 2012 in Chicago and now headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company designs, prints, and ships officially licensed sports fan apparel through its own Shopify-powered e-commerce site, 500level.com. It holds licensing agreements with major US player associations including the NFLPA, MLBPA, NBPA, WNBPA, and NHLPA, as well as WWE, UFC, MLS, NWSL, and a range of secondary properties covering College NIL, Premier League, Sports Illustrated, PBR, the Harlem Globetrotters, and the Muhammad Ali Estate. The core product is a signature tri-blend premium t-shirt, supplemented by cotton tees, hoodies, women's tank tops, kids' and infant apparel, hats, and golf apparel, plus curated sub-brand collections such as BIG SHOTS, Throwbacks, Vs. Everybody, and the Bruce Stark caricature line.
The business operates a print-on-demand model with products designed and fulfilled in-house from a single Austin facility, enabling next-business-day printing and direct-to-consumer shipping globally. Pricing is unit-based and ranges from roughly $26.99 for cotton tees and kids' shirts to $62.99 for hoodies, with premium tri-blend tees priced between $36.99 and $44.99. Revenue is generated entirely through one-time e-commerce transactions; there is no subscription component and no third-party retail or wholesale distribution. The company runs a Fan Points loyalty program to drive repeat purchases and markets primarily through organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X), email, paid acquisition on Facebook, Google, and Bing, and a content blog, 'Goats of the Game.' 500 LEVEL is founder-operated with no disclosed external investors, no funding history, and a headcount in the 11-50 range.
500 LEVEL firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 500 LEVEL
- Legal name
- BOREDINCLASS LLC
- Website
- https://500level.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- 500 LEVEL is a privately held, direct-to-consumer apparel brand that designs and prints officially licensed sports fan apparel, including tri-blend t-shirts, hoodies, and family-sized clothing, for consumers across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, UFC, WWE, MLS, and college sports.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where 500 LEVEL is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
500 LEVEL business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Others, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Apparel Sales: Direct sales of officially licensed graphic t-shirts, hoodies, and other apparel items through the company's e-commerce website. Products are sold at retail prices with standard shipping. Revenue is generated through one-time purchase transactions with no subscription component mentioned.
- Licensing Royalties: The company pays licensing fees to player associations (NFLPA, MLBPA, NBA, NHLPA, etc.) for the right to use player names, numbers, and likenesses on merchandise. This represents a cost structure rather than a revenue stream.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Men's Premium T-Shirts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Men's Cotton T-Shirts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Men's Hoodies |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Women's Tank Tops |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kids T-Shirts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
500 LEVEL product offering
Product offeringCore offering
500 LEVEL designs, produces, and sells officially licensed sports apparel and fan merchandise—including t-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, hats, golf apparel, and kids/baby items—under sub-brand collections such as BIG SHOTS™, Throwbacks, Vs. Everybody, and Bruce Stark. The company holds official licenses with major player associations (NFLPA, MLBPA, NBPA, WNBPA, NHLPA, WWE, UFC, MLS, NWSL, NCAA NIL, Premier League) and sells exclusively through its own direct-to-consumer Shopify storefront.
Product overview
500 LEVEL is a direct-to-consumer sports apparel brand offering officially licensed graphic t-shirts and apparel. The core product is the signature tri-blend Men's Premium T-Shirt, complemented by Men's Cotton T-Shirts, hoodies, women's tank tops, kids' t-shirts, and baby/infant apparel. The company operates sub-brands including the BIG SHOTS™ oversized graphic collection, Throwbacks vintage legends collection, Vs. Everybody, and the Bruce Stark caricature collection. All apparel is officially licensed through player associations including NFLPA, NBPA, MLBPA, NHLPA, WNBPA, WWE, UFC, MLS, NWSL, and TGL. The brand was founded in Chicago in 2012 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BIG SHOTS™: A collection under the 500 LEVEL brand featuring sports apparel.
Quantifiable outcome
- Fast production: designs typically print next business day
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use 500 LEVEL
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
500 LEVEL technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature3 records
500 LEVEL partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- NFLPA (National Football League Players Association)coreOfficial licensing partnership enabling production and sale of NFL player-branded apparel including t-shirts, hoodies, and other merchandise featuring current NFL players from all 32 teams.
- MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association)coreOfficial licensing partnership for MLB player-branded merchandise including officially licensed apparel featuring baseball players from all MLB teams.
- NBPA (National Basketball Players Association)coreOfficial licensing partnership for NBA player merchandise including t-shirts and apparel featuring current NBA players from all 30 teams.
- WNBPA (Women's National Basketball Players Association)coreOfficial licensing partnership for WNBA player merchandise featuring women's basketball stars across all WNBA teams.
- NHLPA (National Hockey League Players Association)coreOfficial licensing partnership for NHL player merchandise including hockey player-branded apparel featuring NHL stars.
- WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)coreOfficial licensing partnership for WWE merchandise including wrestler-branded apparel featuring WWE Superstars, Legends, and NXT talents.
- UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)coreOfficial licensing partnership for UFC merchandise including fighter-branded apparel featuring UFC athletes and UFC Fight Night events.
- MLS (Major League Soccer)coreOfficial licensing partnership for MLS merchandise including team-branded apparel and player-specific designs across all MLS clubs.
- NWSL (National Women's Soccer League)coreOfficial licensing partnership for NWSL merchandise featuring women's soccer teams and players.
- ShopifycoreE-commerce platform provider powering the online store. Shopify processes payments, manages inventory, and provides analytics for the direct-to-consumer business.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
500 LEVEL competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fanatics: Fanatics is the dominant vertically integrated licensed sports merchandise platform, operating direct e-commerce across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college sports with officially licensed player and team apparel. It is the most direct competitor to 500 LEVEL's DTC licensed apparel model and the primary threat on licensing breadth.
- BreakingT: BreakingT sells officially licensed graphic t-shirts and apparel celebrating specific player moments and performances, often launching designs the day after key games. It mirrors 500 LEVEL's moment-driven, player-centric licensed apparel approach and competes for the same impulse-buying sports fan.
- Mitchell & Ness: Mitchell & Ness is a heritage brand specializing in throwback and nostalgic officially licensed NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL apparel and headwear. It overlaps directly with 500 LEVEL's Throwbacks collection and competes for nostalgia-driven sports fans seeking premium licensed vintage gear.
- Homage: Homage produces officially licensed vintage-style graphic tees and apparel celebrating athletes, teams, and pop culture moments. It shares 500 LEVEL's tri-blend fabric playbook, retro design aesthetic, and direct-to-consumer distribution, making it a close design-led competitor.
- '47 Brand: '47 Brand is a sports lifestyle company producing officially licensed headwear, apparel, and accessories across all major leagues. It competes with 500 LEVEL's hat and apparel lines for licensed sports consumers and shares similar retail and DTC distribution models.
- Rally House: Rally House is a multi-brand sports retailer carrying officially licensed apparel and gear across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college. While primarily a brick-and-mortar retailer, it competes for the same licensed fan apparel demand that 500 LEVEL serves online.
Broad incumbents
- Nike (licensed sports apparel): Nike produces officially licensed NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL fan apparel as part of a much broader athletic and lifestyle portfolio. It competes with 500 LEVEL at the team-logo level but does not focus on the player-caricature and throwback niche 500 LEVEL occupies.
Others
- Lids: Lids is the largest specialty retailer of officially licensed sports headwear and a growing apparel retailer. It overlaps with 500 LEVEL in licensed fan merchandise, particularly hats and team-logo apparel, and represents both a potential wholesale partner and a competitor for licensed fan spending.
Emerging players
- Fanatics (collectibles / Topps): Fanatics Collectibles, through Topps and similar brands, is building licensed sports cards, memorabilia, and digital collectibles — adjacent to 500 LEVEL's collectible-leaning throwback and caricature apparel. It represents the adjacent collectible category 500 LEVEL's design IP could extend into.
- Etsy sports apparel makers: Small DTC and Etsy-based sellers produce unlicensed or independently designed sports fan apparel, particularly for college and niche sports. While not officially licensed like 500 LEVEL, they compete for the same impulse-buy sports fan dollar with lower price points and faster design cycles.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Customer concentration
500 LEVEL social profiles
Digital presence500 LEVEL financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
500 LEVEL leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
500 LEVEL funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
500 LEVEL M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 500 LEVEL
What does 500 LEVEL do?
500 LEVEL designs, produces, and sells officially licensed sports apparel and fan merchandise—including t-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, hats, golf apparel, and kids/baby items—under sub-brand collections such as BIG SHOTS™, Throwbacks, Vs. Everybody, and Bruce Stark. The company holds official licenses with major player associations (NFLPA, MLBPA, NBPA, WNBPA, NHLPA, WWE, UFC, MLS, NWSL, NCAA NIL, Premier League) and sells exclusively through its own direct-to-consumer Shopify storefront.
Is 500 LEVEL a public or private company?
500 LEVEL is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 500 LEVEL founded?
500 LEVEL was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is 500 LEVEL based?
500 LEVEL is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does 500 LEVEL make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Apparel Sales are the primary driver. The others are licensing Royalties.
Who are 500 LEVEL's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fanatics, BreakingT, Mitchell & Ness, Homage, '47 Brand and Rally House. Nike (licensed sports apparel) is listed as a broad incumbent. Lids is listed as an others. Emerging players are Fanatics (collectibles / Topps) and Etsy sports apparel makers.
Does 500 LEVEL have an API?
No public API is recorded for 500 LEVEL.