Aggie fans to sport new wear
Utah State University athletics fans may be getting a makeover. Rest assured, no plastic surgery or hair extensions are required for this transformation.
According to Rosie Strong, ASUSU athletics public relations chairman, new game day shirts are the key.
“The A-game shirts are so prominent – everyone sees them,” Strong said. “The shirts we’ve had for the past two years are getting old and wrinkly. We want something crisp and new.”
She said ASUSU athletics is currently looking into a game day T-shirt design contest, but the team has encountered a few road blocks dealing with how the winning shirts will be sold.
“This contest would be such a huge undertaking,” she said. “No one organization wants to solely take it on.”
“We saw last years’ athletics vice president, Tyler Olsen, spend 40 hours a week spearheading those shirt sales, and no one wants to take on that kind of responsibility again,” she said.
Jimi Jorgenson, the current athletics vice president, said he has a plan of action for selling the new shirts.
“We’re still wondering how this will play out, but the bookstore could be a great help,” he said. “Between its perfect location and the fact that so many students deal with the bookstore, we could really use their help in marketing these shirts.”
He said ASUSU athletics could help the bookstore in any ways needed to make these shirt sales possible.
“The bookstore can help us and we can help them,” he said. “We could form a committee to help sell the shirts, and even fund a place to store them.”
Strong and Jorgenson said plans for the contest are being put on hold until marketing issues can be discussed.
Once an approach to sell the new T-shirt is in place, Strong said the rest of the responsibility lies on the shoulders of USU students.
“Our initial idea is to have student organizations, as well as individuals and groups on campus submit their designs,” she said.
“We are planning on contacting all fraternities, sororities and clubs about the contest, as well as advertising on campus,” she said. “We’ll get the word out, people will know what is going on.”
Jorgenson said everyone on campus is encouraged to participate in the contest because the selection committee, made up of students and faculty, should have as many designs as possible from which to choose.
He said he has sensed a little boredom regarding the same A-game shirts since earlier this year.
“We want to create a new excitement for next year’s athletics,” he said. “I think students really enjoy new T-shirts, and while it’s hard work, it’s worth it.”
Designing new game day shirts would be too difficult to do annually, he said, but two years is worth the wait.
Strong and Jorgenson agreed that most criticism of the A-game shirts is directed toward the front of the shirt with the #1 symbol, while the back, which states “show them you’re A-game,” seems to be well liked.
“We encourage students to design the front of the shirt,” Jorgenson said. “We don’t necessarily have to keep the back the way it is, but most complaints are about the front.”
If things go as planned, he said, the contest would begin soon after Spring Break and the winning shirt could be unveiled as early as finals week.
“As far as unveiling the winning design, we have a few ideas,” he said. “We’d like for the basketball coaches to present it at our final game, or we could hold off until we come back in the fall.”
Ideally, he said, a certain percentage of the shirt sales’ proceeds would also be awarded to the winning club or organization who designed the image.
Jorgenson said he wants USU students to understand the real motivation behind new game day shirts.
“No one is making money on these shirts, that’s not the idea,” he said. “These are designed by students and that is why we came up with this whole project.”
He said he encourages all USU students to pay the $5 for a new shirt because the small price is well worth a little school spirit and unity.
“If the seats are blue in the fans section, we’ve met our goal,” Strong said.
-lexiek@cc.usu.edu