By Eddie Bobbitt
On Aug. 29, the University of Louisville will have its chance to prove to the world that Louisville is home to one of the best student fan bases.
The U of L athletic department is holding a pep rally to be shown on ESPN the Wednesday before the Cardinals’ home opener. The pep rally is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and will be held at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Students are encouraged to arrive early for admission.
This event is a precursor to the first ever live airing of a college football game on ESPN Classic.
“The idea behind this is ESPN is giving us an audition for a Game Day. If we deliver like we did for the men’s basketball Game Day, we could possibly get a Game Day here for football,” said Kyle Moats, associate athletic director for national marketing.
There will be three contests for the event designed to show the college football fans of the world some Cardinal spirit. There will be a “paint up” contest, in which the winner will be one who shows the most spirit by painting themselves, in addition to a best sign contest and a football skills challenge. Prizes will be awarded to all participants. Food will be provided for the first 2,000 fans that show up.
Student Government Association athletic liaison Zack Brooks, an exercise science major, said, “I think the pep rally for the Murray State game is an awesome idea. It’s a great opportunity for our student body to show the nation the school spirit the University of Louisville has on national television. I hope we can get a lot of students out to this event, and we can make a great impression on ESPN so that we will be able to host a College Game Day in the near future. If this event goes over well, we can look to hold pep rallies for more games in the future, which I believe could be a lot of fun.”
