Event #1- Homecoming

I attended the homecoming football game against New Mexico State on November 5. The atmosphere was awesome. I sat in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity section, and I have yet to see people so excited about a game. Honestly, the fraternity and student sections were late filling in—a lot of people didn’t really arrive until midway through the first quarter. I think that’s because it was an early start to a game and also because we knew the game wasn’t going to be a close one. I was there early though, because due to suspensions and injuries, a Sigma Phi Epsilon spring pledge, Kyle Karempelis, had the opportunity to play. He went to a rival high school of mine, grew up with a lot of my friends, and has a brother who is a SigEp who is friends with a lot of my friends. When Kyle got to play, the section I was in was the rowdiest and loudest I’ve seen. I dislike how a lot of the time, especially in the fraternity sections, it just becomes a social event. I loved that everyone was so excited. It only helped that the homecoming queen and king were members of my sorority and SigEp, respectively. The atmosphere of the game was great. I love how homecoming is so family-oriented—this is alumni’s chance to come “home” to UGA and share that experience with their families. I love the alumni cheerleaders and the alumni band, and the recognition of the alumni players at halftime. Announcing king and queen was really exciting, too. If I were a visitor to this game, especially, I would feel the “family” aspect of the University. We really come together on homecoming, and I think it’s a great experience for everyone to have. Advertising-wise, you see the same kind of advertising as at other football games. You have the banner ads that run around the stadium, the sponsored replays and other things on screen, sponsors on cups from the concession stands, on programs, and pretty much everywhere. The University also inter-advertises by supplying information about other teams, basketball season tickets, etc.