Collegiate Times

Hokie football players may feel like they?ve got a heavy load on their shoulders this weekend as they face up against the No.5 ranked University of Miami, but with the help of the Student Government Association, Hokie fans may be able to relieve some of that pressure and give the team something to fight for.

Maroon Effect shirts have been on sale for months now as part of the Student Government Association?s attempt to add even more intensity to the already deafening Lane Stadium.

?Lane stadium is already one of the hardest places to play, so these shirts bring an added bonus to the games to help intimidate the other team,? said Jennifer Crook, assistant director of Hokie Effect and sophomore university studies major. 

With over 26,000 Maroon Effect shirts sold, the SGA is hoping to finish strong in sales in the next few days as alumni and other Hokie supporters make their way to Blacksburg for the spirit-packed weekend.

?We did a re-order so we have 3,000 shirts still available,? said Sumeet Bagai, president of the SGA and senior management major. ?They?re on sale during regular hours at Sayers University Sportswear stores downtown, and we?ll be out at a booth on Saturday during the presentation of ESPN?s ?College GameDay.??

Brandon Flowers, sophomore university studies major and a cornerback for the Virginia Tech football team, said, ?I think that the Maroon Effect will have a very big impact on the game Saturday night because it will make everybody in the stadium very pumped up. Once the fans see the team wearing maroon and vice versa, there?s going to be great chemistry between the two.?

The brainstorming for the Maroon Effect shirts began at the end of last year, Crook said. The Georgia Tech game was chosen for the Orange Effect shirts since it was an early season game, while the Maroon Effect shirts were designated to the Miami game, knowing it would be one of the biggest games of the year, she said.

?We chose the Miami game as the Maroon Effect game specifically because Miami has orange in its school colors as well,? said Britni Branson, director of Hokie Effect.

Currently there are a few Orange Effect shirts left and sales have leveled off at around 26,000, the same amount as Maroon Effect shirts. However, Bagai said the sales of the Maroon Effect shirts will most likely outweigh that of the Orange Effect shirts simply because the Maroon Effect game fell at a later date, enabling the SGA to make their re-orders. 

?Maroon Effect shirts are most likely something we'll continue because it seems that the student body really likes them,? Crook said. ?Seeing all of the students around campus wearing the shirts is a really great thing, and it?s plenty of motivation to continue selling both the Orange and Maroon Effect shirts.?

Crook said that by promoting the Maroon Effect shirts under a two for $10 deal along with the Orange Effect shirts, the SGA was able to take in greater sales for the Maroon Effect shirts. The SGA has previously attempted an addition to the Orange Effect phenomenon with sweatshirts but did not succeed as well as the Maroon Effect long-sleeved shirts of this season have.

?Our goal has been to provide an inexpensive shirt as a great way to bring the community together and pump up the crowd,? Bagai said.

Flowers said he guarantees the crowd will be as loud as ever because of Maroon Effect.

Andrew Bowman, senior biological science major and a linebacker for the Tech football team, agreed.

 ?I believe the crowd is going to take Miami out of its game, and that is going to be a major advantage for us,? Bowman said.