Fans Encouraged to Pledge Their Allegiance to ODU in College Colors Day Spirit Competition
August 13, 2012
Hey Monarchs, are you ready to wear your blue and silver?
The countdown to College Colors Day 2012 has begun. On Friday, Aug. 31 (the day before most teams' first football game, including Old Dominion University's opener against Duquesne), college fans across the country will sport their team colors all day.
Last year, ODU spirit volunteers fanned out across campus in the days leading up to College Colors Day, giving out Monarch gear and issuing challenges to ODU fans via Facebook and Twitter. This year's social media challenge is far bigger, and stretches from coast to coast.
In conjunction with College Colors Day 2012, ESPN is sponsoring the inaugural Pledge Your Allegiance for College Colors Day spirit competition. By visiting www.espn.com/collegecolorsday, Monarch fans can register to pledge their allegiance to Old Dominion as the school with the most college spirit and loyal fan base. The winning school will receive the College Colors Day Spirit Cup, along with $10,000 toward the general scholarship fund.
Online contests are an ODU specialty. In 2010, ODU's Big Blue was selected as National Mascot of the Year in a contest sponsored by Capital One. The winner was determined through online voting, and ODU fans cast more than 2 million votes for their favorite furry lion. The following year, Big Blue defended his crown nobly, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Capital One Mascot of the Year competition.
A brief peek at the standings for this year's Pledge Your Allegiance contest shows that Monarch fans have some work to do to catch the spirited fans of Nebraska, Texas A&M and Missouri (the current top three).
The website-based rivalry competition includes 165 participating colleges and universities, and will run the entire month of August. Throughout the competition, standings will be tracked nationally, as well as by conference.
The event also features a College Colors Day photo contest on Facebook (www.facebook.com/collegecolorsday), where fans can enter a photo of the week contest. Weekly prizes will be given to winners across multiple categories.
All registrants are entered to win weekly $50 gift cards from ESPN Shop and one of two grand prizes, including a $500 shopping spree at ESPN Shop.
College Colors Day is an annual celebration dedicated to promoting the traditions and spirit that embody the college experience by encouraging fans across America to wear their favorite college or university apparel throughout the day on Aug. 31.
The inaugural national spirit competition is presented by Collegiate Licensing Co. (CLC), a division of IMG College, and NCAA Football.