Game (Day) Theory with ThatChristinaG

0:45 Welcome back to the boundary Corner podcast. Been a while guys. I'm Curtis Wilson. I'm Brian Sigler. How you doing everybody buddy. It's been a little over a month since we last talked. A lots been going on in both our lives but tonight folks were bringing you a very special interview with Christina Garnett, Christina. Welcome to the boundary Corner podcast. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here. And we're very excited to have you all for those on hooky Twitter. If you don't already follow Christina, you need to go ahead. And as soon as you start listening to this episode that Christina G following Twitter, a lot of marketing, insights lot of good takes about Hokies morphine.

1:30 And that what we're going to talk about a lot here tonight, but before we get in deep to it, Christina give us a little background about yourself. How you got into marketing? And then how you kind of became a hockey fan. An absolutely. So I was an English major in college went to Davidson College in North Carolina, was actually hired as a math teacher right out. Taught math provides years. During that time period, I met my husband and he is responsible for me. Being a marketer and a hokie fan. I have to give him all the credit. He's the he's the MVP about two weeks ago stating he said that I should go into marketing because I would fix advertising advertisements and I Fix just literally anything ice of all.

2:15 What the what the font choice that should be coloring? Copy all of it. I would just naturally fix it. So moved to Virginia. So that my in-laws would be able to be closer to their grandchildren and tried to figure out if I wanted to go back into teaching, or going to do something else and was pulled into marketing found, HubSpot Academy and sort of reading and taking every class reading every blog reading. We booked everything, I get my hands on. And now, I'm now I'm in marketing, digital marketing strategy, advocacy community building now. So it all it all. I blame it all on the hubs that in the hubs.

2:56 And so, your is your husband Virginia Tech, Alum, or just a Virginia Tech fan, like, me and Brian. Virginia Tech fan, his brother went to Virginia Tech his two. Closest friends went to Virginia Tech his dad's been season ticket holders. I want to say 30 years, Oh, it's he's pretty Vic. They tell stories about. I've heard a lot of really cool stories from the past, so Virginia Tech football, and but he went to, he went to VCU, he went to, he went to art school at VCU and then went to Syracuse for his master's. Very nice where I actually work at VCU. So, I'm taking master classes and stuff. Right?

3:39 Right. Right now, myself. So I kind of have a little little bit of a similar type Journey, trying to change change streams, little past my college career. So that's really cool though. I mean, like I said me and Curtis kind of grew up pokefans as well, bring ya pre Vic and and so yeah, we've definitely kind of been living it for a while now and and we started this podcast a little over a year ago and just love doing it, love talking, hooky Sports and it's what we love. So it's what we love is you know, it's something that we get to do kind of you know once or twice a week and you know it's a lot of fun to do but Christina why we brought you all here is you know couple reasons a I can first.

4:25 Remember you, pop it on my Twitter feed, back in late summer, early fall last year when you literally put a hand out and said I would love to help Virginia Tech football with marketing, and you even put those very to special words, people like to hear pro bono. Yeah, I am going to assume no one ever reached out to, you know, that's sad, but that's not welcome. So we saw you do that and then your thread on December 15th. I mean, I remember right? Brian likes it. He's like did you see Christina's thread and I'm like I'm going through and we're like, oh Li Mo, you dropped so many things that night with that tweet. Yeah, there were a lot of good threads on December 15th and goodbye mean raking raking.

5:20 The program over the coals a little bit for what was happening between some of the gas lighting from from wit. And all of the other things that came after when we Pretty much do that. We're probably get a new coach and all of a sudden that wasn't happening and I think the fan base that in a nutshell wouldn't have really pushed the fanbase to where it was, but I think it was kind of like a culmination of a bunch of months put together of things that were a lot of people in the fan base. Just said, this doesn't quite seem to be going the way we think it should. And that was just kind of the, the icing on the cake there and it really kind of put A lot of folks in a place where they were looking for answers and I thought you had a really good thread that kind of broke down to the nuts and bolts of what some of the problems are at least on the The Fan facing and the recruiting facing aspects of the program.

6:19 No, no, I hope so I don't want it to the place. Like, I don't want anybody lose her job. I do want things to be better and I think there's an improvement. And so for me it all comes down to I I work in community every day, I work in advocacy, I work in being a fan of the Bands. That's that's some of the work that I enjoy the road and so I know the pitfalls of of not being able to make everybody happy. That's just, I understand that you have a deeply rooted passionate community and with that you get good and bad, you're going to get, you're going to get people who shake their fist. You're going to get people who love you, no matter what, you're going to see the gamut and that's fine, but I think that winner lose there are patterns that need to be addressed. And and from my perspective, everything that I'm seeing can be fixed every single thing to be fixed. But like most things you have to acknowledge that there's a problem.

7:29 So for me, it really came down to if we're going to if we're going to have this conversation, I am a firm believer. In giving prescriptive complaints, if we're going to talk about something being bad or hating something, it isn't doing any good to just shake your fist. You can shake your fist in explain, what's wrong, then you can start taking those positive steps forward and really kind of focusing your energy on, what do we need to do to make this better. So I do want to say that and then I do want to give them a positive What they're doing with Dwight and bringing Dwight Vic on is such a positive First Step. It's a major, first sent for me.

8:17 I want to give them kudos for that. I think that it's going to reverberate through the program. I think it's only going to create good things. I think he was the perfect choice to do it. I just want to die. I know that there's gonna be a lot of negativity in this, but I want to, I want to highlight that them, having Dwight, Take on that role and really be a conduit and a bridge between current Hokie nation and it's celebrated past is much needed and will bleed into other efforts in a very positive way. So I definitely want to highlight that and say that. I'm so so glad that they're doing that I think that that's going to pay dividends.

9:01 We agree with you 100% on that. We had the pleasure back in February and we interviewed the Dwight, that episode was two hours. It could have been six and we were talking about the past, the present, his thoughts, on the current status of the program and he sort of got to give a little insight that night, that some things were coming down. And with him doing what, he's doing his personality. And if you've ever met him Christina and you may have, it's infectious, he's just a person. He literally Brian. If you remember that night, it felt like somebody that we like literally grew up. Talking over Skype. Yeah. And in you talk about them, bringing him in. Absolutely.

9:44 I think they it is a huge, not just a layup. It's a slam dunk. Yeah, I mean, it looked like what they were doing with with Darryl before he took the job with the 49ers. They just said, hey Dwight pick up what Darrell's already started here and run with it. You are the perfect voice for this type of movement, that needs to come back to Virginia Tech because Being having ties to, you know, what built the program to begin with and understanding the state and understanding the school and just everything top to bottom, he kind of fits that mold. So we wanted to start the conversation tonight in terms of kind of what what Virginia Tech is may be lacking in terms of marketing and public relations and things of that nature and kind of break that down. And then see what that prescription would be as you kind of I talked about earlier, Christina. So let's start with branding.

10:42 Yeah, that's, that's a big thing for us. Because I feel like Virginia Tech has always had kind of a standout brand, and I feel like we've lost that a little bit. So, we've got Buzz words right now that we use in the program, like, hard smart, tough and hard hat, mentality, and grit and me, and Curtis have talked a little bit in the past, is just a lot of the criticism that we have in that we've seen in general, is that these are kind of just words Or something that they kind of put there to be a stand-in for things that we used in the past. But they really are more like internal slogans that we think fit more like meetings and practices and workouts and not necessarily something that you would use as terms in terms of external branding and they don't really offer the broad appeal like lunch pail, or beer ball and you know, Terrordome and everything from the Beamer and Foster era. So what are some of the shortcomings you see from the football team in terms of their branding? Absolutely.

11:38 It's a really great point. So probably the best way to describe it is that and a lot of the issues stem from stuff that it just circumstances. So basically what you have is you have the legacy of Virginia Tech football, you have its storied history, you have its longevity, you have Beamer being such a central and Foster being such core pillars of What? Football is a Virginia Tech and that's amazing, but it also is hurtful when you're having transitioned into something new because you have this disconnect, you need to celebrate and appreciate and continue to monetize the Legacy and the cloud of Virginia Tech football.

12:30 But then you're also trying to make it into something. That's for this new, this new part. So what you're having is You're having this fight between the old and the new. And the fact is that they want the new regime wants, they want to put their footprint on it, and I'm not saying that's bad. That's that's natural inclination. It's, it's your job. It's your team. It's your, it's your house now. But it's directly opposed to the old rituals, the old chance the old vernacular. And so what they've done is there, they are trying to replace something that took decades to build in a couple Seasons with words.

13:22 And that doesn't work. And it's not just a Virginia Tech thing, it wouldn't work anywhere because you are your you're trying to take something new and fresh and and hoping that it carries the weight of decades and it just can't it just really can't. I do want to say though that the graphic designs that are coming out are gorgeous. There's definitely been years, where I've been like, I don't know what that was. I mean What is this? So I want to give love. I want to give love where it's deserved. The graphic design is amazing, but that's also a problem. So, what's beautiful?

14:03 What's really cool about the design is is not just the layers that they have, but there's this texture. So many Virginia Tech football, fans have saved tickets. They've saved, like all of the things and so if you look at some of the graphics, there's like those layers of wrinkles. So it locks it looks like a Keepsake. It looks like something that's on your board that if you have a table that's like decoupaged with like tickets that it looks like something that could fit in there. It has like storied like it's fresh but feels story and so I feel like graphically, they found the mix.

14:44 But copy wise, they have not. Does that make sense? It does, it feels, it feels modern, but the layers of they've created in their, in their visual aesthetic creates this. This it's modern, but it has this touch of the past if it already feels like a Keepsake. So graphically, I feel like they've got The Branding quite well. The other thing is that, I find that if you look at Khan social and you look at the hashtags and where the hashtags are being used. The hashtags, actually have the best response when it's done by the recruits and then when it's done by the commitments.

15:26 So when there are announcing and they are aligning themselves with this, so it it becomes a part of the recruitment story less so than like the current story of the team if you look at them like like Engagement wise, if it makes more sense because that's how their recruits are identifying themselves. And there's so many questions like oh, you're committing to Virginia Tech. Cool. But what's a hokie being able to have rally cry? A hashtag dissociates with. This is kind of who I am and the hard hat. Mentality feels very much in line of what would be our version of lunch pail.

16:10 Well, would be this version and so I understand where that comes. From the hard smart tough. I don't like just because UVA did the same thing if like the next season and we made fun of it and it was, it was three words and I was like, yeah. And so I think the reason why the lunch pail and Beamer ball and Terrordome matter, is that there Shins that back up. Those words there are receipts. Yeah, so using hashtags for hard hat, like hard hat mentality and grit and hard smart Tov but doesn't really carry anything until there's something that accompanies it.

17:00 Like if you say Terrordome, you don't hear Terror Dome. You actually feel like what that's like then your mind like, it comes with weights, like it carries stuck with it and that's the point of Branding, if the some of the best Brands, it's not the word. It's what the what comes with the word, it's what weight carries that think about, think about movies or your favorite song, or your favorite concert or your favorite. Like if you go to if I say McDonald's right now, You're pregnant to think about what you're going to order. What's your go-to order or you might smell the fries. But you have something that comes along with the word, it might even just be the jingle, but the word on its own doesn't like it doesn't exist by itself, it carries weight with it. So the thing is is that for Branding, they need to continue these until they are able to create weight with it. Or they need to embrace.

18:10 What they, what they let go, which was like, when you think of the lunch pail, I think of all the Times They carried it. I think of watching them putting like the grass. Yes. Like, it's not just lunch pail to me. It's like, I think a beamer ball. There are specific plays. Yeah, that come into your head. It's not the word. Like that's the thing about branding as people want to put like a word, be like this sounds fancy. Like that. That's not the point. It needs to evoke. An emotional response because that's what carries. That's what creates connection. Christina, just a few minutes ago. You said Terrordome, my first thought was Clemson 1999, Corey Moore sitting on that bench. Saying the words I got chills to run on my arm. You close its associated with something. Yeah and no connection, you can't. Do you think them trying to Brand? It this way?

19:07 So quickly was a mistake, like should they have just said, hey, stick with what we've got and then let something naturally happen and that's what our brand is. I think that they really should have focused on caring because it for that, for the first few years, that was that transition. You have the 25, you have to have things where they were trying to, they were very clearly. Especially when he's first year, they were very clearly trying to create a smooth transition. And I feel like they did a good job of that and then it was planting the seeds for this new regime and what that looks like. What I think that they really what I think would have been awesome was the thing is that We are all building like no matter who you are and what you're doing your building off of someone else's work.

19:59 And it doesn't make you less sir. Like Fuente is building off of Beamers work, and that's not a bad thing. That's that's he's next. Like that's that's not bad, just like, every marketer is doing is standing on the shoulders of Ogle. Be like, it's just he's the OG and acknowledge and we worship him for it and then we, but we know that that will carry us through. So I feel like, especially because when today was supposed to be, or is supposed to be like, This offensive, have this offensive mindset. What would be the offensive version of lunch, pail?

20:43 Beamer ball tear down. What does that look like? And so thinking about what people call it like, I just, I think of, like feed forward and I think funny. Yeah, yeah. The things I think of the things that the fans do by themselves, I'm a big football club fan like, I love Cool. So I I see teams outside of American football, they have these rituals and so much about community building is based off of rituals. And so it creates that emotional connection.

21:25 It's why you shake your keys. It's why you move your arms to block a kick. Like, you can't remove be more ball and then expect people to still do that motion in the stand, you know? Like One creates a need for the other and the rituals also create an opportunity for the fans to participate and that's where I feel like such a disconnect as happen. I feel like there's been moments of opportunity where like for example the Barstool big cat game. Yeah, such a perfect moment.

22:08 We're like the things that I love and I know that another and I know it's we're going to talk about social and that's obviously like, free social. I want him to have fun, like, I don't want it to look, perfectly curated and I don't want like perfect spaces between emojis. I want you, I want it to be obvious that you almost cost because you were so height, but like, stopped herself at the very last second, like, I want, like, so. One of the best accounts I had a friend who used to do the social for for the Tampa Bay Rays and if you look back especially like during like when they were, when they were playing in the series and when they were doing all this you'll see like they have videos on the Clips in the graphics like everybody else but when you look at the copy it looks like it was written by a fan.

23:00 Like there's a shrug and there's like did you see that like it, it needs to feel the Beauty of football, especially in the ACC, is that it is unpredictable and that it is messy and that it is beautiful. And so I don't want this perfectly curated copy. I want it to feel frantic and Alive like I want it to feel like something like a person who's pressing the keys is having typos because they're so excited. Like that's what I want to see instead of this. Just like perfect line. Like they're about to send me a LinkedIn request like I love that. Christina will get to the social media because I feel like we could we could we could start talk with that and going forever.

23:51 Yeah. You know is that they've been putting out of the practices and then the interviews, but more importantly, you want to talk about the messy. Let's talk about that Vance. Vice video with lettuce, myth and Brock. That was messy, that was beeping. That was a lot of beeping that was you felt like if the doors were closed that would still be happening. How do you feel like the video presentations have been going in all those aspects? They it still presents the same problem. Okay, it's creating behind-the-scenes access which is awesome and we want access. The problem is is that it's still coming from a publishing perspective and not a Conversation perspective. Okay, the problem with the videos and the problem like I'm glad that they're I'm glad that they're showcasing personality. I'm glad that they're doing all those things. My problem is is that it still one directional, Hmm, I would say this Virginia Tech.

24:57 I would say this for any brand honestly, and I've made this complaint online in relationship to other to other brands. Is that there's a lot of Brands would be like why? Why do a lot of people not like our content, why is it? Not a lot of people engaging and retweeting and sharing stuff and it's because you're talking at them. You're not talking with them. And so there's an opportunity. T. To connect like you know what, I would love like what I would like those those videos have their place and I don't think that should stop doing them. But what I would love is that fan interaction.

25:38 Like it's not enough, it's not enough. So let me give you an example. You have a child, you're going to take them to go, see a Marvel movie, what is your kid going to want to wear? Potentially the costume or Marvel shirt. Because they're associated with it. They want to feel like they're one with the moving. Exactly. When you go to a tech game, what do you want to wear as much maroon as possible? Exactly.

26:25 How do you feel a part of the team? When all of the focus is on content going out and it not going back and forth there Stephanie and the thing to that was like all the hashtags and everything else. Like for an algorithm perspective that also doesn't perform well everything that's going to make you click out of the experience is going to have less views. I mean that's for any platform. They want you to stay, why don't you have a conversation where it since talking about like you know what I would love. Do a post and it says make a hokie fan have like show that gif of Peter Parker when his hair goes up when he has the spider sense tingling.

27:06 And it's and we've seen a couple of these like make a hokie fan have this in five seconds or imagine if someone asked you about your favorite game, Your favorite play immediately have a motion. And so there's problem like I have I have problems with. Like, calling for Nostalgia but not doing it for that purpose. So like, for example, when the first, the first emails came out for donations after it was pretty clear, there wasn't going to be a season or or people were going to be able to attend. I almost rewrote that mail, like, three or four times. Like, I paste.

27:51 Angrily. Like my husband, you have worked like, don't do this because it Felt it felt very much, like, remember standing in Lane? Remember, jumping up to Enter Sandman, and I was just like, all right, this is not working. I should cry. Because I can't be in Lane. Yep. So if you can't make me sad, then you're not going to get money out of me, if you can't evoke emotion, I mean. And that's honestly, like, if anyone takes like, if anyone takes anything out of this, is that the beauty of Virginia Tech.

28:31 The beauty of any brand that does well, the beauty of any Community, it's laced, and into woven in Emotion. It is the most important lever you have. And you have a fan base that's angry at you and it's they're angry because they love it so much or they cheer you because they love you so much. The problem, the problem is not hateful fans. The problem is a pathetic fans. Bingo that's the problem. That's the best thing that you should be afraid of. That's going to stop caring. Then yelling at you all day long they wouldn't be so loud if they were if they didn't love you. You so much if it wasn't important to them like there's a reason why if I hope you baby is born, it will have at least one hokey onesie, it will be christened into the church of Hokie Nation pretty important.

29:28 It just will Why would you if you could yell at that Team all day long, but you still want your child to be a part of that fan Hood upon birth. That comes from love, that comes from you. Having that become such a core part of you. And so, I've written a lot about this with community building, and I talked about how you enter a community, but the community has to enter you. It has to otherwise, you can leave easily. There's so many people who could have left after last year but and and there's so many angry fans who who could leave but they'd rather talk and try to figure out what's wrong, they'd rather shake their fist at weddings be like, dude, just fix it. Like I love you fix it.

30:21 Like, that's the thing that's at rest and like, the problem I had with, with the wit press conference, after all that went down was that, you know, the quote unquote, Twitter mob Not that, that really kind of took. It took it ticked me off a little bit just because I was like, well, I don't always agree with the people that fly off and want to fire the coach every time something goes south, but at the same time, I'd rather have that than, as you said a fan that's like, I don't care. You know, I like the tailgating, I'll casually go to a game but I don't really care whether it's a win or a loss or any of that stuff. Because once you start getting the apathy, that's when you have A lot of the other problems that were already experiencing and those are going to get exacerbate estimated when it comes to donations.

31:10 And people showing up for games, my, my thing is that the Twitter mom is real, it just is I, but I could say that for every single, I can see say that for every single fandom. I mean, I'm Star Wars fan and a Marvel fan. So trust me, I've seen darker sides, then I got you. Like, I've seen it. The thing is, is that those those mobs occur like, think about what a mob is. And like the classic monster movie Set, they have their fire, they have their pitchforks, and they are knocking and banging on a door of the castle to get to the monster.

31:51 They are ostracized from the thing that they are trying to get to. Hmm. And that is what the Twitter mob is. There is an information vacuum. They feel like they can't be heard, they can't be seen. They feel like they're locked out. They don't have all the information. And so they're only Resorts. I mean, that's that's human nature. Oh, you can't hear me? I'll get louder. Like it's, it's that mentality. We're to the point where you ask for change, you want things to be different and then if it doesn't happen, Then you get louder, hoping hoping now they'll hear me, but I feel like PR is at the heart of everything. I feel like it's at the heart of everything that's made it worse. So like if we're going to talk about that press conference, I saw the by saw the post from the Press before. I just watch the thing.

32:54 So I had my own little moment and then I watched it, And it still didn't get any better. It, I immediately I immediately treat situations and brand the way. I immediately treat them the way I would, if they were a client. Okay, I immediately perceive. Okay, this has happened. How would I fix this? And how can we move forward? There was no fixing that was my press conference. There was no fixing you had, we had, we had come off the three worst seasons in the last 27 years.

33:36 We were a 500 program, you writing was on the wall behind pay walls behind rumors, he's bottle he's been told he's fired and then the walk out in the way with presented that day the way his face looked. He knew I wanted to fire him. And then for us as fans, it was, this punch know he's coming back. This is like his first year and you're like his pardon, my French. Christina, his birth year. Are you kidding me? He's been here for five years. Sorry. No, don't when it comes more. Here's the thing for me, there to be any time. There's going to be that much emotion, and anything is going to have that much on the line.

34:28 There needs to be significant training, PR training for anyone who's going to be speaking in front of the press. And that that goes forward, that goes for Fuente that goes for anybody because we've already seen what happens when things don't go their way when you're telling when you're telling press the press that like, that's a ridiculous question. Like we've already seen what happens when you get angry. So my first thing would be prior to any press conference. We are going to go through the talking points. I'm To sit at the back of the room. And I'm going to say the most hateful hot-button questions you could ever possibly get, because you need to be prepared for the worst. You need to be prepared for the absolute worst question. You need to know what that answer is going to look like. And you also need to not have heard that question for the first time because seeing is raw emotion. You see raw anger frustration and like the like the snide comment about that, they don't, they don't really provide that much with the with the smirk that was frustration from wit, and my opinion, that was him trying to find a lot like find to find Levity and something that he finds frustrating and it didn't land well because it shouldn't have happened and that comes down to, like I said, that

35:58 comes down to PR training that comes to, and I would recommend that for any power 5 school, any power 5 school because you have scrutiny, like look at Alabama. They could they could lose one game and there's going to be fans climbing the walls. If you are in a if you were at a power 5 school, you are constantly constantly under a microscope. The power of your school is dictated by, how many wins you have what recruits you can get. How many awards your coach can get, how many positive press mentions your coaching team can get, it's all contingent upon creating this ecosystem of success. And so when you don't have that, you're going to get questions, you're going to get, you're going to get people asking really mean hateful things that bother you. I mean the best example, Love it is imagine how many people were frustrated with the team didn't feel like they were being heard, nothing was changing.

37:08 And then Herbstreit has a really clear moment on a plane and talks directly into the camera about what is happening at Virginia Tech. Yep. And there was immediate change and we had some new people come in and we had some thought process on how we going to right this ship. And so from that moment, Are people in the fan base, that realize. Okay. It just has to be the right choice to complain. It just has to be the right voice to ask questions and so that creates a moment where you wonder the information vacuum? Again. Same thing about when he was being interviewed at Baylor.

37:50 And we didn't find out until after. That was a, no. And then wit told us he's a trustworthy guy. Yeah. We don't know him like you do when you're expecting us to. You can't vouch for him when we didn't know. Yeah. All we have is conjecture and all we have are rumors. Then, what is, what is anyone going to do when they don't have anybody? I mean, literally all of 2020 was about See theories and what is fake news? But you know I'm saying, and so, why would a football fan base, be any different in absence of the information? We fill in our own blanks? And given some of the product we've received lately, those are tending towards, not giving the program, the benefit of the doubt. Exactly.

38:38 If you don't have the Truth, then you make up your own. And that's what we've had to do. A ton over these last few years because we really don't know the head coach. There are stories that, you know, we see him and we see him as, you know, probably a good football coach. Probably a good family man and then you hear stories from people that have interviewed him in behind closed, doors. It's likely such a different person. Why isn't that different person coming into the conference? I mean, into the interview, I mean, Christina. How would you coach when you hear? I've heard David teal, Wes McElroy.

39:20 John laser people Associated either writing about the program or part of the program saying, hello. He's so different behind closed, doors, you love them. How do you tell that coach that needs to be you? When you get in front of that press conference, when you get in front of a video screen, you need to figure out what her his triggers to why he can be comfortable in one setting and not the other. Okay, what is it about? What is it about behind closed doors that he can open up? Because I get it, I get it. I get people being introverted, I get people being closed off. I get people being protective, I completely respect that, I totally get it. The problem is, once again, it's a powerful program and it is, but it's, it's it's a cult of personality.

40:11 I mean, if you think about it this way, if horrible didn't have a personal brand, how on Earth would he still like, I'm still shocked but how would he be? Mr. Curtis is the 49ers fans that he's got another side of that relationship that he can talk about. So horrible. Older but it's cult of personality. And so when you think about it and and that's the thing too is Beamer was at an advantage because it made sense why he didn't have a social media presence. yeah, it made sense and so there was there was no like like the entire fanbase isn't going to claim her for him and be like dude you need to be on Twitter like that's that's not going to happen and it didn't happen but if one tastes going to be on Twitter and he's going to respond and he's and you're going to have these moments, then we need to determine What does it look like for him to feel comfortable like that? And doesn't mean that he needs to have like calls in his office or calls and on his back porch, or like, what is it going to take for him to feel more comfortable? And then, how can we make that?

41:29 Come forward? I'll come, I don't want to compare, but I feel like I need to compare it to Mike Young. Who I'm good with that. He's, he's so affable. And so just comfortable that when he speaks. Like I just I love the picture of him sitting watch like eating popcorn. It's like one of my favorite things. It gives me such a beamer energy. Yep. It is just relaxed but cool. Well I also feel like because Mike young it was always his dream to be here. The now he's here it's like when you know you're at the right place at the right time you know where You're supposed to be.

42:14 It's like that. Man is sitting and his life. Like no way. I'm supposed to be here and I feel like maybe because Fuente still trying to like shake off the beam Earnest and and make things his own and He's not hitting the strides that I think he would have, he would have wanted for himself, maybe that's why, but I think he needs to figure out whoever's working, whoever's going to be like managing the pr and who's going to be working with them. They need to do a lot of work in the room where he's he's able to show himself because and I'm guilty of this.

42:56 I just remember all the times, he would get mad during a football game and it was just like the Was my favorite part of the game? Yes. Yes. I don't care if you're angry, but show me something, like, show me that you're in there and so like he's yelling and I was like yes ones. They use like the beam a few years back where like holnar dizzy meltdown. And when he was saying that, like Tech was touching off but like they were just manhandling Tecna whole game. Yeah, and Fuente, I think want a great. Like I think the ref had to like talk wanted to calm down like I got I stood up and clapped I was so high so hyped and then like when he when he tackled Foster.

43:41 Yeah I just what do you think? I think fans want him excited about being a part of this program. I think I think that if I can put just a point on I feel like sometimes it feels like when the press conferences, it's very much. I'm here because I have to be, I'm going through the motions, but where are you? See him on the sidelines in those moments. Again, spit or those moments with Bud Foster. You see that? He cares about what he's doing and that's infectious but he doesn't bring that to the other avenues of the, of the coaching responsibilities. And as you said, being a power five coaches like being a CEO, You Can't Hide Your CEO in these key moments like when they interview for another job and then you have this other guy come up and explain about it like no.

44:30 You're the football. Coaches, just did this, you talk about it. You explain why you're coming back to Virginia Tech and I think a lot of it also comes to risk aversion and I can and that's why the pr is so reactive instead of proactive isn't it? Almost waits for it to Bubble Up before? It says anything? Assuming hopefully that it will blow over best example of this is the Sports Illustrated article. How does how does Sports Illustrated have more knowledge about Our team then like boosters. Yeah, like I don't even understand and the thing is that you need the Press On Your Side, you need them to, you need them to like the program, and want you to be successful.

45:17 And you want that needs to be a very, that's a very symbiotic relationship. But I still feel like we'll never understand what happened with all those players, and then so many of them. Get out of the program so you don't really even have access, you've got a couple that had some rounds on Twitter and now the fan base. But based on that information and based on nothing coming out, more or less from the program directly, it's like, okay, well, we've got these accounts and we got the SI stuff, but we really have nothing official coming from the football program directly. We're over here, making our own narrative again, and they're just playing damage control after the fact, and trying to clean up Medicine.

46:01 It's not just affecting fans perception of the program, but it's real, you know, affecting how recruits look at the program as well. Can I ask you this Christina? This is, this is bronze Bugaboo. He hasn't said it yet, but he hates that we cannot get in front of anything. The spring game, being canceled, literally an hour and eight minutes before Ralph Northam, which we knew was going to be announced or going 30 percent capacity. Yeah. Yeah there's been other times too. Where Brian's been like get out in front of these easy things where you don't like brown just said played am in control. So when you see this happen I want you to think about my partner here space and how we get angry. And I'm using the way to getting the Skype or the text messages like get in front of this.

46:52 This is your job. It's the easy stuff that bothers me. I'll go to the spring game. Whether I know people either want to have it or don't have it that that's beside the point. But to me you made this announcement on your own time. No one told you. You had to make this announcement at a given time. You choose number one before the Northam comments that day, number two, You either didn't see Fallout coming from this, or you saw it and decided we're going to announce this now, but announce our contingency for this an hour later or three hours later or the next day, I can't remember what it was. But include what your contingency is.

47:36 If you're not going to have the spring game in the announcement that you're not having the spring game Henry? Well I think I think for me it comes down to you need to be prepared for The worst and press conferences, and any of those, and no one could have seen, no one could have seen this coming and we saw this. I mean, I'd like to think that the NCAA thought I was bullying them last year because they were useless, but I don't know. But there's supposed to be there needs to be someone and it's usually good if it's your PR person because they need to, they need to be able to smell trouble before it hits. But you need Marvel fans, you need a doctor, strange Doctor Strange on your team.

48:24 You need someone who's going to be able to see like full game theory. What are all the ways? This could go? What is for, what are the possible things? What are the possible things that we could do? What does each variation look like assuming? This is the next is the next thing, what happens and then communicating at Foley with whoever needs to know that so that you have everything in place Lace. So when you know that a great Governor is going to say this, cool. Well, this is, this is the contingency plan that aligns. With that directive. We can have landing page made up. We can have it live quickly. We can have everything that we need but it comes down to planning and being prepared for the worst.

49:08 When you have a, when you a perfect example, how many years did they ask for donations after a football game loss? Every game isn't Something you could have paused or purposely sent the donation email before the game in. Like I kind of deal, you know I'm saying like yeah it's the little marketing and PR move that they stopped sending the emails asking for money. After that after the losses because everyone got really angry and loud about how that was a bad choice. You just have flown out by pit. How about donating to the marks is probably the most ideal time to send. Nothing like that, especially only home game would be a mass blast.

49:52 What 90 minutes before kickoff when everybody's in the parking lot with their iPhones and drinking beer and having a great time? Okay, clock wants to donate, 20 bucks. Yeah, let's do it. If that's something you're talking about like the opportune times like if you have them with cold again, if you have a loss? No, don't think about that. But what your contingency plan for the next week or so you're saying this and I'm sitting in here. Novice Christina saying if you were to email me or send something on Twitter or anything like that, a few hours before the game, whether I'm sitting here in my my man cave or I'm down at tops in Blacksburg having a real you said that I'm feeling good.

50:38 Yep. I've got a buzz about my body about the game that day where I just might say screw it's in ten bucks. It's the thing is that was that like And this is gonna sound really bad for any marketers on, but they'll agree with me. Get in the head of your customer, and really think about the customer experience. Like, you don't need a marketing class. You need to be able to think like the person you want to Target. Really swim in that. Like you said, where are you going to be the most height, the most Pro Hokies the most loose with your wallet just before the start of a game that's before the start of the game.

51:21 I'm excited for the leave it. If I'm sitting at home. I'm excited for what I'm about to watch. I'm engaged with the program as optimistic as I'm going to be is before just before that kickoff. Yep. Regardless of what happens win or lose the most optimistic. I'm probably going to be about this game is just before kickoff. Yep. That's we're going to feel the best about the program. What I can do is you can even do it as like. I know that nonprofits can do this. I don't know if they'd be able to do it, but having like a text campaign like text hashtag Hokies to 5, 4, 3, 2 1 and you get 20 cent $25. That is and I mean as we're moving forward, this whole thing with donations, we're going to need a lot more money coming in especially relative to the what people in the ACC or doing because we're already falling behind on that front, especially on the individual donation side of things. In terms of what we are putting funding wise into the program. We're about middle of the pack in terms of total money and we're towards like the back third. In terms of donations.

52:32 We got to figure out something to get, get those in here and it and I know winning helps but in lieu of that we're going to need. It need to figure out another way to get more folks engaged in the program, both with, you know putting asses in seats at game but also putting money into the the into hope Club. Well here's the thing, hokey Club, when you think about Hockey Club, what do you what is like your first thought? Drive for 25. But you know what? It should feel like, the hunky Club should be ran like an ambassador program, not like an entry-level donation Point. That's what, that's what probably Club is. It's, it's here's your entry to becoming a donor to Virginia Tech football, and that's not what it should be. It should be an ambassador program. Where everyone that gets to be a part of that is given tools that they can share their fan Hood.

53:27 Here's the latest. Here's the latest graphic. We're going to give you that you can share on social before anyone else. Here's a special Banner that you can put for your Twitter and Facebook. Here's here's a Keepsake that you can have. Here's here's, here's a free ticket to bring someone who's never been to a hoagie game like just it shouldn't feel like now it feels like It feels like Hokie Club is the token answer for. Do I, do you support Virginia Tech football with your money and people say yes I'm hoping Club member That's it. Shouldn't feel like it's tied to money poke Club. Should never feel like it's tied to money. It should feel like that's your entry into becoming the person who gets to be on the field, the person who gets to help the person who gets to weave themselves into the history of Virginia Tech, it should feel like that is how you enter the community, it should feel emotional, you shouldn't be tied to money, should be tied to emotion. Like what I would love to say honestly as soon as things are open and as soon as it's safe for us all to congregate, I would love for there to be a field day at Lane know y'all go. Yep, that'd be really cool.

54:47 Just be in that Stadium again. You can have layers. You can have past players, you can have the staff but it literally is like the whole point, the whole point. Is you go and you get to stay in on the field and you get to meet some of your favorite players and you get to hang out and hug your friends that you would normally you haven't seen in months. But used to tailgate with all the time, just do like a fifty dollar, a ticket field day and you get to go and you get to hang out and you get to hug your hokey friends. There you go. Let's talk about that a little bit more because I feel like in terms of the events that are engaging, Fans and getting fans access to the players and things like that.

55:36 I know covid has pretty much put the kibosh on that last year and into this year but that was very lacking. Even before the things with covid, what are some other type of events or things that you, I know you just mentioned the the field day, they're there. Any other types of events like that that you think would be good for the football team to engage in with the fans. Yes, I I'm a massive fan of Peloton. I have my palate on bike. Imagine if any of the players there's got to be a Peloton in that Barn like there just has to be and if you don't get one but imagine if you basically had like a joint ride and you can ride with your favorite players or you can do like the tread and like on because on Saturdays at at 10 I do a ride with my friends from marketing Twitter and we all get on and we ride and it's like the leaderboards. There we high-five each other.

56:30 Imagine imagine because these players are working out all the time. Anyway. Imagine if you got to be on a ride with one of your favorite players. Yeah, that'd be pretty cool. Pretty, pretty cool. You get to BU get to be Peloton buddies with. So and so you get to see their name on the leaderboard and it's going to push you harder than you would ever been pushed because you're going to want to get as close to their to their personal best. As you can imagine. How special that would be and all you need is one Peloton bike. And a tweet, every week, you can have a different player but would that tweet? Be timed at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

57:12 You can almost set your clock to the to the social media drops here, you can. And it's ridiculous. Although I have noticed, actually me and Brawn and we were discussing yesterday, all the things we want to talk about tonight. We kind of been going through it and it has been more random good about last ten or Of days and we say that like retweeted a tie rod one of his personal, not something they created and put out David plenty and other guys. But let me ask this about Twitter. Yeah. And if you don't want to answer it you don't have to give me a number grade that you would give the Virginia Tech football. Twitter account, number great, not letter number grade, 1 to 100.

58:00 It's an 80, it's an 80 they're doing. Okay, I'm glad that they're, it's, it's their Twitter wears a tie. It's, it's, it's to curated the copies to clean the scheduling's to like specific even if it's a brand needs. Well, it needs to feel like there's a fan at the bank. Okay. So I'll go back to McDonald's because I know someone on their social media team and I love what they're doing. Some of the best stuff that McDonald's has been doing is they're being incredibly vulnerable, and real, and talking about customer experience, like one of the tweets that they did that, they did that.

58:45 I absolutely loved was, it's never, how are you doing social media manager? It's always one, is McRib coming back. War is are you feeling okay? You've barely touched the top of your cup because they were like you poke the the top like you poke A little bubbles. Okay, another one was. Can I get? It feels so human and so you want you want it to feel. Human. It needs to feel like the person who's doing the copy and who was typing, and seeing the same thing, the same game that you are in a restricted when you're frustrated and happy when you're happy and it's just it's a lot of hashtags and it's a lot of emojis and it just doesn't feel authentic. Okay.

59:37 And so What is it was a tie? It's a job. It feels like it's, it's a job. It's not like like you say it's a fan wear everyday us three is fans of Virginia Tech football. We look at Virginia Tech football, me and Brian. I mean, key play. We look at Tech sideline. We look at your Twitter account when you're saying something about it. We look at former players and that's what it you're right. And you just, that is just such a A great analogy to what our Twitter is. And and I'm going to say what I said a couple seconds ago.

1:00:20 This is a football, Twitter ball, is he nice wear your tie very cordial sport. It's pop, it's hitting each other, it's a lot. But let's also compare it to a know we talked about Mike young earlier, but let's compare the Hokies Football Twitter account with the Hokies men's basketball Twitter account. And the type of Engagement that they were getting this season and the type of tweets that they were sending out and how those were tracking with the fan base and it's night and day and I know who runs that account and I'd they're younger and they are passionate about the team.

1:01:07 And it reads it reads that way. I mean there's I also love the fact that I love that there doesn't always have to be there, doesn't always have to be a graphic, okay? And you can be playful with Emoji playful with gifts. And you can, I love that there is it just feels like I can tell a fan is running the basketball account. It feels like they're watching the game with us. Yep, yep. And I am also a fan of if you can do short, copy always do short. It's so much easier. Like it's the shorter.

1:01:52 It is. The more likely it is to come across as pithy and get to the point the more copy there is the more it feels didactic and serious. Like I don't need it to be serious like Hype me up like make it, make it feel special. Let me, let me know what you're doing, and then I like that, they, I like that. Both of them that both accounts are starting to share, like, third-party content, but I think there's opportunities to do something really cool. Like, for example, I would love it. If they brought back one of like, find an old, find an older and older player, alumni who are really good on. Who get it, have them do a take over for the game, okay? Me account, the day, it'll give it'll get flavor, it'll feel very different.

1:02:48 People who've never turned in before, will turn in to say hi. I think I think there's just so many opportunities to be able to do that. The other thing that I think was a missed opportunity was there weren't a lot of players that were. There were a lot of people who are able to watch the game last year and there were a couple Couple people who were able to go and did like a few minute lives. But what I think would have been really, really, really cool. Is they because they ask for money like can you will will take your money and you just like forgive your seat. Yeah yeah. What if you did a private like what if you did a video you linked it and you have a camera from one specific, see?

1:03:32 It could be at the 50-yard line and you just have someone recording live and you get access to that to that feed. So you get to watch the game from that seat for the whole game. Instead of watching it on TV, you get to actually it's as close as To get to feeling like you're in the stadium and you pay extra for it, whatever you wanted to put for it. But you can call it like the 50-yard, the 50-yard seat. Yeah, someone will be there and they'll move the cameras, the plays are happening, but you'll get to be as close as you can to being Lane. During all of that. I feel like that was a missed opportunity. Yep. That would have been awesome to do something like an auction online into the bid for that because there would have been people probably well Out of our price range, that would have wanted to do that and you're raising money and maybe you don't even go with just one whole game.

1:04:23 Maybe you do one special for the whole game and then what we are doing is five minutes of the seat. You get to tune in and see it increase. How much you pay? I love that idea. You've mentioned a lot of things you would love to do, but as we move on the road forward, what are your top Top three. What are the three big things that for us as fans? What do you think we need to see changed in? What would you do? What would be your prescription to say? We are screwing up doing this. Here's how we fix it. Number one needs to be PR 100 percent. We need to determine, they need to determine where the line is. And if they've already determined it, they need to move it back further than where they have it. They need to make it very clear.

1:05:12 What's accessible to the fans? What's not? What is the cutoff for point? A, what is the cutoff for wit? What is the cutoff with alumni pass players? What does that look like? They need to determine where that line is. Like, where is the wall? Because there's a wall, but where is it big wall? And it needs to be pushed back. Along a long ways bad. Yes, kids can't go to scrimmages us as fans. Can't go to scrimmages. I mean, it was a miracle. When you saw Andy bitter and the writer say we got to go into 15 periods of practice. And it's just kind of like there shouldn't be. How was that?

1:05:55 At least not once a month? If not, once a week, number one, he are pushing that wall. Yes. Okay. What's the second second is, you need to rebuild the relationship between the press and the the admin and the coaches. And that's going to come down to being prepared. Were interviews being prepared for press conferences, being prepared for things that are completely uncomfortable. And so that's going to come down to practice, that's classic. PR having like literally me Amir someone in the back of the room shouting out, the one question, they hope no one asked because you'd rather me ask it or the pr person ask it, then someone who works for the Roanoke Times or someone else and then you want End up yelling them out of the room because you need that person on your side.

1:06:55 You need that person to want you to be successful because they're going to be paid to cover you whether you win or lose the game. Yep. You want them hope you win. Kind of like when Mike Barber ask for went after the pit game. Hey, have you thought about taking over play calling? And he answered that's ludicrous crap. And every single one of those fan said, bullshit, it's not a ludicrous. The crap answer. To this question, sir, the best of the best. We looked all seasons went was the first game when he calls the plays. We have argued that, I think a lot of people were thinking that question, and I mean I've I'm probably less critical of the offense as a whole than most fans.

1:07:46 But I I really get on corn with Situational play calling and how slow he is to adapt when what he does is not working. And that's a lie, that is a reasonable assessment, and when they should have been able to address that question, better than he did in just shutting it down and moving on. I think also, I think that question should have been answered. I found it was very valid because I agreed with that. I think the other thing is there needs to be better communication about why certain decisions are being made. Especially when they occur multiple times. Yep. We lost a lot of quality talent and not to the draft and it was because we're under utilized and I I feel bad for all of our quarterbacks because we have some really talented young men, and I feel like none of them got to properly show off.

1:08:48 And if one of them had been my son, I wouldn't have had him stay, I would have had to leave for a better opportunity to yeah, because the ones that got an opportunity, I think we're utilized poorly relative to their skill set. And then there were others that did not get the opportunity to really put their talents on display. I feel like especially towards the end of the year we were using hand and hooker like Battering ram and not like a quarterback. I feel so bad for how he was treated and how the whole season went for him. He deserves so much better. Yep, I think it also.

1:09:29 I think the lack of PR training also impacted how press conferences were handled. Could because they they were prepared for the worst and the fact that they knew they lost a game. So they knew like something bad was happening but not prepared in the fact that they were ready to speak. And so because of that, what you have is is the continued excuses. Like I what I loved about being more and what I love about good leaders in general is that when it's a loss they take it on themselves and when it's a when it was all the players they had no part in the wind they had everything to do in the lost and that is the opposite of what we've been seeing.

1:10:12 Yeah. Yep. And in fact, even from the administration it wasn't the coaches and it wasn't the players. It wasn't the losing season, it was the fans fault. Like somehow, like I personally would have liked destroyed our do see myself like like the fans, I'll freely go up and put me at like, take me off the bench for that game. I'll run straight for that man. Yep, it's the defensiveness and the lack of accountability is problematic. I'm a firm believer that the best leaders They take the responsibility when things go bad, and when things, when they are the first to share the glory and that Beamer did that really well, he even did that with other teams whenever they lose.

1:10:58 He was always so gracious about the other team and talked about how they were well prepared. And, and so, I think a lot of that comes down to the just needing needing training and needing someone to explain what. It's got to be like that press conference, because the power 5 stress is only going to. It's only going to keep Coming and the thing that bothers me too, and I've seen fans say this. And I've also seen the administration say this and other people, but you can't use covid as an excuse because covid-19 a Blacksburg problem. It was a local problem. We're not the only people who have that issue. We also weren't the ones who had it, the worst and the game that we perform the best was the one. We were losing the most guys.

1:11:44 So that's not it. Like, you have to Lying to me, why? The first came out, we had the most players gone. We had the most coaches gone and we perform, like we wrecked that game, it was glorious. So the excuses of covet is not going to work because the entire world dealt with that, the entire like the NCAA turned its back on all the teams. Not just Virginia Tech, like the ACC had to figure out its own thing every day. Vision had to figure out its own thing. Everyone had to figure out what was happening. Every school had to figure out what they were going to do and what not? They weren't going to do and so, yes, changes. Yes, it was a massive challenge but it's what everybody's challenge is challenge.

1:12:36 So, that's not it. Like, you have to accept that like something bad happened to all of us and some teams adapted better coming later this summer will be Brian and Tina's. NCAA bash session. I'm sure y'all. Yeah, you're for it. Oh my gosh. I'm so here for. Oh gosh. Is there a worst governing body in the world? Maybe it's flavie FIFA, maybe FIFA. Yeah, people didn't even see double life to bring you back in somewhere. And it's going to help you need to. Just got to make it fun again.

1:13:32 These are make it fun again you just got to make it feel the beauty of Virginia Tech is that it's big while filling small. It is. It's huge while filling intimate. Your I am a Infj by Nature. So I'm introverted can't probably tell but I'm introverted, but I died because of that, I don't like crowded areas. Like I'm not a crowd person except for two things or three things Lane stadium in bounds the conference. And Foo Fighter concerts because you go in there. And it's electric and you're surrounded by tens of thousands of friends, you're not strangers and Hokie Nation. You can be on the other side of the world and if you see if you're in the airport and you see someone else wearing a hokie, I hope you anything.

1:14:32 You don't just walk past, we are all a part of this family, this community. It's a core part of what we are. It's it makes or breaks our weekend. It dictates when we have our weddings, it like, it's so Central to our lives. and so all of this, with the losses and the stress, And the rumors and the worries and that the fear of instability and not knowing, what's going to happen next, it's drained. A lot of fans.

1:15:14 And all of us the lovers in the haters, we just want to have fun again, we just want to, we just want to sit and Lane and lose our voice screaming. We just want to dance to the Hokey. Pokey also bring that back. We we we want to sing. We want to yell stick it in really loud. We bring that back back. We that's the thing is, there's There's all this, like I made a comment to my husband a couple years ago. It was like after one of those games was like, clearly spent like the annual budget on fireworks in one night.

1:15:56 And all I could think was there's so many things I'd rather do with that money. There's so many other things because that's not what makes it special. It's what makes a picture of look good. It's great for an overhead shot but it's not, that's not the people. And so, the way to make it fun again, is to make it about the people in the community and that's the coaches and that's the fans and that's the players and that's everyone who gets to be inside Lane and so, When the world opens up and we're able to go to Lane again. it's going to feel like a spiritual experience for some of us and it should It should feel like your heart is right where it's supposed to be back again. There's there's such, there's so many people who don't who don't like football, who don't get college football, who don't understand how painful it was this past year that you don't get to do that.

1:16:59 Yeah. And just watching it on TV isn't the same. And it's because you lose that human connection, you lose those rituals you're not in the thick of it, you're not actually they're experiencing it and so I hope that they find Opportunities to to really make it fun again. What I would also love for them to do, I don't know if they can do this. There's a lot of players that we didn't get to see who are not going to be at Lane Stadium again. Please do a donation event where we could like wash them play a scrimmage before they leave and play in the NFL. Like, give us a taste of what we got, but we missed like a tiny pay is like forces to pay for it.

1:17:43 I don't care. It's like, that's what those spend money on. Yeah. I mean, we missed out on seeing probably one of the better athletes has ever been in. Virginia Tech play in 2020. Yeah, find an opportunity, do if you can, I don't know if you can because there's I'm sure there's regulations within siebel life but if There aren't if there, there's a way to bring those players back and just think it would be amazing to be able to watch, like a like a small scrimmage, and be able to like, tell them how much they mean to us. Nothing to as they complain. A lot about how recruits look at Angry Twitter and don't want to go to Virginia Tech because the fans are so hateful. But they forget the narrative that most hockey fans would drop whatever they were doing to help the player. If they needed anything, even after they're gone. Even after they've even after they've, they've graduated, or they see even after they've transferred to other teams. I wish you nothing.

1:18:47 But the best are always a hokey. That's the thing is, there's there's so much good will and we love these players and we want them to be happy and we want them to be successful. I mean I will literally only have five Jersey, because tie rod is my man and I've never wanted to hurt a doctor more in my life than when he's all, man. I was about to like, like I just need bail money. Don't ask Why I just need bail. Money Tyrod is the most unlucky person when he gets a starting job. Like, it seems, like every time he gets the starting job, something bad happens to intervene in his ability to just do his thing. Circle around tie rod with like, to light candles and be like, we just need all the Good Vibes for you but that's the thing like we all have her favorite player. Yeah everything we all have a favorite player. We all have our favorite play.

1:19:35 We're all going to talk about Danny call until the day or until the day we die. Die. Like we're all like we want 11 and 2 and 1 the Sugar Bowl but you know I'm saying the like we it's so core and emotionally Tethered to us. And so, I hope that we can there's just I just think of so many opportunities. Yeah, I just I just think if so many opportunities like I would love to love to go to Lane love to have tailgates love to have like that's a thing to like next time, there's like a drive or dry for money for the campus or even, just even just for the football program or athletics department in general, Do a tailgate and the tailgate you choose.

1:20:27 You pay a ticket for that, and that's the tailgate you go to. So if you want to support the basketball team like, you know, the basketball tailgate, and then like, that's all the basketball fans, get to go there. And that's the you get to meet new people. You get to hang out, or you want to support the softball team. Okay, cool. That will have its own area for a tailgate, that way you get to do some of it. You get to embrace some of the rituals that we already have that you get to use them in a new way. The thing is that the way The way that. The communication, a lot of the communication we had last year was asking for money and nothing else. Yeah, yeah. I've always said Christina and run can confirm. They always talk about well, the former players and all this the Hokie Village is this huge you know, piece of real estate, right next to the stadium.

1:21:18 Why can't you say? Hey, former players. We can't guarantee you tickets every game, that's, you know, but come every week we're going to make this special part of hokey Village. Just for you Lounge, also going to do Do is any fan that wants to pay a hundred dollars? It'll go to the Hokie club and they can come mingle with you. Do you know how much money they would raise?

1:22:08 Thanks. But let me ask this Christina and kind of, let's let's start closing it out here, because I feel like, what if we were with the white, we probably could talk another hour with you and if the baby wakes up, I'm dead. So let me ask this winning. How does that impact, this perception of how we're looking at marketing? You know, we've broke down a lot of went through a lot of the shortcomings where we're screwing up, but right now, Now this team that is currently going through Spring ball Brian put here tonight on wins let's say they won 11 games this year.

1:22:48 Does that sort of cover-up the the short I mean 100%? Yeah it's a honeymoon period. When you're in the honeymoon, period. Was someone think of it like a relationship. When you're in the honeymoon period you see some of the other things but you're just so like in love and it's like, oh, it's just that wonderful when you are mad at somebody, you you get hyper focused on everything else. You don't like about them. All the flaws are like more obvious than they ever were. For so if they win, you forget all of this, you ride the High. What what? PR well press the flaws become features when you're winning ten and eleven.

1:23:31 Yeah, the flaws. The flaws are injured like oh he's eccentric like like went a is unbeatable and he cusses out the prasiolite. That's hilarious - he's sticking it to those feet and knees. Guys, like the biggest the biggest way to undo it. Short-term you gotta win the game, long-term, you got to fix those other issues, but yeah, it's like a honeymoon period.

1:24:13 If you win the game, you forget. Well also the naysayers. Like well, hey, he went, he was terrible. The last two seasons everybody's going to basically give them the finger and be like go elsewhere. We just want 11 game we want any you beat Notre Dame we don't. I do have to say though I wish there wasn't so much inviting. I find that I find that hokey Twitter fights amongst itself more than it fights against the teeth like against those. And as someone who didn't go to Tech and also has negative things, Has to say there's definitely been times when my fan hood has been questioned and like I'm not a real and that's and my thing too is that I find that that's that's been really polarizing because that I find that that doesn't just hurt the team but that hurts people who are potential fans. Because there's always that barrier of Entry of like, what actually does it take to be a hockey fan? Doesn't mean that you go to Lane doesn't mean that you went to Virginia Tech.

1:25:16 Is it mean that you've been a season ticket holder? Forever. Does it mean that does it mean that you know like Europe Metallica fan like what what is the true definition? And so to fill that Stadium you need more than just grads and you need more than us Metallica fans and you need more than just being ticket holders. Like, everyone's money is green. If the, when they went to school or, no matter, no matter how little or how much they give. So I think I think my big thing is, I wish that there was I wish that all hockey fans would remember that our North Star is the program and that we want it to be successful and that we're going to disagree on things and some of us are going to protect some coaches. Look like every fiber of our being and the others would leave him off the bus in Florida somewhere, but we need to remember what our North Star is and not question, someone's fan Hood because We differ from them and we disagree. So let's gatekeeping unless fan, carding, just over the little things and focus on what's best for the program. What we love about the program, how can we make this program, more fun and better?

1:26:33 Yeah, well, do you hate Justin Fuente or not? It is better for this program to win and he Remain the coach then us be in the dumpster and he get fired because that's a lot of digging out. You happy? Yes. I'm just going to say people are watching so if we We, if we do, if he does, listen, there's another Bad season and he's let go. Hey, there's a lot of people watching that M of how much the BIOS going to be. And so there's going to be conversations about money, but there's also going to be conversations about how, how long are you willing to be given a chance in order to be successful? So you need to, you need to weigh all the odds, and I'm not saying you should be fired. I'm not saying you should stay, there's definitely pros and cons of each.

1:27:21 Each but I think that, I hope that the administration knows that we're all coming from a place of love for this program and that this program means so much to us that even in our deepest criticism, we just want it to be successful. 100% Christina. We really appreciate you joining us tonight. Here at the boundary Corner podcast and it's going to wrap up this episode. My name is Curtis Wilson. I'm Brian Sigler. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, subscribe to the podcast on your favorite Source, including Spotify, Amazon, and apple podcast do visit our Twitter page.

1:28:02 We do have a website now, where you will be able to check this wonderful interview with Christina out, as always, we let our buddy. He's Jason long place, in play us out, catch him on Spotify, and apple music. He is in the Roanoke area and hopefully, as things open up, if he plays will, let you guys know where he is, we thank you for listening. And as always, Christina join with us. Let's go. Okay.