On Thursday, Feb. 20, Union University hosted the “Red the Fred” event in the Fred DeLay gymnasium in conjunction with the streaming of the women’s and men’s basketball games against Lee University on ESPN.
On the night of the event, the whole gym was a sea of red. People of all ages were in attendance, including many Union students. There were various giveaways and prizes throughout the night. The first 1,000 fans received free “Red the Fred” t-shirts. There was a drawing for AirPods, and the winners of timeout and halftime games got different prizes. One winner received Chick-Fil-A for a year.
The Lady Bulldogs pulled off a 71-56 victory. Every time a controversial call or big shot was made, the crowd erupted in unison either with booing or cheering. During the last fifteen seconds of the game, when it was clear the victory was in hand, the entire crowd gave a standing ovation.
Senior guard Jada Smith was the highest scorer for Union with 29 points. Junior center Jaelencia Williams and junior guard Jacie Higgins each had eleven points.
The men were in an even tighter scoring game. As the Bulldogs’ deficit shrank, many in the crowd stood on their feet cheering, including Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, the president of Union. Although the Union men fought hard, they ultimately fell to Lee 74-68.
Sophomore guard Tyree Boykin led the scoring for Union with 31 points on the night. Senior Terrandus Smith was the second-highest scorer with 11 points.
Even though ESPN was streaming the games, Mark Campbell, women’s basketball head coach, saw the game as just another game; his mindset did not change. However, he loved the atmosphere. For him, the experience was in the top three on the list that he has compiled over his 21 years at Union.
Campbell also saw ESPN being there as a chance for Union to show what it is all about.
“Anytime we have a chance to get our name out, it’s an opportunity, ultimately, to say, you know, that our ‘why’ is different than most places,” said Campbell.
The “Red the Fred” event was a unique event full of prizes and fun. However, to Campbell and Kristen Pickens, president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Union softball player and business marketing major, “Red the Fred” was more than just an event with giveaways, games, and ESPN cameras.
Campbell emphasized the community aspect of it all. God created us to have community with each other, and sports is one of the most obvious ways of creating opportunities for community. However, the sporting event itself should not be the most important thing to us.
“The opportunity to build community is what’s valuable,” said Campbell. “And so, however we do that, we can’t be pulling against academics and sports. They have to be working together to figure out how to create community.”
Campbell believes that we must be intentional in our efforts to build community. He referenced 2 Peter 1:3-8 and having a brotherly affection for each other. There should be a desire to foster a community where there is brotherly love, and ESPN coming to Union was just a catalyst that provided an opportunity to help build up that community on Union’s campus.
Like Campbell, Pickens also desires for Union to be a more tight-knit community. She sees the potential for “Red the Fred”to be a starting point from which more events can come that will bring athletes and non-athletes on campus closer together. As president of SAAC, she helps plan many of the sporting events that happen around campus. One of her goals is helping students enjoy coming to athletic events more.
“This is how we can build the bridge to connect athletes and Union students,” Pickens said, “because there’s still a disconnect in relationships that could be easily mended that I think both parties want to see.”
Photo courtesy of the Office of University Communications
