For the final game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 26, Aggies will come together to honor the Spirit of Aggieland by dressing in maroon and white to stripe the stands, organized by Maroon Out.
During the modified version of the all-maroon apparel game, the first and third decks of Kyle Field have been instructed to wear maroon, and the second deck has been instructed to wear white, aiming to create a “maroon and white oreo” in the stadium.
Management senior and Executive Director of Maroon Out Kim-Quyen Nguyen said Maroon Out decided to have Stripe the Stands to give Aggies an extra boost of spirit as the season comes to a close.
“Stripe the Stands is basically a display of Aggie unity and community,” Nguyen said. “[Stripe the Stands] really reminded us of the origin of Maroon Out that was started to encourage Aggie Spirit, right when we think not we’re not gonna win. It shows that whatever happens, the 12th Man can come together and really put on just a beautiful display to show how powerful we are.”
Nguyen said she is eager to see the 12th Man come together for the last game, especially with the disappointing season the Aggies had this year.
“If I know anything about Aggies, it is that we’re going to come through,” Nguyen said. “I’m just excited to see what the 12th Man is going to pull together. Reflecting back, It’ll be our 25th shirt next year and every single year the 12th Man pulls through. This is just such a supported and beloved tradition.”
Partnerships with KBTX TV station, utilizing their philanthropy Texas Task Force One’s platform, sponsored posts with Texas A&M Ventures, handing out flyers and posting on Facebook and TikTok have tremendously helped with getting the word out about this year’s Stripe the Stands, Nguyen said.
“We also just did our best like word of mouth. Just asking people ‘Are you going to the LSU game?’ and ‘[Which] deck do you think you’re sitting [on]?’” Nguyen said. “That’s just been awesome — being present on campus. Walking around with big T-shirts and letting people see and ask, ‘What’s up with the big T-shirt that has two colors on the side?”
Kinesiology sophomore and Public Relations Director for Maroon Out Asma-Maria El-Tayssoun said the Maroon Out team was inspired to do Stripe the Stands after their successful the Standing for America game in September 2021.
“I’m hoping for the feeling again I had with the Standing for America game, just the overall unity of seeing all the Aggies like wearing maroon and white, just showing our pride and showing LSU can’t hurt us,” El-Tayssoun said. “We’re all here together — the 12th Man is here to support our football team.”
El-Tayssoun said Maroon Out has gotten immense feedback and support from students for Stripe the Stands.
“I feel like it’s gonna be pretty successful because we have gotten the numbers back for all the shirts we’ve sold and been like, ‘Oh, okay!’” El-Tayssoun said. “Even if they’re not wearing the shirt in Kyle Field, I just know I’m gonna see Maroon Out everywhere. I know some students are not going to be able to make it to the game because of Thanksgiving stuff, but even if they can’t make it and they’re still representing Stripe the Stands, it’s still unifying us.”
Sports management senior and Director of Social Media for Maroon Out Celina Hernandez said Maroon Out worked with A&M Athletics to create a design that was easy and simple for fans to buy into Stripe the Stands.
“It wasn’t a design that took away from the meaning of it, which is for us to come together and really just show what we can do,” Hernandez said. “Because it’s always more than a shirt. It’s what we can do together.”
Hernandez said as social media director, she has seen first-hand how crucial social media platforms have been to get the word out about Stripe the Stands.
“We’re hoping Kyle Field has that beautiful stripe of white on the second deck,” Hernandez said. “We’re definitely expecting a lot of positive feedback. We’re hoping that especially a lot of old Ags understand what we’re trying to do with this. We’re not trying to take away anything from tradition to the past — we just want to display the Aggie spirit in the power of the Aggie network and for us to create a beautiful display of that spirit in Kyle Field tonight.”
Hernandez said her favorite part of preparing for Stripe the Stands this year has been spreading the word and educating others on their mission of giving back to the university and to students.
“I know we’re gonna be wearing jackets at the game, but maybe just leave it a little unzipped, especially on the second deck so we can see [the white],” Hernandez said. “We hope it’s gonna be good.”