Anyone who has ever been to a men’s basketball game has probably noticed two things.
One is the men’s basketball team, and the other is the students in bright yellow shirts that pack the stands.
The yellow and blue shirts with a buccaneer and the slogan BUC WILD on the front first appeared on Nov. 25 at the ETSU Bucs’ basketball game against Mars Hill.
Scott Carter, an athletic marketer for Bucs sports, said that the basketball season was the kickoff for these shirts and the new gimmick to get more students in the stands.
“We wanted to get more students to attend,” Carter said. “Men’s basketball has an excellent team and they deserve the support.”
But why men’s basketball?
This is not the only sport that these shirts are related to; the men’s team was just the tip-off for them.
Carter and the rest of his staff are hoping to see these shirts at every sporting event that the Bucs and Lady Bucs participate in.
So why should poor college students shell out the five dollars to buy this shirt?
There are many perks that are attached to the ownership of a BUC WILD T-shirt.
Buck’s Pizza, The College Store, Amigo’s and Poor Richards are all sponsors featured on the backs of the shirts, and they all give out coupons and prizes at each home game.
If students get to the game early enough, there are also 20 free Buck’s pizzas offered before each home game 45 minutes prior to tip off, but you’d better get there early because free food goes fast!
There are also coupons from Marble Slab Creamery, Carmike 14 and Reel to Reel. The biggest winner with the students is the get-out-of-a-parking-ticket-free card that is worth $20.
Shirts started to circulate at the beginning of the basketball season and became so popular that the 500 shirts that were ordered were not enough.
Two hundred more shirts were ordered and distributed within a week.
The total in sales now tops 950, with more on the racks.
Before buying a shirt, students have to agree that their shirt will make it to every basketball game, even if the owner doesn’t.
“What this means is if you can’t make it to a game, you’ll give your shirt to a friend,” said Carter.
The Athletic Marketing Department hopes that in the future, the stands will be filled with 1,000 of these bright yellow shirts. These shirts have also been so popular with the community that they wanted to know where they could purchase their own BUC WILD shirt, but Carter says that they can’t.
“These shirts are for the students only,” he said. But his staff came up with another idea to satisfy all fans.
Blue shirts with the words “The Sixth Man,” which is specifically geared toward basketball, can be purchased at the stadium by anyone, while the BUC WILD shirts can be purchased next to the BUC WILD student section during the basketball games. Once basketball season is over, it may be hard to find these shirts.
The marketing staff is not sure whether shirts will be sold during any other spring sports.
If a student does not buy a shirt during the next three home basketball games, your next chance may not come until fall 2004.
Carter would like to thank all of the fans for participating and wants to encourage all students to come to the games.
“We have some surprises for the BUC WILD section,” said Carter.

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