In complementing the recent push for investment into certain capital projects and fan-forward programs, the University of New Mexico Athletics Department has also had a focus on creating more promotional and social media content.
On Aug. 4, to announce that kids under 12 would now get free admission into football games with the purchase of an adult single game general ticket, the New Mexico Lobos released a video that went viral, with over half a million views on X alone.
The video parodies an episode from the television show “The Office”, named “Scott's Tots,” with Head Football Coach Jason Eck experiencing a humorous miscommunication with Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo. As a result, Eck ends up promising free tuition to a classroom of elementary school students instead of free tickets to a football game.
Associate Athletics Director for Creative Services Chase Christiansen said he knew the video could go viral as soon as the idea was presented if it could be executed right.
“It was really rewarding to see all the hard work that went into it. All the acting, Coach Eck was great in it. He was fully on board with doing whatever we wanted him to do,” Christiansen said. “Fernando (Lovo) was fully on board. So just seeing everyone work together and accomplish what we set out to accomplish, and probably even exceed our expectations for what it would be, it was just really rewarding."
This is not the only attention-grabbing video done by the UNM Athletics Department recently. To announce the new $4 value menu at home football games, the department posted a video to X on Aug. 7 which included references to the Netflix sketch comedy show “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.” The video garnered approximately 65,000 views on X.
The video ends with Lobo football tight end player Dorian Thomas ordering “fifty-five Lobodogs, fifty-five sodas, fifty-five waters and fifty-five popcorns.”
On June 10, Lobo Track and Field posted a video on X in preparation for the NCAA Track and Field National Championships that detailed the meaning behind the teams’ turquoise uniforms. The team has a tradition of only wearing turquoise at the national championships tournaments to honor New Mexico’s history and connection with the color. The post has approximately 35,000 views on X.
“There's just been a lot of investment in our creative departments over the last eight to nine months, and we're reaping the benefits of that now, seeing the exposure we're getting by the investment that we're putting in,” Christiansen said.
Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey
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