Now What
During. During my freshman fall at Auburn, my first class of the week was BUSI 1010: Professional Development in Business, the introductory course for all freshmen in the business school. In that class, I met three freshmen from Auburn’s football team, and naturally, I introduced myself. Since the team didn’t practice on Mondays, we started a routine: go to class, then grab lunch together. It became a weekly thing. I think they respected that I treated them the same as everyone else on campus.
The first game of the season was a massive matchup, Auburn vs. Oregon at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Since it was an out-of-state game, only a limited number of players could travel with the team. None of my friends made the trip, as they were all freshmen and hadn’t seen field time yet. That Friday, my fraternity was throwing its school/football opening weekend party. Each member was allowed three guest invites, and most guys extended theirs to female friends since there were already going to be plenty of guys at the party. But me? I extended my invites to my friends on the football team. When I told them, that was the moment they knew I wasn’t just some kid they met in class trying to mooch off the top guys on campus, I was a real friend.
About halfway through my first semester at Auburn, Cooper decided it was time to test the waters. I told my football friends about Mag Street Vintage, pitching them the idea. Then, I asked each of them, “Give me two or three sports teams you’re a fan of and your T-shirt size.” A week later, I pulled up with handpicked vintage tees from the teams they mentioned. When they asked, “How much for the shirts?” I replied, “Don’t worry about it, as long as you guys all wear them together at practice tomorrow.”
My long-term goal? Create buzz about Mag Street at practice and turn that into future clients on the team. The next day, they showed up to practice wearing the shirts. Instant hit. Not just with the players, but with the surrounding staff as well. That night, my phone wouldn’t stop ringing, other players on the team were reaching out, wanting shirts for themselves. Before I knew it, most of the football team was rocking Mag Street Vintage, each one wearing handpicked, curated vintage sports team T-shirts.
A few days later, the basketball team took notice. Players from Auburn’s two biggest athletic programs started wearing our gear, and once they began posting Instagram stories about it, something crazy happened, college athletes from all over the country started hitting us up. That moment was special to me. I had always imagined myself as a college athlete, but when that door didn’t open the way I had envisioned, I found a new way to be involved. I wasn’t on the field, but my impact was. You know what they say: Look good, play good!
As time passed, a few of Auburn’s athletes went pro, and something even bigger happened, Mag Street Vintage made its way into the hands of professional athletes.