As the majority of campus turned pink for a day, MV’s annual Pink Out football game took place on September 22, 2023, at Ken Hunt Stadium. Given the significance of the Pinkout tradition at MV, one might wonder how it originated.
“In 2013, Tyler Knutson who was the FBLA President that year asked if there was a fundraiser that FBLA could do to raise funds for breast cancer research because his mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. We decided on the Pinkout Football game based off of Marion High School’s Pink Out Football game,” stated, longtime FBLA advisor, Ms. Julie Hayes.
The Pink Out shirts are re-designed each year allowing FBLA to do different types of themes each game.
“This year it was designed by one of our members, Parker Reynolds, as it is typically designed by an FBLA member,” said FBLA historian, McKenzie Hughes, ‘26.
“ He knocked it out of the park with his Barbie design,”added Ms. Hayes.
FBLA treasurer, Alistair Clodi, ‘26, stated, “Every year the shirt is designed by different students or graphic designers. This year, our shirt was designed by a senior FBLA member, Parker Reynolds. His design was perfect and we are so thankful for his talent.”
Getting everything ready for the Pinkout Football game is quite a challenging task.
Clodi mentioned, “There are a multitude of preparations for Pink Out that goes on behind the scenes in the weeks that precede the Pink Out game. We have to select a date for the game, create a Pink Out logo for the promotional social media posts and clothing, we have to work with families and individuals and dedicate a football jersey to themselves or their loved ones that have dealt with cancer”
FBLA president, Nolan Armstrong, ‘24, stated, “We have a lot to do the night of, [including] preparing the decorations, the duck drop [and] the powder toss. The main thing to prepare for is the after the game ceremony for people and their families who are fighting or lost the battle to any type of cancer.”
Hughes added, “We have to organize the boy’s jerseys, get a shirt design, get all order forms in, organize the shirts, get sponsors, and order the pink powder and divide it out.”
Every year FBLA has a powder booth, where individuals can take a cup of pink powder, and toss it up at the start of kickoff.
“I am always researching what other schools do at Pink Out games. I came across a picture of a school that did a pink powder toss and thought it would be something fun for the student body to participate in. It makes for great photos. This year we added pink light up foam sticks for the crowd to add to the atmosphere of the game,” mentioned Ms. Hayes.
Another tradition that FBLA does for Pink Out, is the funding of new Pink Out jerseys for the Football team.
Hughes stated, “We find people with family or friends who would like to sponsor the jersey and then assign each player a person. FBLA pays for the jerseys.”
“The jerseys are approved by the head coach. We match each player’s number & size to their regular jersey. The jerseys are paid for through the sales of the shirts,” stated Ms. Hayes.
The Pinkout game traditions are a great way to raise money for such a terrible disease
“We are always looking for ways to increase our donation for the cure and are open for ideas. One year we added a cornhole tournament to raise funds & it was very successful,” Commented Ms. Hayes.
To host such a big event, support is needed to keep the Pink Out tradition going.
“The crowd has been huge since I was a freshman. There has always been great support because of the theme and the fun but also the main reason for fighting cancer,” mentioned Armstrong.
Hughes mentioned, “I find it brings the community together with something that they love while simultaneously raising money for breast cancer.”
FBLA members continue to work diligently to ensure it will be a good night for everyone.
. Our members seek business sponsors for the event which are listed on the back of the shirts. Special pinkout jerseys are ordered for the football players which can be sponsored in honor of or in memory of someone who has dealt with any form of cancer. We prepare and script a special ceremony to give the jerseys to the sponsored person or family after the football game. Additionally, we order pink powder for the Kaos Kage to toss during the kickoff. Finally, we have a pink rubber duck drop in which numbered tickets are sold to potentially win $100 if their numbered duck lands on an “X” in the parking lot after falling from a firetruck’s bucket. Stated Ms. Hayes.
FBLA members have contributed their time to many Pinkout festivities, and hopefully many more to come.
Hughes stated, “[The Pinkout games] have been successful and I hope the tradition is carried on for many more years!”
Clodi commented, “In my opinion the most special aspect of the Pink Out football game actually has nothing to do with the game. I hold the Jersey dedication that occurs after the game concludes very close to me. It’s a very powerful and emotional ceremony. I think cancer is a tragic, awful disease, but its heart warming to me that our community can come together and support those affected by cancer. Hopefully, thanks to our Pink Out game and other similar events just like ours across the country, we can finally beat cancer once and for all and there will never be a need to have another Pink Out game again. But until then, MVTHS FBLA will keep fighting this battle alongside cancer survivors, victims, and those still battling this disease.”
“It is very stressful for everyone, especially since the game was so early this year. We’re attempting to have a new system for organizing next [year], as of now it’s just on a big spreadsheet,” added Armstrong.
