Episode 2: Hot Sauce Huskies
Now, this episode is rather personal for me as we’re covering a fanbase that I’m quite proud to be a part of. The best way to describe the Connecticut sports scene is a hodgepodge of multiple fandoms. New York Fans, Boston Fans, fans that split rooting interests between the two cities. However, there is usually one thing that these disparate fans can agree on: UConn Basketball.
I was already a fan of the programs before I attended UConn, and the time I spent there from 2015-2019 only deepened my love for the school. From working with the Men’s Hockey team for my whole undergraduate career, seeing a National Championship for the Women in my freshman year, to countless memories that I can’t recall now, it’s been one of the highlights of my young life to be a Husky.
It’s also where I was introduced to the fans you’ll be hearing stories from today. We’re a part of a group of UConn fans that are almost too online, known as "UConn Twitter". Just judging by the photo from this past year's Husky Ticket Project Tailgate, you could see just some of the many characters who are a part of this group (yes, even our luchador). We'll start with meeting with Bryan Jackson (the bearded gentleman on the far right) and Kevin Solomon (far back with the backwards hat) who started the Hot Sauce Challenge as we know it. You'll then hear stories from fans like Mike Toscano, Mary Brown, Jared Kotler, and Matt Necci to show you just how important the bond between our state and its college basketball teams.
This was very much a stretch for the second episode, but this is a great example of what I'm trying to capture in this show: the relationship between fan and team.
BONUS: Here are some of the photos that Mike mentioned from our night at the National Championship watch party. (I may or may not have felt one of my ribs crack after screaming all night)
