The post that started Athletes Unscripted
When the NCAA banned celebratory props on the field, it interfered with a lot of celebrations. Virginia Tech couldn’t bring their sledge hammer, Tennessee couldn’t continue to take their fur coat outside of the dugout. Most teams had some prop that they would use to help celebrate big moments. During my Freshman year at Wake Forest (the 2022 season) we had a pigeon fly into our facility and that became our prop. We’d keep it in the dugout and after homeruns, we would handoff the pigeon like a football. With the rule change this wouldn’t be allowed.
So we had to find something new. That’s where the San Diego Padres fit into this story. I saw an article from their 2022 playoff run where they took a Polaroid for every big moment in their season. I brought up the idea to some of the guys and it stuck.
I got a Polaroid and for every big moment in our season, individually or for the whole team, a Polaroid was taken. Every home run, every milestone was captured for each guy to store in their locker.
And after each win, we took a picture to put up on a wall in our locker room.
The Polaroid captured some pretty special moments over the course of this season. From Brock Wilken breaking the ACC homerun record, to every Rhett Lowder day, a 2A.M regional game, a super regional win and so many other special memories. It’s all been captured in the moment.
The Deacs are going to Omaha and so is the Polaroid. Walt always quotes Maya Angelou and tells us that “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Here’s to more memories and continuing to #mtfy in Omaha.
Looking back
This story reminded me why storytelling matters in sports. It’s not just about the game, it’s about the people and the memories that come from our experiences.
That’s where the idea for Athletes Unscripted came from, creating a space where athletes can tell their authentic, vulnerable, unscripted stories.
– Chris Katz
Originally Shared on X in June 2023- See thread below
Athletes Unscripted 