Ohio University students can usually find a volleyball or basketball game to play on South Green, but on Monday afternoon students used a much smaller ball for their fun.
More than 15 students played in the foosball tournament put on by Rider Sandals, a Brazil-based shoe company.
The company’s advertising campaign is taking them to nine other universities on the East Coast and Midwest. OU is the only university they are visiting in the state of Ohio.
OU was chosen because of the high number of enrolled students, located in the “targeted area,” and fit in the tour schedule, said John Katsarikas, director of event marketing for The Campus Agency, a marketing company that targets college students and hired by Rider.
Patrick Clark, a senior, placed first in the tournament and won a $100 prepaid Visa gift card.
Rider Sandals coordinated with the University Program Council for the event, which helped promote it and provided student volunteers.
OU did not charge Rider to hold the event on South Green, said Matt Thomson, coordinator of student activities and the advisor for UPC.
Thomson agreed to let Rider Sandals have the event on campus because it didn’t cost anything and provided students with a free activity on a Monday afternoon, he said.
“If companies contact us and they are not trying to solicit things we wouldn’t want, then we’re OK with it,” Thomson said.
md781510@ohiou.edu
@MariaDeVito13
