The costume contest featured purple wigs, face paint, morph suits, purple mummies, a purple angry bird and Laffy Taffy costume, and a few more surprises, Michael Drozd, creator of the Riot, said.

Anyone in attendance at the volleyball game could participate, Drozd said. The received a prize from TCU Athletics, but Drozd did not say what it is.

Drozd, a junior marketing major, created the Riot during the summer. The Riot is funded by the Crew spirit programming budget. The Crew uses this budget to put on events that promote campus community and school spirit, Drozd said. 

Low student attendance at athletic events has led to the creation of the new group, he said.
Drozd is also organizing a “blackout” during the football game against Kansas State on Nov. 10. The game is also a Frogs for the Cure game, and the shirts for the participants will be black, Drozd said.

Drozd said the initial attendance results following the creation of the Riot were great, and that students had to sit on the floor at the SMU volleyball game. However, Drozd said student attendance has dropped further into the semester.

In the past, one of the Crew’s spirit programming events was bringing puppies to campus. This year, Drozd wanted to promote school spirit in another way.

“When we think of spirit, we think of sports and getting excited about sports on campus,” Drozd said.

The Riot is going to host events before games to encourage student participation and increase student attendance at all sporting events, Drozd said.

“Students don’t really attend sporting events that [much], even football,” said Drozd. “Moving into the Big 12, we want our student body to be more unified behind our team."

 One of Drozd’s goals for the Riot is to see a noticeable change in student attendance at sporting events. He said he hopes to create a student section like Duke University’s notorious basketball student section, the “Cameron Crazies.” He plans to do so by creating events before games that will encourage student attendance.

Brian Rockwell, a junior marketing major, said he joined the Riot because he has a passion for TCU athletics, and wants to help increase student attendance at football games.

“Moving into the Big 12, we have the opportunity to make Amon G. Carter and Daniel-Meyer Coliseum a place where our opponents don’t want to visit,” said Rockwell.

Although Rockwell wants opponents to fear Amon G. Carter Stadium and other university athletic complexes, he does not want the student section to turn into the movement’s namesake.

“Our goal is to be a nationally-known student section, but obviously we want to avoid incidents like those that happened at the Iowa State game,” said Rockwell. 

“We should be able to look at the stands when our team is playing on television and see a full section,” said Rockwell. “Our athletes work hard every day to represent TCU and we at least owe them that.”