Written by Dowling Payne

If you have been to any Blazer sporting event, there is one person you are sure to have seen. Usually running around hyping the crowd or greeting all the fans is Marc Kaiser.

Kaiser, graduate assistant for marketing in the athletic office, attended VSU for both his undergraduate and now for his graduate degree.

During his career as a VSU cross country athlete, he spent his free time attending other sporting events and supporting the Blazers.

His relationship with the athletic department all began at a softball game when he wanted to be the one to throw the first pitch. After getting odd looks from the ticketing director when he asked if he could, Kaiser struck up a deal. He proposed that he would be allowed to throw the first pitch if he could break the attendance record for a VSU softball game. He did just that.

Soon after his first pitch that landed right in the strike zone, Kaiser began working closely with the social media for Blazer Athletics.

He came up with the idea to create a persona named Blazer Spark, and created a Facebook page for him. Blazer Spark quickly gained many followers and was known as the voice for athletics as he sported a red and black body suit all over campus.

Kaiser continued to intern for the athletic department until graduation, where he was offered his graduate assistant position.

“I want to make fans have as much fun as possible,” he said. “I want to make sure they will come back to another game.”

During football season, Kaiser can be found running around with signs to get the crowd involved, checking on all the inner workings from the concession stand to the police on duty and being an all around crowd pleaser.

“I have to be a part of the atmosphere, I have to be that energy people are looking for when they come to a game,” he said.

If you were to ask Kaiser who his favorite sports team is, he would quickly tell you the Blazers. He doesn’t follow any major league or college team, but focuses on the men and women right here in Titletown.

Kaiser is an enthusiast for the Blazers and genuinely cares about the players and all the hard work they put in for game day.

On game day, he and a team of interns are working to make sure everything runs smoothly from in-game entertainment to promotion of upcoming events. Junior Cierra Moore is one of those interns who work closely with Kaiser.

“He’s very dedicated,” Moore said. “He loves to keep everyone in the stands motivated and gets the crowd going at the games.”

When Kaiser isn’t at a game, he is preparing for the next one. All of his hard work has made him an important asset in the athletic department.

One of Kaiser’s friends and VSU football player, Cam Short, has gotten to know him well during his time in the department.

“He has a trade no one else has; you can just enjoy listening to him on that microphone,” Short said. “He’s singlehandedly making the athletic program better.”

In the future, Kaiser hopes to work for a professional sports team in promotions and continue to be a part of a sports family.