by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
Black Men in Motion kicked off its first Madden football video game tournament Wednesday in the SUB.
Jason Goodman, president of the community outreach organization, said he wanted to have an event that was unique.
Most events on campus aren't exciting enough to draw people in,
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he said.
"The events at UNM are boring. Spirit rallies are old," he said. "It's time to get with the times. It's time to get with the trends."
Players paid $10 to enter the
tournament. It will continue until Friday in SUB Ballroom C.
The winner will get $100.
Goodman said 43 people signed up for the tournament. The money raised at the tournament will go toward buying uniforms for the group and other events it will sponsor.
ASUNM and Student Special Events helped the group collect eight TVs and PlayStation 2s for the tournament.
Several students danced to hip-hop while gamers battled it out for the top prize.
Goodman said the group wants to make people excited to go to UNM.
"You can still have fun at school," he said. "Every time we have an event, it gets bigger and better."
Goodman said the next event the group will host is a fashion contest called "So Fresh and So Green" on St. Patrick's Day.
Male contestants will wear green clothes and be judged by five women. The winner will receive $50 and a bottle of cologne.
Student Luciano Elaebang, a member of Black Men in Motion, said the event was the group's first contact with the student body.
"We're a fairly unknown organization," he said. "It's really our shout-out to the people - the students."
Elaebang said the group reaches out to students to build the UNM community.
"Ultimately, our goal is to make more students be involved on campus and outside of campus," he said. "We know that there's a lot of students who like video games, and we're an organization that gets students involved."
Caleb Crump, host of the "Caleb Crump Show," attended the event. Crump said events like the tournament teach students to have a well-rounded life.
"Having a good education, good social skills, good politics balanced with family and spirituality is important for being a whole individual," he said.
Student Noah Justice, who competed in the tournament, said he doesn't usually participate in activities on campus.
Justice said the he came out for the tournament because he likes the Madden video game.
"It's just something I enjoy doing," he said. "It's always fun to come out and play with other people, test your skills, see how you measure up."
Justice said there should be more video game tournaments on campus.
The group is working with the office on community outreach and youth programs to encourage children to perform well academically, Goodman said.
The group volunteers out of a sense of social responsibility, he said.
"We're the new generation," he said. "There's no choice. The streets need to be cleaned up."
