Marvel Joins Forces with College Football Program for Groundbreaking Gameday Event

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Weber | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 3:19 PM ET

For the first time in college football history, one college football program will host a "Marvel Super Hero Day" during a game this fall. That program is James Madison, and it announced Friday afternoon an event sure to draw the attention of Marvel film fans across the country.

"In collaboration with Marvel, James Madison University's football team will host the first-ever collegiate Marvel Super Hero Day on November 22 against Washington State at Bridgeforth Stadium," the announcement read.

What does that entail? Quite a bit, actually.

"The first 15,000 fans in attendance will receive a voucher for a souvenir poster featuring Duke Dog and Marvel characters designed by Marvel Comics," JMU's post says. "There will also be 2,000 co-branded hats that will be given away at the game, and the day will feature Marvel activations and contests throughout the game both on the videoboard and on-field."

Kids, or adults, make sure you save those Halloween costumes, too, because you can even dress up as your favorite Marvel character and go to the game.

When the Washington State Cougars waltz into that stadium late in the year, there might just be an army of Spiderman, Black Panther and Iron Man costumes waiting in the stands. A distraction for sure, but an awesome day for the fans who also love Marvel movies.

Marvel Day a Smart Way to Attract New Audience

College football is more of a money and marketing game than it ever has been, so it's no surprise to see programs, especially at non-power levels, trying completely fresh ideas in terms of drawing more casual eyeballs or new fans to their games.

Say, for instance, your kid is a huge Marvel fan and lives in the area, but never has been big into football. A game like this is the perfect opportunity to try and gain a new fan. Because even if you hate football, could there possibly be a bigger celebration of Marvel than tens of thousands of people dressed up all in the same stadium?

That's bigger than any comic convention or movie theater. Imagine if the school played an Avengers movie on the jumbotron before or after the game? That'd be another innovative way to keep butts in seats.

James Madison is thinking and acting different in the marketing game with this move, and that's something worth celebrating in 2025.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: