Social media star AJ Greene found the Reeltown and Tallassee rivalry by accident.
Greene posted a schedule on his Instagram, asking for fans and players of high school teams to direct message him about what games he should go to and when during the year.
He filled out his entire schedule quickly, but could not find the perfect game for Week 1.
After scrolling through thousands of direct messages, one team kept standing out: Tallassee.
The Tallassee Tiger faithful sent Greene so much information and so many direct messages, he decided he might want to look into the rivalry. He posted a poll on his Instagram, asking if he should attend Reeltown at Tallassee or go somewhere else.
After finding out the Battle for the Tallapoosa was on a Thursday, and he could go to multiple games in a week, Greene and his team booked his plane tickets to Alabama.
“It all started because I was not doing anything that week, and now I am coming to this game,” Greene said. “All of the sudden the fans are telling me it is this big rivalry game. Now I am super excited.”
Social media star AJ Greene poses at the Pylon 7 on 7 tournament on July 5, 2022.
Greene said he has been doing more research and reaching out to more people than he has in his past to learn about the game, because of the immense history between the two schools.
“I just heard how passionate they were about the game and I thought this would be a great story,” Greene said. “Anytime both teams are passionate like this, we know this will be good.”
The social media star will be at the game filming for his show on Snapchat, along with creating content for his Instagram, Tiktok and Youtube.
While Greene may have been a star on the field, he is even more so off the field in terms of how he engages his fans.
Before the game, Greene and his team will have a booth selling his merchandise in coordination with Tallassee High School, meaning some of the profits will go back to benefit the high school.
During the game, Greene will be giving away a product of his called the “SoHoodie”, to players on both teams that make impact plays. The SoHoodie is basically the hooded part of a jacket or hoodie, and is used to not only look good, but keep players cool and comfortable.
“It is a look good, play good type product,” Greene said.
Also, Greene and his team plan to fire confetti cannons after every score and toss SoHoodies into crowds.
During halftime, Greene will host one-one-one competitions with fans in games of walking football. Anyone who is able to beat the pro in a one-on-one, will earn a cash prize.
Cash prizes will be abundant during the game, as Greene has many plans to give money and products away to attendees of the game.
“You never know what can happen when I show up,” Greene said. “I may ask someone a random question and if someone gets it right, I may buy 50 hotdogs for the fans.”
Boys and girls push-up contests, trivia and skills competitions are all part of Greene’s plans to draw attention not only to him and his socials, but to the schools and their communities.
“I just want to make this a positive experience,” Greene said. “Last year, when I did tours like this, some kids got offers and college looks. This year, I want to put a bigger emphasis on the whole community itself. Instead of just giving back to the players, I want to give back to the fans themselves.”
Arguably the best prize of all, is Greene’s MVP chain he will give out upon the conclusion of the game. Awarded to the single best player in the game, Greene will be gifting out a Cuban-link chain for the MVP to keep.
“I am so excited to do this and to experience this rivalry,” Greene said. “What a crazy way to start the football season.”