D’Amelio Uses His Platform to Elevate UConn Athletics
The UConn athletic department is getting some star-studded support during its men’s basketball season as well as the upcoming football season. Marc D’Amelio, Tik Tok father, is UConn’s biggest fan. Most people know D’Amelio as the father of Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, but what they don’t know is Marc has a connection to the university.
Seventeen-year-old Charli D’Amelio ranked as the highest-paid TikTok star of 2021, according to Forbes, raking in $17.5 million. Her sister Dixie, 20, came in second, earning an estimated $10 million. But that’s just one source of income for the sisters, who are also featured in Hulu’s “The D’Amelio Show” and Snapchat’s “Charli vs. Dixie.”
D’Amelio is using his platform to elevate the university’s athletic department.
Marc D’Amelio is a University of Connecticut alum. He grew up in Connecticut and attended a community college before transferring to the university. After graduating, he got immersed in life by raising his two daughters and building their brand, but after all those years, he still wanted to come back to games.
“I owe everything to the UConn college,” D’Amelio said, explaining how deeply the connection he felt with the college the three years he was there. “Three years of your life fly by, except for those [years]. Those three years are so impactful because of the many memories.”
D’Amelio is a season ticket holder for Gampel. He expressed his excitement to be back at the campus after the COVID-19 pandemic hurt the UConn athletics 2019-2020 season. He reminisced about the teams he grew up watching, and was excited to see a connection with today’s teams.
“This year, to see us playing those teams, this team reminds me of some of those teams we grew up with. We’re getting back to where we were.” said D’Amelio.
One of the ways the University of Connecticut teams are coming back starts with the coaching. The football team hired Jim Mora, who had a stint with major colleges as well as in the NFL. D’Amelio is one of many people who are excited about Mora and what he can do for the team.
“We grew up being the hated teams, going to Conn we were an underdog.” said D’Amelio. “We proved time and time again we put in hard work and (with) the right coaches that great things happened.”
D’Amelio knew of Coach Mora through NFL and UCLA games, but he had the opportunity to chat with him when Mora reached out on Twitter. Like the recruits, fans, and other alumni, D’Amelio is most excited about the energy Mora brings to the team and college.
“The thing that’s most exciting is his presence on social media and his ability to connect with athletes and fans,” said D’Amelio. “Mora’s energy is incredible. You feel like the man is working 24 hours a day. He’s been very accessible.”
Now, D’Amelio is mixing his love of his University of Connecticut roots and social media to boost the athletics program. He wants to boost the program without his family notoriety getting in the way of the message he wants to convey.
“I want to use my platform to let people know and connect with other fans and other people who might not know about UConn,” said D’Amelio. “With my platform, we can make a lot of noise and help the athletic department.”
