Good morning. And Happy National Tell A Joke Day to all who celebrate! Here goes…

How did the pirate find out he needed glasses? He took an aye exam!

Go celebrate today by telling a better joke than we did.

What else are we mixing into today's Brew?

🏈 Jon Gilbert talks conference expansion
⛳️ ECU alumni take on Pirate Club golf tournament
​🏴‍☠️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Steady As She Goes. Conference expansion is the issue at the forefront of college athletics as fall sports are gearing up for play, and while there might be some people fretting about all the change—don’t count Athletic Director Jon Gilbert as one of them.

In a recent press conference, he assured fans that East Carolina as a whole is in a good place, and the Pirates have bolstered commitments to see even more games on ESPN and ESPN+ broadcasts in the immediate future.

🏈 Read all the quotes more about what AD Jon Gilbert had to say about athletics here.

🔼 Pirate Reunion. Three former Pirate athletes competed at the Wake County Pirate Club golf tournament—former ECU golfer Margaret Henry brought along her husband Ed to play with former basketball player Greyson Sargent and director of men’s and women’s golf Coach Williams.

👥  Want to be involved? Join the Pirate Club here.

🔼 She’s Back. Taylor Swift lover and feta cheese enthusiast Emilee Hamblin is back for her sophomore year at ECU. Aside from all of the tanning and online shopping she’s been doing, she said she wants to redirect her focus back to doing the butterfly and sprints in the pool.

🏊 Read more about Emilee Hamblin’s freshman season here.

🤔 PIRATES TRIVIA

Remember when… Greyson Sargent played for ECU basketball for three seasons after being invited to walk-on the team and played most of his games during freshman year?

Today’s question—how many games did he play in his freshman year?

Think you got it? Scroll on down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

For more information on how you can support ECU Student Athletes through Team Boneyard, please email Doug Gomes at [email protected] or visit the Team Boneyard website.

⏪ ICYMI

We like our Brew hot n’ fresh. But we’re not opposed to you reheating your cup. Here’s some news you may have missed recently…

🏴‍☠️ Building Up. Fancy seating is coming to Minges Coliseum along with multiple other renovations to athletic facilities around campus. Jon Gilbert explains all of the renovations that will be made and where we currently stand with them in the video above.

🏴‍☠️ Speak Life. Football gave a shoutout to three time author Vad Lee after quoting his “Purpose over Position” in their most recent tweet. Lee also spoke to the team in person before their scrimmage last weekend. Thanks for getting our minds set for the season Lee!

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Pirate Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every weekday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

📅 COMING SOON

Saturday 9/2

🏈 Football at Michigan @ 12:00pm ET (Season Opener)

Saturday 9/9

🏈 Football vs Marshall @ 4:00pm ET (Home Opener)

Tickets Available

🎟️ Grab your home and away football tickets today!

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 15!

🏴‍☠️ Have a great Wednesday, y’all.