This week, the novelty sock business, Rock ‘Em Socks, added an important piece of history to its company headquarters: UCF’s home basketball court. While this may appear to be an out of place addition, the company actually has close ties to the Big 12 institution.
Rob Starkman, founder and CEO of “The World’s Largest Sock Store,” was a student at UCF when he devised the concept that what would later become the retail giant that is Rock ‘Em Socks. It all began in 2011, when Starkman was on the job as the men’s basketball team’s student manager. As that year’s team received their black and gold ornamented gear, Starkman noticed the stark contrast between the player’s socks and the rest of their uniforms – they were lackluster to say the least. This sparked the idea to refashion the socks by dip-dying them in the Knights colors: black and gold.
Starkman could have never anticipated the traction the small, dorm room based business would gain after the team’s flashy new gear caught the attention of Knight Nation. The store quickly made its way to online marketplaces like eBay before eventually becoming its own successful entity. Today, the company features over 10,000 creative designs, partnering with not only sports teams, but movie franchises and entertainment businesses. One of the most popular UCF-inspired designs as of late is the playfully dubbed “Fear the Fronds” sock. The palm frond adorned sock was devised as a way to pay for the fee incurred on the basketball program after fans stormed the court following the team’s win over No. 3 Kansas in early 2024.
Starkman considers the acquisition of the court and its rehoming to the heart of his enterprise to be “by far the most meaningful full circle moment in [the] company’s history.”
