When the T-Birds need the crowd’s support, Oskar Ho gets everyone to make some noise.
At big games like Homecoming or Pride Night, Ho is starting cheers and being a high-energy, funny, all-around ‘hype’ person. He gets the attention of the crowd but also directs them toward being engaged in the game.
“It really is about creating atmosphere for the fans,” said Ho. “Making sure that the crowd is engaged and focus[ed] on what’s going on the court, and also providing a different source of entertainment for those who may not be as engaged with the sport.”
Ho graduated from UBC in 2021 with a degree in political science and now works as a professional hype man for UBC sports teams and the Vancouver Canucks.
Ever since he was a kid, Ho has been a big sports fan. When he’s working, he described how he’s not acting as a character, but rather joining the crowd in cheering on the team.
“It’s definitely a part of my personality highlighted,” Ho said. “It’s a very honest part of me, and that’s why ... it’s so natural to be in that space.”
He moved from Hong Kong to attend UBC and had no idea working in sports entertainment was an option. Ho was working as an usher for UBC Varsity — until one game changed the trajectory of his life. When a hype person was unavailable, Ho filled in, and from then on, he was hooked.
“The game that I was helping out [at] was only 50 people in the crowd. So you can imagine ... it’s a tough crowd usually, but I still felt really confident,” said Ho. “[I] could let my ego out and just have fun with it.”
Ho also understands that not everyone coming to watch games are big fans of the sport.
“That’s exactly my purpose as a hype man,” said Ho. “People who love the game, they’ll watch the game. I’m providing something on top or just to support the game.”
Although Ho felt sports entertainment was the right thing for him, his story is not without challenges. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he moved away from the sports world and back to Hong Kong for three years.
“There was this missing part of me. Even despite having a really good job andhaving a great social circle back home, there was still this thing that I was like, ‘It’s itching.’ And it was this — to be in sports,” said Ho.
That moment cemented that being a hype man was his calling, and Ho moved back to Vancouver to pursue it. Today, he works as the main emcee at UBC and as hype staff for the Vancouver Canucks. Although Ho’s two roles are different — with the emcee job having more leadership duties and a smaller team than the Canucks job — they are both extremely important to him.
“I love UBC, because without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. They took a shot on me,” Ho said. “The Canucks ... I know I’m only taking up a corner of Rogers Arena. The beauty in that is that you’re finding your own little pocket there ... which is also very meaningful.”
Through his experience as a professional hype man, Ho has become more confident in himself. He used to be worried about how people would judge him, but has changed his mindset through his work.
“Being able to throw myself out there and just be like, ‘There’s 1,000 people here that are going to judge you for what you do, what are you going to do about it?’ ... has been incredible in terms of my personal journey and accepting myself,” he said.
Ho hopes others can take his journey as inspiration to pursue their goals, even if they don’t seem attainable at the moment.
“If you have a truth that isn’t harming anyone, follow it,” he said. “Go big or go home — that’s what I try to do.”
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