Now, you're probably wondering: what the hell is ASSOP? Wait, you don't know what ASSOP is? As a point of clarification for those uncultured individuals currently reading this, ASSOP serves as an abbreviation for "A Subway Series of Pics", a social media initiative started by a good friend of mine and his companion.
Before I delve any further into its origins, you should know that ASSOP has nothing to do with public transportation or any storied rivalry between baseball teams located in New York. Instead, ASSOP pertains to Subway®, the American fast food restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads.
Ridiculous, isn't it? But there's more!
On ASSOP's Facebook page, it is stated that the organization's mission is to "visit all 76 Subway Restaurant locations in Washington, D.C. and embody ideas such as community, charity, and #sublove throughout the American University campus and District."
ASSOP is exactly what it sounds like. Its founders, Bill and Franklin are what I'll refer to them as for the sake of anonymity, suddenly decided to create ASSOP on October 1, 2017. I believe that ASSOP was originally created as a form of comedic irony. Subway is shit; it's somehow the largest fast food restaurant chain by a number of locations in the world. But wouldn't it be funny to instigate a social media movement that revolves ENTIRELY around it?
I'm sure that's how Bill and Franklin viewed ASSOP. They started out by visiting Subways in the vicinity of their school, American University. The duo would capture different angles of the iconic green and yellow sign, post cringy Subway memes on ASSOP's official Instagram account, and even dressed up as Subway workers for Halloween.
One year later and ASSOP has eclipsed heights Bill and Franklin never imagined. The once-undeveloped Instagram account has amassed over 400 followers in the past year, thanks to the contributions of its determined innovators.
They've gained the support of American University president, Sylvia Burwell, hired an ~ unpaid ~ intern named Kevin James, produced dope merchandise (my laptop is donned with a "Saturdays are for the Subs" sticker), and even recently announced ASSOP Spotlight, a community collaboration that highlights campus organizations, individual students, and members of the Washington, D.C. community for the sake of promoting individual effort, upcoming events, and significant achievements.
As a dedicated supporter of ASSOP, I'm excited to see what the future holds. Will Bill and Franklin achieve their goal of visiting all 76 Subway® locations in the District? Will Kevin James make a substantial impact during his internship? Will Kanye tweet about ASSOP once his account is reactivated? We'll have to wait as the journey unfolds.
But, for now, let's just enjoy ASSOP for what it is: a genius idea-turned-reality by two witty Wonks.
If you're active on social media, be sure to follow @asubwayseriesofpics.
Be a part of ASSOP.
Be a part of history.
