There is something very Metro Vancouver about finishing a late-night volleyball game and heading straight to Big Way Hot Pot.
But Joelle Lei and her local team took that love a little further.
Earlier this month, Joelle shared in a Tiktok video about how her recreational volleyball team got sponsored by Big Way Hot Pot, and the story behind it is as wholesome as it is relatable.
@joellelei Thank you @Big Way Hot Pot大味 ❤️🥘 for sponsoring our team! We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect brand to give us that extra boost of energy and morale (and swag!!) for our tournament this weekend 🏐 WE LOVE YOU 💫 #volleyball #hotpot #bigway #malatang #vancouver ♬ Trunks – A$AP Rocky
The team competes in something called the Asians Tournament.
It is held twice a year and was created for players who, as Joelle puts it, “stereotypically aren’t as tall, so we don’t usually have a height advantage.”
Each team is made up entirely of Asian players except for one “import,” which is their code for the single non Asian teammate they can bring.
The team name “Big Way Baes” came from pure habit.
“We picked it because most of the time after leagues, drop ins, and tournaments, it’s the go to spot,” Joelle told Noms Magazine.
“We had a few other names in mind, but honestly I can’t remember any of them now. They definitely weren’t as fun.”
The sponsorship itself happened almost by accident.
Joelle was designing jerseys and showing friends when someone jokingly suggested asking Big Way to sponsor them.
“One of them, Stan, half jokingly suggested actually getting Big Way as a sponsor… and that’s literally how it happened,” she said.
She works in marketing, so reaching out felt somewhat natural.
“I was just shooting my shot. But when they replied, we were absolutely floooored. They offered us so much more than we ever expected.”
Big Way sent them full gift boxes with branded tumblers, socks, meal vouchers, and official Big Way t-shirts.
Joelle showed everything in the TikTok video that has since made its way around the local community.
They unboxed merch in the gym, played a full game in matching Big Way gear, and then celebrated the only way that made sense.
By going to Big Way right after.
“Oh, they’ve beeeen our post match spot,” Joelle laughed.
“I can confidently say everyone in the volleyball community has had their fair share of making Big Way their go to post volleyball meal.”
The video ends with the team posing infront of the restaurant’s bright red Big Way Hot Pot sign, thanking the brand for the support and the meal.
It is the kind of story that feels very Metro Vancouver.
A sponsorship that happened simply because someone shot their shot at the right moment.
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