Marching bands, I can’t even imagine how hard you guys work to put magic and interest into black college football games. You aren’t just entertainment; you are ambassadors for the university and the community for which you perform.
But dangit, stop playing when the game is going on! From a SWAC news release last Thursday:
The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced today the Grambling State Marching Band and the Prairie View A&M Marching Band have each been issued a public reprimand for their actions during last Saturday’s Grambling State – Prairie View A&M football game.
So apparently, both bands from Grambling and Prairie View continued to play while the game was in progress; even after a warning from the referee and the public address announcer. I went to Morgan State’s homecoming game last Saturday, and was nervous that the MSU Magnificent Marching Machine was going to pick up a penalty for continuing to play at the start of the third quarter on the sidelines – just after exiting the field following the halftime show.
And this was in a 7-0 game against rival North Carolina A&T, and just two years removed from nearly costing the Bears a homecoming win with a penalty for continuing to play music.
This has to be the dumbest, most undisciplined thing I have ever seen at a football game. Take the horns and woodwinds from your lips and shut up. Yes, everyone is there to see you moreso than the football teams, but that doesn’t mean that you mess the game up in the adrenaline rush of performance.
It’s funny when it happens to your opponent, but trust me, ain’t nothing amusing about a band drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty because they just have to get in the bridge to “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).”
