WOOHOO Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 What takes place on a football field for football has really not changed all the much either in 30 years either. The game uses the same " instrument for competition"., ie same size football, same size goal posts, same size first downmarkers, same number of players on offense, same number of players on defense, same blocking schemes, etc.... except in a few minor areas, the game is still essentially the same fundamentally.What takes place on a football field for Drum Corps has gone through a substantial radical transformation in the similar 30 years. The " game " does not use the same" instrument for competition ", the instruments have been altered so that the key in which the music is primaril played has been changed, the numbers of competitors on the football field as changed, the time of competition has changed, the rules ofcompetition have dramatically changed ( " tick " system to " build up" system), the formation " schemes " have radically changed, etc..... the changes in football were not a shock to fans, and the activity has grown it's fan base. The changes in Drum Corps were too shocking to the system to many fans, and many left, only replacing them in small numbers, so that the net result is an activity fighting among itself for sheer financial survival at present. That's really not true. Football has gone through as many rule changes, equipment changes, "pedagogical" changes, schematic changes, proficiency changes as DCI has for sure, especially in the last 30 years. Look at an NFL defense from 30 years ago, and it looks middle school compared to now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 How many of the corps that you saw last year were completely unentertaining? i'll name names. BD Troopers Mandarins Teal SCV Crossmen so of the $200+ I spent on finals week tickets alone, thats 25% or $50+ dollars spent on shows tha left me flat and by the 2nd run for corps that moved on, heading to the bathroom or food vendors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 That's really not true. Football has gone through as many rule changes, equipment changes, "pedagogical" changes, schematic changes, proficiency changes as DCI has for sure, especially in the last 30 years. Look at an NFL defense from 30 years ago, and it looks middle school compared to now. yet in the last 30 years, the major pro sport with the smallest schedule has become the most popular. seems to me they are far more in touch with their fan base Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankBeMe Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 yet in the last 30 years, the major pro sport with the smallest schedule has become the most popular.seems to me they are far more in touch with their fan base The obvious answer then is full contact drum corps! Things like sacking the soloist, smashing through company fronts, dismantle the podium with the DM on it, real rifles and sabres.......the possibilities are endless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOOHOO Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 yet in the last 30 years, the major pro sport with the smallest schedule has become the most popular.seems to me they are far more in touch with their fan base I think it is because they are more in touch with what the average american is interested in: competition. We seem as an activity ashamed of being a competitive thing, and skirt away from the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOOHOO Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 i'll name names.BD Troopers Mandarins Teal SCV Crossmen so of the $200+ I spent on finals week tickets alone, thats 25% or $50+ dollars spent on shows tha left me flat and by the 2nd run for corps that moved on, heading to the bathroom or food vendors. Out of 23 corps, 6? That's a great percentage!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 (edited) That's really not true. Football has gone through as many rule changes, equipment changes, "pedagogical" changes, schematic changes, proficiency changes as DCI has for sure, especially in the last 30 years. Look at an NFL defense from 30 years ago, and it looks middle school compared to now. We disagree on this. I'll put in a tape of a football ( or baseball, soccer, hockey, baseball , etc) game from 30-40 years ago, and the game looks fundamentally the same to me. Sure, there has been changes. But the changes were mostly cosmetic in nature, and these sports fundamentally have not been altered in any significant way regarding these games. By contrast, I'll put in a tape of a Drum Corps show from 30-40 years ago and the changes( by comparison with the above sports games ) are just so undeniably radical in transformation in my viewing that it is positively striking. So we just disagee. No problem. Edited September 28, 2010 by BRASSO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legalhack Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 The obvious answer then is full contact drum corps! Things like sacking the soloist, smashing through company fronts, dismantle the podium with the DM on it, real rifles and sabres.......the possibilities are endless! Didn't Capital Regiment and Northern Illinois University conduct an experiment in this a few years back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOOHOO Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 (edited) We disagree on this.I'll put in a tape of a football ( or baseball, soccer, hockey, baseball , etc) game from 30-40 years ago, and the game looks fundamentally the same to me. By contrast, I'll put in a tape of a Drum Corps show from 30-40 years ago and the changes( by comparison with the above sports games ) are just so undeniably radical in transformation in my viewing that it is positively striking. So we just disagee. No problem. I think most football coaches will absolutely disagree with you, but you are entitled to your opinion Edited September 28, 2010 by WOOHOO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobrien Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Out of 23 corps, 6? That's a great percentage!!!!! Thank you. I dare anyone here to go to a major arts festival (Chicago Blues Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Sundance Film Festival) and not walk away thinking that at least a quarter of what they saw was dull or bad Expecting that 100% of the competing units in an artform will entertain you is unrealistic, to say the least. Of that list, I'd point out that BD was clean and loud and challenging the audience - even if 'loud' doesn't do anything for you, they weren't sitting back and playing it safe. And Vanguard was like Bartok himself; not for everyone, but it doesn't mean it was 'bad'. But for the examples I pointed out earlier, it's worth noting that the 2nd through 7th place corps this year also garnered some of the loudest responses all season long. Cavaliers, in 2nd, were well-liked by the judges AND popular with the fan base. Same with Bluecoats, Crown, Cadets, and Regiment. Outside of that group, Madison was the only other corps to get a big response finals week, and it's not unkind to suggest that a lot of that was due to a sense of relief that the Scouts had FINALLY started to get themselves back on track, competitively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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