EdMedina Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 (edited) If you're a frequent visitor to "the Planet," It's almost impossible to overlook the contrasts that mark this 40th installment of the DCI experiment. On one hand you have a battle of philosophies vying for the top spot in the world class. A perennial winner and its "different" type of show is under attack by a relative newcomer performing a difficult yet traditional drum and bugle corps show. Elsewhere in the top 12 you have two non-TOC corps mounting successful challenges to unseat a consistent and crowd-beloved top-five group. On top of all that, the typical battle for spot No. 12 (or higher) is being led by another typical crowd favorite from Texas (but originally from Pennsylvania), who is trying to overturn its also-ran status of recent memory. All told, it is one of the best seasons in years and crowds are showing up in record-breaking numbers. They're seeing some great drum corps, competitively and from a qualitative standpoint. But, then again, storm clouds on the horizon have given way to showers, putting a damper on an otherwise fantastic season. Four drum corps have unexpectedly locked their equipment trucks and called it a season, leaving their members to scurry for spots in other corps or, simply, to go home and play video games, update their Facebook pages, do some back-to-school shopping or troll DCP. Heck, it wouldn't surprise this DCI honk if some of those scorned by this great activity in 2012 stayed home and ignored/avoided any sort of drum corps involvement or exposure whatsoever, even in the face of this great season we fans have on our hands. And there's the contrast — a great season brought down to earth by economic reality and, in some cases, outright neglect and a refusal by "the adults" to face the reality of their corps' financial situations. Can you blame them? I mean, really. Who wouldn't want to be a part of what is transpiring on football fields this summer? Drum corps is a Field of Dreams for most of us aged-out gamers who feel kids deserve and need the drum corps experience like we had it. It is not surprising that the "if you build it, they will come" philosophy reigns supreme. If you agree that people in positions of management are drum corps' biggest fans, then it stands to reason that although they may have seen the economic reality of their group's situation they still embarked on a tour because the fantasy can become stronger than the truth. "Someone will help us out," was a common theme, I'm sure, as was, "Hey, we'll make it. We always seem to make it." Well this time there was no saving force from on high, but there were saving graces who gave a lot of the kids left out in the heat a place to play. It begs the question: What if Carolina Crown were Teal Sound? Drum corps gods forbid, is this the sort of disaster that needs to happen before we begin rethinking the national touring model and the ubiquitous "Marching Music's Major League" marketing position? Personally, the fact that seven or eight groups, maybe a few more, have no problems affording their tours and can do the national tour without too much difficulty and who could do TOC shows for breakfast, lunch and dinner, doesn't really cut it. I believe DCI drum corps are the best marching/musical units in the world — true to the tagline — but calling it a "major league" asks way too much out of groups who obviously can't do (or be) it. A major league, in my head, has a few requirements. Let's go through them as I see them, from a fan's perspective and not of those in the know. A "major league" has... Teams all over the country. Check! Agreed-upon rules. Check! Championships/playoffs/postseason. Check! National media attention. Doh! Professional status from the business management team down to its athletes. Doh! Sustainability of the league and franchises. Doh! What you have in DCI is a separation in how to market this activity. The corps market themselves differently than the league. The corps think of themselves as educational institutions that charge a tuition — rather than provide a salary, like a major league would — and have faculties and teachers. They beg donations, not sell jerseys or season tickets and they do not trade/draft players. Players go where they dream of playing and they pay through the nose for that dream. They chose, not the franchises, as with major leagues. All of that said, can't we begin to look at drum corps for what it is and then begin to market it the way it needs to be marketed? Believe me, I've had the argument, too. "We're just as much a sport as any," I've exclaimed on many occasion, and the competitiveness and quality of the groups this year drives this point home. But let's get real. Let's give up trying to convince the world we are something we're not. We're no major league. We are kids on football fields with exceptional teachers who, bottom line, need to be able to afford it or it'll just go away. NO ONE WANTS THIS! If fewer kids and fewer shows equal fewer exposures to the activity, won't that translate to fewer kids wanting to do this in the future? It doesn't take a genius to see this is already the case. Edited July 30, 2012 by EdMedina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasgre2000 Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 (edited) It's just a slogan. Talk about over thinking it. Why should the corps that can do a national tour be held back by those that can't? If you can't do a national tour, isn't that what Open Class is for? I would be very disappointed if I couldn't see all these corps compete against each other multiple times a season. There is a reason why the big shows do better than the smaller ones in terms of attendance and revenue. Edited July 30, 2012 by jasgre2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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