When did halftime get hijacked?

[Cappybara]

There is nothing commercial about high school football... jeez 

[Stu]

23 minutes ago, GUARDLING said:

Would support of the football team supporting the band constitutes support. Would football parents as well as band parents working concessions constitutes support?. With the mayor of the town come make a speech during halftime about the successes of the band program constitute support? Would fundraising drives Citywide in the tune of several hundred thousand dollars constitutes support? I can go on and on but I think I've made my point. Is it the norm no, does it exist absolutely.... I think the problem with some comments you make at times is that you look at the situations as if they are absolutes and they're not. Is what you're saying true ,of course it is. Is what others are saying true of course it is.

If it were Friday night events where the hs band performs for 30 min., then some other activity does 8 min. of exhibition at intermission, then the band performs another 30 min set, then yep.... the real support and real focus would be for the band.  Go ahead; try doing that on three or four Saturday nights in the fall and let's see the real numbers of people from the student body and community at large who will show up, buy tickets, and really support the band.  Until then the events are Football Game focused with some recognition going to the supporting organization of the band; sort of like the Bride, Groom, and their Parents profusely (and truthfully) thanking the band for their extremely high quality services in front of the wedding guests and. "Let's give them a hardy round of applause for their great performance!!"

[GUARDLING]

5 minutes ago, Stu said:

If it were Friday night events where the hs band performs for 30 min., then some other activity does 8 min. of exhibition at intermission, then the band performs another 30 min set, then yep.... the real support and real focus would be for the band.  Go ahead; try doing that on three or four Saturday nights in the fall and let's see the real numbers of people from the student body and community at large who will show up, buy tickets, and really support the band.  Until then the events are Football Game focused with some recognition going to the supporting organization of the band; sort of like the Bride, Groom, and their Parents profusely (and truthfully) thanking the band for their extremely high quality services in front of the wedding guests and. "Let's give them a hardy round of applause for their great performance!!"

Just a general statement, does any of this matter?

Is this what you believe? What it is? Or what it should be?

[BigW]

37 minutes ago, Cappybara said:

There is nothing commercial about high school football... jeez 

Go to Texas and say that, you'd get a chuckle from the folks at the 14,000 seat stadium they use for football at Plano or at the 19,000 seat Ratliff Stadium that hosts Odessa and Permian HS that cost 5.6 million USD. Don't forget the 18,000 seat Allen Eagle Stadium that cost close to 60 million large.

 

WPIAL championships in PA are held at Heinz Field and televised on Root Sports network. It's a big deal in PA West of Harrisburg. Big time announcers and pro football players abound.

 

What about the US Army All-American Bowl featuring the top HS Football players? Not commercial? A big promotion and recruiting ad for the Army.

 

It's been that way and growing.

[Cappybara]

7 minutes ago, BigW said:

Go to Texas and say that, you'd get a chuckle from the folks at the 14,000 seat stadium they use for football at Plano or at the 19,000 seat Ratliff Stadium that hosts Odessa and Permian HS that cost 5.6 million USD. Don't forget the 18,000 seat Allen Eagle Stadium that cost close to 60 million large.

 

WPIAL championships in PA are held at Heinz Field and televised on Root Sports network. It's a big deal in PA West of Harrisburg. Big time announcers and pro football players abound.

 

What about the US Army All-American Bowl featuring the top HS Football players? Not commercial? A big promotion and recruiting ad for the Army.

 

It's been that way and growing.

You are finding exceptions rather than the norm. By all means make the argument that marching bands should stick to the fight song for those type of big events, but for the vast majority of schools and games, what marching bands are doing is perfectly fine 

[xandandl]

2 hours ago, Cappybara said:

You’ve never watched The Office?! Come on, that’s a classic 

nope...

probably it's on the nights when I have to do the dishes, take out the garbage, and shovel the coal for the stove.

 

[Fran Haring]

2 hours ago, elphaba01 said:

"WCU's Imcomparables":

INDEED!!!!!!   THE "Drum Corps Style" college band, or at least the most like one I've ever seen.  I understand their director wrote/arranged Hawthorne Caballeros shows the last couple of years,    

Elphaba    

Todd Marcocci wrote their drill this summer (2017)... Andy Yozviak has written their brass book for the past two seasons (2017 and '16).  They have done a great job with WCU for many years.... and IMO have brought some great stuff to the table so far with the Cabs.

My girlfriend Brenda is participating with the WCU alumni band for the homecoming game at the end of October. Should be fun!!!

Edited September 25, 2017 by Fran Haring

[Fran Haring]

12 hours ago, 84BDsop said:

You forget that Stu is the be all, end all on this subject, and the opinions or real-world experiences of others holds no weight.

The first drum corps show I attend in 2018, I'm taking a knee to protest Stu feeling the need to have the last word on everything. 

[BigW]

17 minutes ago, Cappybara said:

You are finding exceptions rather than the norm. By all means make the argument that marching bands should stick to the fight song for those type of big events, but for the vast majority of schools and games, what marching bands are doing is perfectly fine 

They're not really exceptions. Not at all. Texas is very much like that- so is Western PA. Things are going that way in many, many places in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Ohio (Massilon, Canton... so on and so forth...another state very much like Texas), and West Virginia. Better stadiums, stadium improvements including turf, I can go on. There's even a domed HS Stadium in Arizona. I can tell you flat out since I started getting involved in the marching activity since 1976 and through travels, the podunk HS stadium with ratty, splintery bleachers and insect infested press boxes and bathrooms that are nothing more than a wall and a drain (not kidding!) are becoming a thing of the past. It's becoming the exception. The town I grew up with has one and it's dilapidated and thought of as a serious embarrassment. Amazingly, it hosted DCA contests in the 70's and early 80's, and let me tell you, there's no way anyone would consider hosting a DCA or DCI event there now. It also used to host ToB shows until the mid-late 80's when it was showing its age to be polite... and there's no real consideration of hosting one again, likely because of those poor facilities.

 

You see sponsorships and ads prominently placed in these stadiums as well. That's commercialism by any definition.

[BigW]

16 minutes ago, Fran Haring said:

Todd Marcocci wrote their drill this summer (2017)... Andy Yozviak has written their brass book for the past two seasons (2017 and '16).  They have done a great job with WCU for many years.... and are working their magic now with the Cabs.

My girlfriend Brenda is participating with the WCU alumni band for the homecoming game at the end of October. Should be fun!!!

Proud WCU grad and former student staff member. Many prominent people in the activity come from there.

 

Problem is, I'm always busy when they do the Alumni Band. Maybe some year I'll do it. At least I have some instruments now I can take on the field because I won;t march with my Euphonium.