Football and marching music are the perfect marriage for our modern times,much to the chagrin of Corps purists as well as football purists.Despite what The National Football League wants you to believe,College Football is this nation`s most popular spectator sport,and not by a little.At most,the NFL showcases 16 games in a week,played in much smaller stadiums than college heavyweights.Of course the NFL is gold when it comes to television ratings,but that is because the best seat in the house,is actually in your house.Now on the other hand,there is no way that College Football on television can compare to actually attending.
Last summer I was lucky enough to go to a Drum Corps Event featuring six of the top twelve Corps,and relegated to watching the quarterfinals at a movie theater,knowing that it was not going to be nearly as good as the live event.Then out of the blue,an opportunity to drive for The Academy fell into my lap and I actually attended finals!There was no way the cinema could duplicate the feeling of 70 Madison Scouts horn players bringing home Empire State of Mind,or convey the emotion of Juliet slitting her neck,on final`s night,on top of the Drum Major`s podium.
Emotion is the key ingredient.The fervor of College Football combined with the fuel of huge marching bands is an amazing combination.200 million fans may watch The Superbowl on television,and slightly more watching Madonna at halftime,but those fans are not having anywhere near as much fun as the 95,000 at The Rose Bowl,who got to see The Badger Band at halftime.I know this to be true,because no one in 500 theaters across America watching quarterfinals,had as much fun as I did.
The NFL produces television shows,and they are masterful at it.That is why they made the decision to go to huge pop stars for halftime instead of marching music.The Irony of having professional football`s feature event in the same venue that Drum Corps International had theirs is comical because I managed to have the best seat in the house for both!So if you want to experience a great event go to a College Football Game or check out a Corps Show because it is a lot more fun than watching television.
