halftime shows

Last night was the Orange Bowl, which determined our national champ for NCAA football. Before the game, I was complaining that Auburn didn't get the chance to play in that all-important game. It seemed so unfair, since they had had the same perfect season as USC and Oklahoma. But now, I can see that USC is in a class all by itself. Whoever was matched against them was bound to lose. WOW, are they good! Matt Leinart is a star for the ages. And his receivers are not half bad either...

And so I have a new grievance. It's not new really...has been a complaint of mine for years. But it is definitely the grievance of the moment.

Why don't we get to see the marching band at halftime, ever?? It's one of my favorite parts of college football, and on the rare occasions it is televised, the camera crew concentrates only on one or two band members at a time. Hardly ever do we see the ariel formations they spend months perfecting, or the visual effects created by the hard-working flag corps (of which I was once a proud member). Instead, what we get is a handful of sportscasters spewing their opinions about the game at halftime, with the band doing their thing in the background.

Of course, during major games like the one yesterday, we are treated to performances by pop "superstars" (in case they don't get enough opportunities to perform in other arenas), who hog the camera while the flag corps and dance team members do remedial moves all around. I know it is mean-spirited, but I was actually glad when the show was booed last night. Ashlee Simpson and Trace Adkins just cannot compete with the glory and uniqueness of a college marching band. Let them play, I say!


Alabama's "Million Dollar Band" marches in the halftime show of the 2003 matchup with LSU, Tuscaloosa.