Fight Songs, Pre-game And Halftime Shows Add To The Atmosphere
The dotting of the “i”, the Salute to the Hill, the playing of “Conquest,” the marches through campus into the stadiums as part of various pre-game “stomps.”
College bands are as much a part of college football traditions as tailgate parties mascots, legends and superstitions.
After all, who plays the fight songs?
The big marching bands provide the soundtrack to the games. They are the perfect warmup; when the band marches onto the field for its pregame routine – then spell out words like BAMA and play the fight song – fans get chills up their spine.
When the band takes the field, fans know it’s time to take their seats. The players, too, get all fired up by the presence of the band because they know it’s showtime.
And maybe these days with people posting on social media and socializing the halftime shows are not as important as they used to be, but the students in the marching band take great pride in putting on a perfect show.
Some bands, like FAMU and Stanford, have shows that are often as entertaining – if not better – than the game itself.
I bring this up because some schools and conferences are trying to tune out or at least tone down the college bands. LSU banned bands from performing at halftime (only to reverse field during an uproar) and the Big 12 Conference actually charges the band for tickets.
What’s next, charging the cheerleaders?
There are a lot of factors that go into making college football such a unique experience. The bands are a huge part of the culture of what makes fall Saturdays so special in America.
Bands are a tradition that needs to continue, at home and on the road.
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