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July 07, 2006
Fight On - in the cheap seats
Daily News writer Scott Wolf has a piece today on the USC marching band surrendering their seats behind the team in favor of the Sun Deck, an area of cheaper seats behind the goal posts. The university claims it's to help project the band's sound, but cynics are saying the Spirit of Troy got the boot so USC could sell some prime seats.
I went to USC, and I hope the band isn't getting the shaft, because they are very good at what they do. And if they're displeased with this move, USC officials should be fearful. The band operates as a sort of massive, musical fraternity. I have no proof, but my theory is that when on the field, they operate with a sort of hive-mind. It allows them to pull off complex maneuvers and keep time with the music.
In short, an enraged band could be a dangerous band. I can just imagine an unlucky USC official waking up to find a broken flute on the pillow next to him. At that point it's probably too late to take anything back, and it's only a matter of time before he's set upon in a flurry of cardinal and gold. It could get very ugly, very fast.
Buried deeper in the story is the demise of the yell leaders, the all-male group that would attempt to pump up fans during the games. They will be replaced by 14 male students to help lead cheers during the game. My suggestion: drop the dudes, add more song girls. But that's only one man's opinion.
Posted by Greg Sidor at July 7, 2006 04:16 AM