quote:
It's freakin 2014 - if the BOT wanted to appropriate funds for a band hall those bastards would have done it by now.

There have literally been hundreds of millions spent on campus construction in the past 10 yrs - the money is there I promise. It ain't at the top of their agenda.

tl;dr summary: Use TSiO and our rivalry to goad your fans into demanding support by BOT/Admin.

Longer story....

Well if Bama fans were informed of this oversight it might force a change. Y'all have a lot of pride in your band and I really do think that if the average fan were informed that UT just spent 40 million on a Music Center that houses the Pride while the Million Dollar Band calls a glorified poverty stricken 1950s-era High School Field House home it would really burn them up - at least enough to make noise to get a decent building that's better than what you have. And before you write it off as crazy... according to some myths we became know as the "Pride of the Southland Marching Band" in the 1940s and that the decision was made just moments before the TSiO when Pride was introduced at Legion Field when we were introduced for the first time under that name and Director Walter Ryba was introduced as Maj. Walter Ryba because Bama had always been quick to address their director by military rank instead of as a director. Another story goes that a national sports writer christened us the Pride of the Southland Marching Band because he thought we were an excellent marching band and was tired of hearing how great the Million Dollar Band (he felt their name gave them too much credit and UT's lack of a formal name too little).

Given that Ryba was top talent who'd even played in John Phillip Sousa's Band, which was world famous, and that he modeled the Pride after his mentor Sousa it was a sin the Pride was being overlooked because we didn't yet have a name that was PR-ready. Sousa had been director of the US Marine Band before he founded the John Phillip Sousa Band which was known for combining the best of military bands with the best of orchestral bands. Sousa himself was known for his marches, his bands, a little thing called the Sousaphone, and was the composer for a little song/march you mighta heard once or twice "The Stars and Stripes Forever" to hit just the highlights. It's fitting that years later Dr. Julian would be known for his marches and steps, which were far more difficult/complex than most college bands and for inventing as well as popularizing the Circle Drill which many CFB Marching Bands now use.

UT is a place where football fans, casual fans, and even students with no interest in foosball know the name of current band directors and many of our past ones. Dr. Julian, who I mentioned earlier, was a campus rockstar! A band director as famous as the coaches!

I lay all that out because it's fodder for any Bama fan who loves the MBD and wants to see it supported. Long before Dr. Gary Sousa (not related to John P Sousa) got into trouble with AD and got fired from leading POTS for stirring up a media storm, UT fans were upset with him and talking about how to get POTS back to where it was with Dr. Julian. Bama can AND should be as restless about the MBD being perfect as many of us are about the Pride. I believe with right challenge to Bama's pride fans can/will pressure BOT into spending coin.

Bands are one of the things that make SEC football great, distinguishes from the NFL as well as colleges with no great band tradition, and should be a source of competition and pride. They're a part of who we are, a part of gameday events as much as live games, and they deserve our support even if we have to poke at the pride of our BOTs and Admins to shell out the coin.

What they bring to the game and overall gameday experience is more than worth it. So Bammers please consider doing this - let's make it a part of our rivalry again as it was in the past. It will benefit everyone.

If anyone is interested in John Phillip Sousa: LINK

This post was edited on 4/16/14 at 1:37 am