Dear Clay Travis,

On October 10, you came out with a statement concerning the five-hour football game between Tennessee and Texas A&M. You said that this game called to light the fact that college football games need to be shortened, and I fully agree! However, you went on to say that in order to keep the game from running too long, we should stop the band from performing its halftime show.

Hold it right there. I am putting my Drillmaster-clad foot down. You, sir, do not know the first thing about college marching band, so allow me to enlighten you.

First of all, college band students are extremely dedicated people. Despite challenging classes and a heavy workload, the members in the band find time to practice their music for hours and show up to rehearsal every single day. And about those rehearsals: the show must go on. Literally. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining or snowing, 100°F or -10°F because the band will still be outside polishing up the show, getting ready for game day, and perfecting their art.

Oh, wait. You probably don’t know what it means when I say that marching band is an art. We are playing music, the only language that everyone on this earth understands, all while creating complex images and designs on the field for our audience to marvel at and enjoy.

But since you don’t understand art, let’s relate this to sports. You seem to understand those quite well. You won’t believe me when I say this, but marching band is, in fact, a sport. Hear me out: in order to make the show look as good as it does, every marcher in the band has to have perfect step size, impeccable posture, and the upper body strength necessary to hold an instrument in the exact same position for the entire show. Then on top of that, we have to simultaneously march, make our forms exactly right, and play for eight to ten minutes, all the while keeping up the right amount of air support to project and keep our sound the same from beginning to end. Have you ever tried to do all those things at once? I didn’t think so.

One last thing. You said that we should play before and after the game because no one pays attention to us and it won’t take away from the game. Well, I’ve got news for you. The spectators love us. When we hit several power chords, nail our sets, and make our music sound fantastic, the appreciation the crowd gives you is beyond measure. The fans would miss us if we weren’t there. Besides, what would everyone do if the band didn’t provide the halftime entertainment? It would be a pretty boring break, indeed.

So, Clay Travis, it is pretty safe to say that cutting the marching band is not the way to go. As everyone else knows, the real show begins at halftime.

Sincerely,

A College Band Kid

P.S. You messed with the wrong people.