On the TunneySide of Sports December 16, 2019 #774 Up next…Time to go Bowl—ing!
After further review… At this writing, there are over 50 NCAA bowl games beginning last weekend and running through January 2020. Are all those necessary? Yes, if you consider three elements: Pride in their school, recruiting the best high school stars, and, of course, financial reward, which may be number one! There are seven bowl games where at least one of the teams had only six victories! My old-school thinking remembers when there were only five bowl games with Orange, Sugar, and Rose played on January 1st, all with winning records.
However, if your college team has been selected to play in a bowl game, you have bragging rights over your rivals and hopefully plan to attend. In some cases, each competing school is required to purchase a given number of tickets in order to swell the attendance. In that scenario, the profit for the school is not as large. No matter what the costs or encumbrances may be, pride comes into play for alumni as well as students.
Disruptions of classes and travel across the country takes a backseat to the value (?) of a bowl game. Members of a schools marching band, in some schools that number can be as many as 200 musicians, all carrying and playing as they march and perform in pregame and half-time formations. If you think playing defensive end or offensive tackle is challenging, try carrying a tuba or a bass drum while marching. Those band members, BTW, started practice in August before the fall semester at the same time as practice for the football players. It’s a long season.
Incidentally, with regards to students at the games, have you noticed they ALL stand during the game. Yes, they do have seats, but standing is the current style of Gen Z. Adults such as Baby Boomers and others are advised to sit apart, not only for the rowdiness but for a chance to watch the play-of-the-game for which they came. The loudness and constant playing of your teams’ sound percussion marching band drums may also be a consideration.
If you are in San Diego, California for the Holiday Bowl to watch Iowa and U.S.C. play on December 27, 2019, at the Qualcomm Stadium (formerly home of the San Diego Chargers) you can be assured of the incessant playing of the Trojans “Fight On” song accompanied with the “Victory” sign pointing skyward by everyone, including the elderly.
If you happened to be in Bobcat Stadium watching Montana State University play Austin Peay University who traveled from Clarksville, TN to Bozeman for that playoff game last Friday, you could hear the Austin Peay (named after their 1927 governor) fans encouraging their team on by chanting (the Y is silent); “Let’s Go Peay!” – “Let’s Go Peay.” Strange, but full of enthusiasm.
Will you comment on whether the number of college bowl games is excessive?
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