Blue Band Budgets and Passe Paterno

Did you hear the Blue Band playing at Croke Park?

No you did not.

The Few, the Proud, The Lucky to Be There at all

You heard a pep band.  A mere fraction of a Blue Band.

You didn't get Moe without Larry or Curly.  You didn't get The Beatle (Ringo without the rest.)  You basically got The Steeler (Ben Roethlisberger without the rest of the offense.)  You got 33 members of the Blue Band.

About 10%.

I can only imagine the issue was money.

So I did a little research.  The cost of "student" housing per the PSU website starts at $289 per person for four days and three nights, three breakfasts and a game ticket.  This article on travel costs projects airfare at about $900 round trip.

So for the sake of argument, and since I really have no clue how much it might actually cost, let's assume a cost of $1500 per Blue Band Member.  Now, there are 315 Blue Band Members--but 33 have already been paid for.  So we are looking to finance 282 additional members, and probably some support staff, so lets round it off at 300.

300 x $1500 = $450,000.

WOW.

But wait a minute.  Not so fast.  Not so fast.

According to this NBC Sports Report on the cost of marching bands at bowl games, it cost LSU $450,00 to send 529 to New Orleans.  My God, they could drive themselves there--that's just lodging, food and ticket prices!

The Blue Band normally travels to Bowl Games each year.  They have not traveled to one in two years and likely won't be heading to one this year.  I don't know where the money ordinarily comes to finance the Blue Band Bowl trips, but surely that source could have been tapped for this trip.  (It may have come out of the bowl money the school earns, which of course, would not be available for this non-bowl game.)  But even if that is where the money ordinarily comes from, I find it odd that a University with over ONE BILLION in endowments can't find a half a million dollars somewhere to send the full Blue Band to Ireland, which essentially might be the ONLY bowl game this class of musicians ever has a chance to enjoy (barring a reduction in sanctions and of course, the team actually being bowl eligible next year.)  They are already saving $70,000 by cancelling TailGreat.

Can you tell I used to play in the marching band?

And then there is this article that claims that "James Franklin Shows Joe Paterno-Style Football Never Coming Back to Penn State".

And what exactly does that mean?

Penn State will no longer have high graduation rates?

Penn State will no longer be in the Top 10 or 15 Universities in winning percentage all time?

Here is the author's premise:

That was made clear Saturday as Franklin bet all his chips on the arm of sophomore quarterback Christian Hackenberg and had his faith rewarded with a game-winning drive and the first 400-yard passing game in school history.

The bad news for Penn State fans is that if the Nittany Lions are to have more joyous days like this, it will all be on Hackenberg. Penn State rushed for only 57 yards on 28 totes, a 2.0 average.

Paterno didn’t obsess over the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust game quite as much as Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler, but he was always content to win without airing out his offensive attack.

Wow.

With just one game of analysis, we can see that Penn state won't be gaining any rushing yards this year against anybody.  We won't improve in that category obviously.

And what I found most interesting was the characterization of Paterno and a rewrite of history.  The writer obviously doesn't know his Penn State history, or he would know that Penn State's FIRST national championship team in 1982 was Paterno's first team to gain more passing yards in a season than it gained rushing.

Hmmm.  Maybe Franklin is more like Paterno than we thought!

I wonder if this writer predicted Dewey to defeat Truman?  Or maybe he would have written that Japan would take over the world after Pearl Harbor.

Nice Try.

No TAILGREATING Allowed

Apparently, Penn State Athletics has decided not to continue the tradition of TAILGREAT at the Bryce Jordan Center.  This was a pre-game pep rally of sorts featuring the Blue Band and cheerleaders at the BJC before each home game. According to WJAC:

"We [were] notified that the Tailgreat would be no more due to some budgetary concerns," Blue Band director Richard Bundy said. It was the plug being pulled on Penn State Blue Band's Tailgreat show, a free pep rally before every home game. "I think it was an event that was rather unique in the way it was presented so we are working on trying to see how that will affect our game day activities for the Blue Band," Bundy said.

I think the BOT notified the Blue Band by a note delivered by a messenger in the dark of night.

A statement from Penn State Assistant Athletic Director for Football Communications Jeff Nelson said Tailgreat wasn't giving the Blue Band enough exposure. "We did not feel that Tailgreat was accomplishing the level of interaction among our more than 100,000 fans and exposure for the Blue Band that is deserved," Nelson said.

Onward State provides more specific speculation on the costs . . .

A Blue Band source tells us that the reason for this cut given by the Athletic Department was primarily financial. Tailgreat costs approximately $70,000 to put on each year, most of which goes to BJC staffing and rental, and the Athletic Department decided that this cost was too great. This comes just days after the Athletic Department purchased more than 800 iPads for student athletes, which, even conservatively at $300 each (much less than retail), still runs more than three times what Tailgreat cost. The source also indicated that the Athletic Department says it’s working on a “new event” for the Blue Band to participate in during the pregame hours.

Opponents of cancelling the tradition cite the ability of band parents to see their son or daughter perform when they might not be able to afford the cost of a Penn State football ticket.  Others liked being able to hear the band's halftime show, which they might not be able to do as well or as clearly inside the stadium. 

What I found interesting in the whole bit was the allegation that the price tag was a problem.  Granted, $70,000 looks like a huge figure (and considering what we are now paying our head coach, the sanction costs, and those darn iPads it is certainly not a negligible amount) but that works out to $10,000 or less per game depending on whether there are 7 or 8 home games in a season.

 And weren't there corporate sponsors at one time???

 A little googling found me this excerpt from a book about the Blue Band, A Century of Pride and Precision, where on page 169 it talks about this "new tradition" in 1996.  The book notes that the event was a joint project sponsored by AT and T, Wal-Mart, the Alumni Association, and the Nittany Lion Club.  The original TailGreat charged an admission fee that was dropped in it's second year to promote better attendance.

 I would think Penn State, even in this sanction-era, should be able to find a half-dozen or so sponsors to pony up $8000-$10,000 to keep the show going if they wanted to.  Which makes me wonder if they don't want to.

 I have to be honest here.  I've never been to a TAILGREAT.  Talked about going to it.  Thought about going to it.  Had it on my Penn State Bucket List, so to speak.  Alas, I will never have that chance, barring a change of heart by the athletic department.

 Maybe attendance and interest has waned in recent years.  Maybe they will come up with a new tradition that is even better.  Maybe no one will even notice.

 Have you ever been to a TailGreat?  How do you feel about losing this gameday event?

Blue Christmas

Memorial Day

A Time to Remember those who have died so that we may live . . . in Freedom.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

First I had to get new seats.

Now we have a new head coach.  And mostly new staff.

And now the Blue Band is apparently going to do away with Rock & Roll in the pre-game ceremony.

What's next?  Will the band march slowly onto the field in single file, playing a funeral dirge?  Will we change the name of the Lion Shrine to the Lion Mausoleum?  Is it even possible to drown my pain in a pint of Peachy Paterno anymore?  Is nothing sacred?  Next you'll tell me we're changing back to pink and black colors and we're going to put NAMES on the uniforms!  Instead of the Nittany Lions we could be the Farmin' Amish!

And why is the Blue Band doing this?

‘Rock and Roll’, also known as ‘The Hey Song’, was written by British glam rock artist Gary Glitter in 1972. Glitter is a registered sex offender, and was convicted of possession of child pornography in 1997. He was convicted again in 2005, for obscene acts with minors.

Are you kidding me?  Seriously, how many fans out there even KNOW that?  I'll take Scandalous Trivia for $200, Alex.

Will Sandusky, Ohio change their name because of all this . . .



Thanks to the Nittany Turkey for the comic relief video.

But change is what it is and it's coming our way, like it or not.

Iowa Pics

Iowa Fan(s) spotted near out tailgate.

Nice flag! Not.

Almost got the flip.

Blue Band marches by our car as we head out after the game.

PSU Pregame Experience

Posted by a Blue Band Member . . .

Half Time Show

From Youtube, here are videos of the Blue Band Halftime show:





Beats a handwriting lesson, now doesn't it?

Hot Topics

While I fully understand that we have another game this week, I'm going to take a moment to look at a couple of HOT topics in Nittany Nation this week.

First, do we root for Ohio State against USC?

From NittanyFootball.com:

We'll start with Terrelle Pryor...He goes out and wears black eye stickers with "Mike Vick" on them during the Navy game. In the postgame, he says that he has always looked up to Vick.That should have been it. However, and this is where it gets good, he follows it up with this gem... and I quote:"Not everybody is the perfect person in the world,” Pryor said of Vick. “Everyone does — kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me. I just feel that people need to give him a chance."

Actually while I hate doing it, and in the unlikely event they win I'm really going to hate that OSU fans are happy- I have a hard time not rooting for them on Saturday. Someone has to do something to make this conference not lame.

How does it do PSU any good for the Buckeyes to get whipped by USC? It might make you feel good, but I guess I'm thinking about what puts us in a better position to have a shot at the national championship game.I know Whitey's theory is that an undefeated team will not be kept out of the BCS championship game. Really? Tell that to Auburn. So if there is a choice among three undefeated teams, or among multiple one loss teams, isn't it better for us to have beaten an OSU team that beat USC? And for that matter, the better the record our opponents have as a whole the better for us as long as we beat them all.

Don't get me wrong - I don't root for other Big 10 teams. I don't have a second favorite Big 10 team. I just recognize the practicality of what it means to PSU when thinking about who beats who.

It kills me to say it, but I hope OSU takes out the Trojans this weekend. I'll need to douse myself in gasoline after I pull for them but I hope they win.USC has zero class. At least an OSU win helps the conference.

On the FightonState Messageboard:

If you're not a Buckeye's fan come Saturday night... Then you are crazy and are not thinking straight. OSU needs to be undefeated when they come to Happy Valley. Our schedule this year requires every team we play to be as highly ranked as possible. I have never been this big of a Big Ten fan as I am this year. You want to see PSU in the BCS Championship game? Then root hard for the Bucks on Saturday night.

No they don't. Penn State has to be undefeated come Nov. 7th.

As much as it pains me, I will be cheering for the Buckeyes come Saturday night. Although if TP keeps up with his nonsense I may have to rethink my position

Now there's the one that I'm torn over. Man, I just cannot root for Michigan. But against ND???

To illustrate the importance of this point... we probably would have won the MNC in 1994 if Michigan had defeated Colorado that season. [Not so sure of that!]

Penn State would have won the National Championship in 1994 if the Big Ten was loyal.Not one state in the Big Ten voted for us. Penn State does not need any team in the Big Ten to be anything. Penn State just needs to be undefeated. Penn State undefeated not playing in the BCS championship game with JoePa as coach will kill the BCS. [Didn't I predict that?]

undefeated Florida, undefeated USC, undefeated PSU.. who plays for the title?

the lame system in place now forces us to go against our natural instincts and root for our conference "brethren."

Screw it, I'm rooting for USC.

sorry,i can't root for TP in anything.....

OK--you get the idea. No one really wants to root for THE OSU, but we don't want to look weak because of our conference. And both USC and ND are worthy of our hatred anyway, so it's really just the lesser of two evils. But there is another way to look at it, as noted on the BWI Messageboard:

No way. The worse they are the better we do in recruiting...and eventually we get better and better, our opponents get worse and worse and we become FSU of the 90's.

That's actually a very good point, although Ohio State's recent losses to USC and Florida don't seem to be hurting their recruiting much.

As for me, I don't like to see the Buckeyes win, but I don't like seeing USC win. Either way, there will be some joy and some tears. I usually root against Notre Dame as well--it's too bad it just can't end in a tie.

And just like 1994, it doesn't do any good to beat them, if the voters and coaches don't rank us #1. All you can do is take each game at a time. The worst scenario in my mind is OSU beating USC and then going undefeated, beating us along the way and making it to the title game. I'd need a ledge to leap off of. Plus, I really believe these teams--especially OSU and THEM--play better when they're cocky and confident. I'd rather have them roughed up with bruised egos, rather than thinking the game was already won.

A second HOT topic is the piped-in music at Beaver Stadium--an entire thread of 110 replies . . .STOP Sweet Caroline!

Can they please stop with the Sweet Caroline at the stadium? First, its not original. The Red Sox have played it for years. Can't we be more creative than that?Second, it stinks as a sports song. Its a chick song. "Hands touching hands..." Yeah, thats exactly what I want to hear 100,000 people sing at a football game.

One of several that I wish they would stop playing. If I hear "Don't stop believing" or "living on a prayer" one more time I might jump off old main.

I actually left at halftime and the music was part of the reason. I couldn't stand it anymore. [Really? I mean, really????]

Before Guido came along, the atmosphere was too bland and boring. All the blue hairs were sitting on their hands all game. Too much marching band. Etc, etc, etc.Now Guido has ruined the atmosphere the we used to have. Too much canned music. Too many cheesy gimmicky types of things.Sheesh. [AMEN]

Best songs for football are ones that increase aggression and anger. I have some studies that show strength increased when listening to heavy metal in the gym as opposed to classical/pop. With that said, may I make a few suggestions? Metallica, Mobb Deep, Scarface, Korn. [Lord help us]

Sorry, but stuff like Mobb Deep, Korn, and Scarface is garbage and has no place where there are young kids. Keep that garbage in the gym on your mp3 player. There's plenty of stuff out there that can be used that's not inappropriate.

Well the worst part is, I think we are in the vast minority. I think most people there (many of them the non-hardcore fans) don't mind. [I know I don't. I like to move it move it.]

And on and on.

Really. This is what we complain about. I have been going to PSU games since the 70's and the stadium atmosphere since Guido took over is light years ahead of those past times. I see people complaining that we're trying to be like the NFL. So we have to act like it's a high school game from the '50s instead? I, for one, think Guido is doing a great job. Imagine trying to make 110,000 people happy at the same time.