A&T Brandmasta
Blue Death Family
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/6970301.htm
In this college sports rivalry, the bands are instrumental
By Monica Anderson
Special to the Star-Telegram
One of the great sports rivalries of all times occurs annually at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. No, I'm not talking about the Texas vs. OU game. I'm referring to the colossal meeting of two HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) titans. Every October, during the State Fair, the Panthers of Prairie View A&M meet the Grambling State Tigers. And oh, what a time!
I'm not a sportswriter, but if I were, I would tell you that every fan who walked into that stadium already knew that Grambling was going to win the game. They pretty much win it every year. The game was so lopsided that the highlight of the first quarter was "the wave." Remember the wave? For reasons unknown, a section of fans abruptly decides to stand up, throw their hands in the air and yell "WOOoooo." Not to be outdone, the folks in the next section do the same thing and so on until you have a wave of bodies circling around the stadium. I always wanted to view that sight from a blimp. I bet it looks like a giant toilet being flushed.
Going into halftime, the score was 24-7 only because of the valiant efforts of Prairie View's defense. However, when the quarterback on the other team weighs 245 pounds and can throw a marble through the center of a Krispy Kreme doughnut from 40 yards, valiant efforts don't mean squat.
Why would anyone pay to see this game? Five words. The battle of the bands. As the game approached its midpoint, the somewhat docile crowd became decidedly animated. When the two teams trotted off toward the locker rooms, a collective sigh of relief was heard. Seats that had been empty for two quarters were suddenly occupied. A big fellow next to me who had been asleep since the opening kickoff woke up and turned on his video camera. Our pulses quickened with each beat from the band, waiting in the end zone like a human Zamboni.
My son tapped me on the shoulder. "Mom, can I have some money to go buy nachos?"
"You can't leave now," I said. "It's halftime."
"I know. That's when I usually go get nachos."
"Son, look around. Do you see anyone moving?"
"No, so the lines will be short."
"Honey, the people in the band are stretching more than the football players did. You do not want to miss this halftime show."
Prairie View came out first. The five drum majors did back bends while the cymbal players did somersaults. The crowd went wild. The band played a couple of the latest hits while some young ladies in gold danced and did the splits, I think. I didn't have my glasses on, but they did the splits or they all collapsed from exhaustion at the same time. At one point, the band members put their instruments on the ground and danced. I got so excited that I jumped up and started shaking my groove thing until my boys pulled me down and reminded me that we were on Grambling's side of the stadium.
It looked like fourth and 20, on the 50-yard line, trailing by 8, with two seconds left for the Grambling band. They had only four drum majors, but they did stuff that would give a chiropractor a heart attack. The band started out with very traditional songs and formations. They made diamonds and spelled GSU. I was about to go get nachos when they started playing a song by Beyonce. The crowd went wild, and I was permitted to dance as long as I didn't yell "WOOooo." I think Grambling went through the entire Billboard Top 10 while they danced and played their instruments. It was a rout. Grambling won the game and the halftime contest.
Seventy percent of the crowd left after halftime. I was with them, so I thank Star-Telegram sportswriter Carlos Mendez for reporting the final score of Grambling's 65-7 victory over Prairie View.
I think you need to know the final score in order to be a good sportswriter.
I'll just have to go back to what I do best. Dancing.
In this college sports rivalry, the bands are instrumental
By Monica Anderson
Special to the Star-Telegram
One of the great sports rivalries of all times occurs annually at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. No, I'm not talking about the Texas vs. OU game. I'm referring to the colossal meeting of two HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) titans. Every October, during the State Fair, the Panthers of Prairie View A&M meet the Grambling State Tigers. And oh, what a time!
I'm not a sportswriter, but if I were, I would tell you that every fan who walked into that stadium already knew that Grambling was going to win the game. They pretty much win it every year. The game was so lopsided that the highlight of the first quarter was "the wave." Remember the wave? For reasons unknown, a section of fans abruptly decides to stand up, throw their hands in the air and yell "WOOoooo." Not to be outdone, the folks in the next section do the same thing and so on until you have a wave of bodies circling around the stadium. I always wanted to view that sight from a blimp. I bet it looks like a giant toilet being flushed.
Going into halftime, the score was 24-7 only because of the valiant efforts of Prairie View's defense. However, when the quarterback on the other team weighs 245 pounds and can throw a marble through the center of a Krispy Kreme doughnut from 40 yards, valiant efforts don't mean squat.
Why would anyone pay to see this game? Five words. The battle of the bands. As the game approached its midpoint, the somewhat docile crowd became decidedly animated. When the two teams trotted off toward the locker rooms, a collective sigh of relief was heard. Seats that had been empty for two quarters were suddenly occupied. A big fellow next to me who had been asleep since the opening kickoff woke up and turned on his video camera. Our pulses quickened with each beat from the band, waiting in the end zone like a human Zamboni.
My son tapped me on the shoulder. "Mom, can I have some money to go buy nachos?"
"You can't leave now," I said. "It's halftime."
"I know. That's when I usually go get nachos."
"Son, look around. Do you see anyone moving?"
"No, so the lines will be short."
"Honey, the people in the band are stretching more than the football players did. You do not want to miss this halftime show."
Prairie View came out first. The five drum majors did back bends while the cymbal players did somersaults. The crowd went wild. The band played a couple of the latest hits while some young ladies in gold danced and did the splits, I think. I didn't have my glasses on, but they did the splits or they all collapsed from exhaustion at the same time. At one point, the band members put their instruments on the ground and danced. I got so excited that I jumped up and started shaking my groove thing until my boys pulled me down and reminded me that we were on Grambling's side of the stadium.
It looked like fourth and 20, on the 50-yard line, trailing by 8, with two seconds left for the Grambling band. They had only four drum majors, but they did stuff that would give a chiropractor a heart attack. The band started out with very traditional songs and formations. They made diamonds and spelled GSU. I was about to go get nachos when they started playing a song by Beyonce. The crowd went wild, and I was permitted to dance as long as I didn't yell "WOOooo." I think Grambling went through the entire Billboard Top 10 while they danced and played their instruments. It was a rout. Grambling won the game and the halftime contest.
Seventy percent of the crowd left after halftime. I was with them, so I thank Star-Telegram sportswriter Carlos Mendez for reporting the final score of Grambling's 65-7 victory over Prairie View.
I think you need to know the final score in order to be a good sportswriter.
I'll just have to go back to what I do best. Dancing.
Most fans don't look that far. It's kinda like me trying to critique some paintings or sculptures. I don't know nothing about art. I'll just be trying to pic the prettiest picture.