Main attraction in Georgia vs. Southern game might be halftime show
David Ching, ESPN Staff Writer
When it’s possible to have The Human Jukebox playing in your stadium, you might as while make sure it happens.
That was clearly Georgia’s intent when it signed a contract to host Southern University and its famed marching band for Saturday’s game at Sanford Stadium. UGA has three contracts committing to host nonconference opponents this season -- the others are Louisiana-Monroe and Georgia Southern -- but only one mentions the visiting team’s band.
Written into Georgia’s contract with Southern is language stipulating that “the band of the visiting team agrees to perform at halftime of the game,” and it is set up that way for good reason. Mark Richt’s team almost certainly will get the comfortable victory that comes with paying the lower-division visitor $650,000 to make the trip from Louisiana, and the icing on the cake will come at halftime.
“Normally a stipulation for visiting band attendance is not included in game contracts,” Georgia spokesman Claude Felton said. “However, the Southern University band is nationally known for its performing excellence and will provide a unique entertainment experience for our fans.”
That goes without saying. Marching bands are sources of enormous pride at many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), with uniquely named groups such as Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South, Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South, North Carolina A&T’s Blue & Gold Marching Machine and Florida A&M’s Marching 100 (among many others) exciting their fans as much as what happens in the actual games.
http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/...rgia-southern-game-might-be-the-halftime-show
David Ching, ESPN Staff Writer
When it’s possible to have The Human Jukebox playing in your stadium, you might as while make sure it happens.
That was clearly Georgia’s intent when it signed a contract to host Southern University and its famed marching band for Saturday’s game at Sanford Stadium. UGA has three contracts committing to host nonconference opponents this season -- the others are Louisiana-Monroe and Georgia Southern -- but only one mentions the visiting team’s band.
Written into Georgia’s contract with Southern is language stipulating that “the band of the visiting team agrees to perform at halftime of the game,” and it is set up that way for good reason. Mark Richt’s team almost certainly will get the comfortable victory that comes with paying the lower-division visitor $650,000 to make the trip from Louisiana, and the icing on the cake will come at halftime.
“Normally a stipulation for visiting band attendance is not included in game contracts,” Georgia spokesman Claude Felton said. “However, the Southern University band is nationally known for its performing excellence and will provide a unique entertainment experience for our fans.”
That goes without saying. Marching bands are sources of enormous pride at many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), with uniquely named groups such as Jackson State’s Sonic Boom of the South, Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South, North Carolina A&T’s Blue & Gold Marching Machine and Florida A&M’s Marching 100 (among many others) exciting their fans as much as what happens in the actual games.
http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/...rgia-southern-game-might-be-the-halftime-show
