The football team will has just been informed that they too will not be attending the game in Dallas.

FAIL

just as the twitterverse made wisconsin reverse course on its transfer rule, i hope our collective outrage forces DB to reconsider.

Somebody will fork over the money.  Too many rich alums for Michigan for this to not happen.

Quite disappointed in Michigan Athletics.  We all know they have enough money to send the band to Arlington for this statement game.  Also, we can all-but-guarantee Alabama's band will be there.  This is what the Michigan name is for: providing the best to our teams when we have the opportunity.

Great home game...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This literally, actually, positively, definitely makes NO sense.

...needs a benefactor to provide it with its own earmarked piece of MIchigan's endowment so that it may travel in the style it's become accustomed.

How does it "enhance the Michigan brand" to show a Michigan product on a featured stage that doesn't depict the true capabilities of the UM experience? Nobody here will argue the band is the main attraction, but they're certainly a large portion of an expected Michigan football experience. Seems contradictory, Mr. Brandon.

oh, and way to make this more of an alabama home game, DB.

This news just plain sucks.  The MMB and the music they play is an essential part of Michigan football.  This is a huge national game and it is essential to show Michigan football in its best ligfht.  That cannot be done without the MMB, cheerleaders, etc..

This whole thing is starting to suck more and more.  It should have been a two game home and home event just like Bama and PSU did over the last two years.  Bama was incredibly hospitable to PSU people and vice versa.

This whole process become more F'd up every time the subject comes up.  If this is Brandon's thinking, it needs to be thought about some more.

WHAT IS BRANDON'S EMAIL ADDRESS?

Gentlmen, get out your pens.

Dear Mr. Brandon,

I was deeply troubled when I learned earlier today that the University of Michigan Marching Band will not be making the trip to Dallas for our season opening "home game" versus Alabama. This game is as much about bringing a Michigan Football experience to other parts of the country as it is a chance to play football. The band has consistently proven itself to be a group of excellent ambassadors for our program, and the reward for their hard work is the right to represent the university at home and abroad.

I sincerely hope you reconsider your position. I know that given recent ticket price increases, meteotoric rises in concession prices and aggravation, and a reduced schedule of quality home games, I have been reconsidering my attendance each fall. To have what is ostensibly a Michigan home game begin with anything other than, "Band, Take the Field", is completely unacceptable.

Sincerely,

YO PUT YO NAME HERE, DAWG

Is nothing sacred anymore??  This is a travesty of epic proportions.  Brandon has supposedly been responsive via email in the past - time to start showing up in his inbox en masse!

I hope somewhere Coach Hoke is raging. He has always laoved the MMB

I guess I'll just have to bring my trombone then.

Not-really-neutral site games are lame. 

It's all about the Benjamin's, apparently. I gotta believe this is in direct response to Bama and LSU spending $1M+ to bring their bands to the BCS game

Quite simply put: A Michigan football Saturday without the Michigan Marching band is sacreligious. And in this case, it's purely unacceptable. The money is there and it's Labor Day weekend.

I am just waiting for Brandon to just get rid of the band altogether- maybe they can just have a  hype video and rawk music instead of the band forming the M at the beginning of the game.  Sound is sound, right?  

Apparently his conception of the Michigan brand is just anything that saves/makes money.  He should remember that money is useless except in what it is used for.  We don't love Michigan because it's a really wealthy athletic department or because it has a great marketing department.  We love it because of things like the band, the winged helmet, etc.  I knew I had arrived at a special place when I saw the band first come onto the field and form that M, with the banner being raised soon after.

Oh and I am not some old timer who hates any and all change.  That moment I just wrote about?  2006.

TF!!!!??!

It might be worth checking to see what other games the band is scheduled to go to this year. Every year they usually go to our rivalry games and then maybe one other away game.  This year, I am sure they are scheduled to go to both ND and OSU.  So they will already have a big travel budget even if they don't include any other game game such as Nebraska.  

Of course I want to see them in Dallas for such a big game and will let Dave Brandon know that.  But at the same time, before we go too crazy let's wait to confirm the news from the athlectic department and to learn the reason why.  

This, if true (is there confirmation?) would be very wrong.  We were supposed to have signed this deal to give us the financial equivalent of a home game at Michigan Stadium.  If so, we should be able to bring the MMB.  If we can't afford it, then it was a mistake to sign the contract. 

I guess I'll have to play The Victors in my head everytime Denard shreds through the Alabama D.

More #hashtags

we need to do something.