Saw this on Twitter. Can anyone in the band confirm? Would be awful if true.
So, the @umichband won't be traveling to Dallas for the "home game" against Alabama? That's completely unacceptable @DaveBrandonAD.
EDIT: Now confirmed. What a joke.
Stephen J. Nesbitt @stephenjnesbitt
Alabama's band, though, will be on hand at Cowboy Stadium. Members of the MMB that I've heard from are none too happy with the decision.
What happens to their
Here's the scoop from the
Here's the scoop from the Daily:
The marching band was told that the Athletic Department’s decision to leave the band behind was made recently, and the determination was made that because the game is not a typical road game, it will not be treated like a bowl game.
Reports are that the band was initially told there would be room in the budget, but that was later reconsidered and overturned.
Michigan is set to receive a $4.7 million payday for playing Alabama, according to the Cowboy Classic contract. Cowboy Stadium L.P. (CSLP) is contractually obligated to have seating for the Michigan band, as well as room for cheerleaders, dance team and mascot. (Michigan has no mascot — at least not yet.)
because the game is not a
because the game is not a typical road game
BECAUSE IT'S A HOME GAME THAT YOU SOLD FOR $4.7 MILLION! STOP MAKING IT SOUND LIKE IT'S A ROAD GAME OR BOWL GAME.
Maybe he needs all of that
Maybe he needs all of that extra room to unveil his new mascot.
Cue panic.
Does someone have Brandon's
Does someone have Brandon's email address?
dabran@umich.edu
.
It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. -- Yogi Berra
What the....
What the....
I suggested #MMBtoDallas as
I suggested #MMBtoDallas as the hashtag. Someone tape it to the door of Ann Arbor Torch & Pitchfork.
I am now officially
I am now officially reconsidering whether or not I will as well.
Not that I loved Rich Rod less, but that I loved Michigan more.
Agreed
I was going to go and see family in the band. Now a 135 deg F weekend in Dallas doesn't seem worth the investment. Thanks DB.
Hopefully the band will be re-compensated with a long distance bowl (say Pasedena).
I doubt it
I can't imagine that the U of M band will not make the trip. That would be very surprising!
"Bend over and I'll show you." Perfect answer to nearly any question.
Well unless they change their
Well unless they change their minds, it's what's happening.
Maybe we'll get new uniforms,
Maybe we'll get new uniforms, advertisements (European soccer-style across the front), piped in Black Eyed Peas crap "music", an Arby's sponsorship, and a MASCOT instead. Seriously, look on the bright side guys and trust Dave.
Craig James was my wingman in '82.
Well now that you put it that
Well now that you put it that way... I DO love Arby's.
Survey
The athletic department sent me a survey yesterday where I ripped on the aggressive marketing, rawk music, hashtags on the field, etc. Wish I had has this news yesterday. This coming from a Ross grad with a concentration in Marketing. I feel like the marketing department is yelling at us, the idea of subtle intelligent marketing seems beyond them.
In selling to certain audiances you need to have the appropriate message using the appropriate channel. I still think we are getting a heavy dose of Domino's/NBA Marketing hype. I think they can get the same or better results by not treating us like idiots.
Not bringing the band is just plain stupid. Can't afford it? Then at least try passing the hat.
I get selling, I get marketing, I get the need for money but I feel the approach is overly aggressive.
I bet we could round up enough money here to send the band. "Michigan Band brought to you by Mgoblog" and have them wear one of the Tremendous t-shirts.
"I knew Bo Schembechler and you sir, are no Bo Schembechler!"
Moneybags Brandon doesn't
Moneybags Brandon doesn't want to foot the bill. That's the only logical explanation I can think of.
CoE Class of 2007
I know at one point the AD
I know at one point the AD was insisting the MMB take buses to Dallas instead of flying. That's at least 20 hours in each direction, and the MMB refused.
Hail to the college whose colors we wear,
Hurrah for the Yellow and Blue!
If thats the case then I
If thats the case then I can't really feel too bad for them. They were given the option to go and turned it down. The game is before classes start too so its not like they'd be losing a ton of valuable study time by driving instead of flying. In high school our band took Indian Trails buses 25+ hours to Disney in Florida and back and we survived just fine.
EEB c/o 2014
It's not like the band
It's not like the band members all got together and made the decision to not take buses. If this happened, it was the administration that made the choice.
Your HS also wasn't making a
Your HS also wasn't making a shit load of money to play the game in the first place. Just sayin. I don't buy the budget argument.
It wasn't the band's choice
It wasn't the band's choice to open the season in Dallas, TX of all places. I doubt that Dave Brandon consulted the band when he struck the deal to play this game. Back when we used to do Pac-10 road trips, we flew our band out instead of forcing them to bus all the way to the West Coast. Dallas isn't all that much closer. Given the amount of money the AD stands to make from this game, asking the band to bus 20 hours instead of flying them is pretty cheap, IMHO. I don't think the band is being unreasonable in asking to be flown.
Not that much closer? Really?
I think you have never driven that before. Dallas TX is a 18 hours. Eugene OR is 39 hours. That's a HUGE difference. I've done the Dallas trip in a day, it's possible. Oregon, not at all feasible.
I'm going to take a wild
I'm going to take a wild guess and say your high school band isn't as big as the MMB.
"There will be blood on the field and it won't be mine." -KK
Are you from Owosso? If so
Are you from Owosso? If so what year did you graduate?
Everest from Old Spice helps mask the smell of fear during Wolverine attacks on Icy terrain.
PopEvil will be going in
PopEvil will be going in their place
Given that we gave up a home
Given that we gave up a home game for this, this isn't right. They need to be there.
This stinks
It also seems like one of those rare situations that might be affected by a public display of dissatisfaction.
It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. -- Yogi Berra
This deal...
Hail to the college whose colors we wear,
Hurrah for the Yellow and Blue!
Curses. I was just about to
Curses. I was just about to post that.
Servant. Pastor. Husband. Michigan fan in Duluth.
+1 for the use of
the word "curses" in that context. My Dad used to say that all the time, and his Birthday would have been earlier this week. Whe I read it, I heard him saying it in my head. Thanks for the laugh.
ALWAYS remember the golden rule: He who has the gold, makes the rules
template
Are we just going to hire
Are we just going to hire TCU's band and slap some Michigan hats and vests on them, like we did to Florida's band at the Gator Bowl a while back? Are we just not going to have a band there?
The fuck.
The fuck.
Michigan: 903–315–36 (Best in NCAA)
vs Ohio State: 58-44-6
vs Notre Dame: 23-16-1
vs MSU: 68-32-5
vs B1G: 522-197-24
vs SEC: 20-8-1
vs PAC 12: 48-24-1
vs Big 12: 10-5-1<
It just doesn't seem fair for
It just doesn't seem fair for a group that puts in so much work for the University and is so loved by the fan base.
well that completely sucks...
well that completely sucks...
HEY! You there!
This game is horsehit...
This game is horsehit...
I asked for salmon!
I asked for salmon!
I get budgets and what have
I get budgets and what have you, but THIS IS MICHIGAN, FERGODSAKES
"And when we play as a team, when the old season is over, you and I know, it's gonna be Michigan again, Michigan."
Let's raise some money!
We raised 46,000 + for a 20,000 project. What does it cost to get the entire band down there? 100k?
Well...
Spirit has flights for 225, it's 157.80 if they get a 30% discount. Multiply that by 350 and you have airfare costs of just over $55,000. If they can do four-to-a-room at $100 per night, you're looking at a little over $26,000 for hotel, plus you have to feed them, at $30 per day that's another $30,000 and change.
So yes, about a hundred grand once you include busses and taxes, as long as they do it on the (relatively) cheap.
"We bring you to Michigan to take care of Michigan; your job is to protect that block M."
-Carol Hutchins
And then tickets
You would have to pay for their seats too.
No, it's in the contract
Seats for the band were reserved.
true
But you can bet Darth Brandon is looking at the opportunity cost of losing that ticket revenue.
What a cheap, shoddy thing to do. Honestly, they can't afford it? The bank will foreclose on the stadium if the band goes? How does this reflect positively on the AD?
Seems to be ongoing tension between Brandpn and the MMB.
Guess again.
Former band member here. Generally, the band takes huge jumbo jets to the bowl site. You have to have something big enough to take upwards of 400 people, plus the instruments.
Also, the band rents out an entire semi-truck (and the driver) for about a week, in addition to the buses and their drivers.
I don't actually know what it costs exactly, but given my experience I'd be surprised if it's not at least $500K. Maybe for this one they'd stay at a cheaper hotel than they normally do for the bowl. But even if it was $500K, that would still be $4.2 million of profit for the AD.......
Interesting.
I figured it wasn't accurate, but I have no way to price out "737 for the weekend".
Also, not to be siding with DB on this, but it isn't $4.7m in profit, it's $4.7m in revenue. If a home game makes four million, the AD only nets $700k on the deal. IMO the AD made the deal and that's their problem, but it's something to at least consider.
"We bring you to Michigan to take care of Michigan; your job is to protect that block M."
-Carol Hutchins
Yeah, I knew I was probably
Yeah, I figured I was probably screwing up the numbers. Accountant, I am not.
However, I think we can agree that no matter the cost, this decision is dumb. It's not like sending the band will cause us to file for Chapter 11.
I've done the math and I
I've done the math and I believe we will need to raise 213.7 million dollars. Drat!
Expedia blows up when I try it
You gotta try Kayak. Search
You gotta try Kayak. Search one and done man.
If Ann Arbor is a whore, why didn't you get in?
You better buy quick, there's
You better buy quick, there's only 2 tickets left at that price!
"It would be a travesty, it would be ridiculous to all of a sudden come back and get the feeling back, get the health back, feel good again and then all of a sudden go throw some other colors on my shirt and go coach."
What happens to their reserved seating Jones agreed to give them? See Section 3 of the contract to play:
http://www.annarbor.com/2011/10/04/2012%20College%20Football%20Agreement...
And why would it be negotiated into the contract only to back out and have Alabama be the only one with a band? That doesn't sound right...
Edit: Wow...four point fucking seven million dollars to play and no band, with Alabama blaring its fight song across the field? Unacceptable is really the correct word for this.
"We bring you to Michigan to take care of Michigan; your job is to protect that block M."
-Carol Hutchins