My translation of her letter: They're not letting us travel! We can't play "Down the Field" - and we're sick of playing Rocky Top. (which I could give two shits if I ever hear "Down the Field" outside of sitting inside the stadium during pregame). Who gives a shit. Fuller's initial response is only the first bit of scrutiny that both she and the POTSMB will catch from this.
The 8th should start a petition to disallow anything more than a pep band to travel to away games, to mandate they play Rocky Top a minimum of 35 times on gameday, and to recall the drum major as being a dumbass.
they are a HUGE part of the game day environment. I don't agree with their complaining here, but to disband them would be foolish.
would've liked them to have been at Eugene. Wouldn't have added a point to the scoreboard, but still.
"Injustices" I say............ http://utdailybeacon.com/news/2013/oct/10/sousa-claims-band-injustices-ut-refutes-1/
They decided it was time for them to play the pre-recorded canned music and dictated to the band that this would happen and that the band was not supposed to play," Sousa told The Daily Beacon. "We've never been told not to play 'Rocky Top' and we were told, 'you do not play 'Rocky Top.'' they've never once been told to not play?
Probably not. I'm also a proponent of just changing the fight song. No one thinks of Down the Field when they think UT fight song. Heck, if you polled those in attendance at a game, at least 75% would say the official fight song was Rocky Top.
If Jimmy Cheek had anything that resembled a spine, he'd fire Gary Sousa today for being an insubordinate loudmouth.
Kind of sounds to me like the band had far more leeway than the vast majority of programs. telling the band when to play is par for the course for major athletics these days.