Don't get me wrong, I like West Virginia jokes as much as the next Wahoo. You know, something like "how many Mountaineers does it take to change a light bulb?" Answer: None, they don't have electricity in West Virginia. Easy target plus predictable punch line equals surefire success.
And, as has been stated in much greater length by others before me, I think that West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise's demand for an apology was a little bit of an overreaction and that all the bad press for the Pep Band is somewhat unmerited.
However, the Pep Band's behavior at the Continental Tire Bowl -- from which the band is banned for the rest of eternity -- has had one positive consequence: the discussion of creating a University of Virginia Marching Band. Since I first set foot inside Scott Stadium, I have hoped that such an improvement would come to fruition.
Although I earnestly applaud the dedication and spirit the Pep Band displays for the University and Cavalier athletics, come on, how can we not have a marching band?! Take a look at any other major college football program -- Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, USC -- the list could go on and on. They all have marching bands.
The National Champion Buckeyes, for instance, are famous for having one of their tuba players "dot the i" in Ohio State before a home game. The University of Michigan is known for having its band high-step onto the field before kickoff, blasting the nation's most renowned fight song. On most occasions, I can't even hear the Pep Band playing our fight song -- no matter how hard those five tuba players blow their brains out.
Whereas Buckeye and Wolverine fans get emotionally charged from their marching bands and speak of them with great pride and tradition, the Cavalier faithful only speak of their pep band when it comes to suspensions and prohibitions.
Many high schools now have marching bands for goodness sakes! Wahoos know this better than anyone: we have to watch a visiting high school band play during halftime at home football games. Nothing makes me prouder to be a Cavalier than watching a high school band playing on our home field -- please note my sarcasm. You think any of the schools I mentioned earlier have their halftime shows revolve around local high school kids? I think not.
Now I know the Pep Band claims to be special and unique for the "humor"
it tries to inject into the games -- that is when they are allowed onto the field despite past transgressions. Unfortunately, most of their attempts usually fall short of what one would call "humorous." Moreover, sometimes it's even hard to understand what the skit's narrator is saying over the loud speaker. The skits often tend to be closer to offensive than clever, upsetting rather than funny.
And even on those rare occasions when the Pep Band successfully combines timing with perceptive wit, it tends to beg the following question: If I wanted to see a comedic skit, would I be going to a college football game? I mean, if you desired a good chuckle maybe a Whethermen performance would be more appropriate, not a Cavalier football game -- especially since Virginia's play on the field is no longer laughable.
Despite the talk of creating a marching band, it is unlikely to develop into anything more than mere discussion. For a university that cannot even afford faculty raises, let alone paper, the likelihood of creating a new marching band can be considered slim at best. Instead, Cavalier fans still will suffer through unfunny, and sometimes insulting, skits, embarrassing suspensions, and a high school band performing a job the Pep Band can't. As I see it, the real joke is on us.
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