Mini Mizzou shares time with marketing
Published Feb. 20, 2004
While Tiger fans cheer for five men running around the basketball court, members of the Mini Mizzou band wait in the stands for their cue to play.
Players and directors have noticed a decrease in playing time because of increased advertisements.
"College athletics has become very marketing-savvy, and as a result the amount of visibility and the prominence of athletic bands has been reduced," director of bands Tom O'Neal said.
Frank Cuervo, director of marketing for the athletic department, said the band is part of a diverse entertainment and advertisement pool.
"We include a variety of entertainment to keep fans interested," he said. "We try to strike a good balance between our band, Top 25-type music and various audience participation activities."
O'Neal said he thinks MU's band plays about as much as other college bands.
Director of athletic bands Jason Stumbo said this topic has been discussed at MU, but it has not become a serious problem.
"The increase in marketing along with the various announcements and recognitions throughout the game has created a carefully scripted event in which the band is included," he said.
Cuervo said advertising and entertainment at MU games are well balanced.
"When you go to some arenas, all you hear is the school band, and I think that makes them lose their punch a little bit," he said. "But then there are other schools where you barely hear the band play."
Cuervo scripts all athletic events to include advertisements, sponsorships, the band and recognition activities, O'Neal said.
"The script is detailed to include announcements, the band and advertisements, but we also like to keep it a little flexible to adjust to the game and what the crowd is doing," Cuervo said. "If the audience is excited about a slam-dunk that just occurred, we don't want to go right into a commercial."
Cuervo said the band is one of the most important features of an athletic event.
"There are very few things that can get the crowd as excited as when the band plays the fight song," he said.
There are core elements included in each game's schedule, but each game has unique elements such as special presentations, Cuervo said. The script for the game usually is completed at least a day in advance, he said.
The band typically plays for 40 to 50 minutes, Stumbo said.
O'Neal said tradition influences the band's importance to athletic events.
"Prior to the development of media and the marketing priority that we see at athletic events, bands were the primary source of entertainment at these events," he said.
MU's band has been an integral part of college sporting events for the past 100 years, Stumbo said.
"I am well aware that there are college bands out there who are being forced to alter their role at events due to the increase of advertising and marketing," he said. "However, at MU the athletic program has worked closely with the band program to find a balance."