Tweet: NYC bowl game, band gets 1 night housing then late flight home, arriving 2am to MN winter & closed dorms. The level of CHEAP is mind boggling.

Donate To GopherHole


I believe this was a topic a few years ago and not sure if something has changed. But is it correct that the band is NOT part of the athletic department budget? It's under some other department? This should change.
 


Going back to the early 80’s , UMD would not pay for the pep band to go to the NCAA Hockey Frozen 4 with the team…. Donation buckets were passed through the crowd at the DECC and they always made it… smaller scale, but it worked. Just a memory.
 


Is the band still funded by the school of music? Other B1G bands are funded by the Athletic Department. That would explain a lot.
 



jonnyganas said:
Is the band still funded by the school of music? Other B1G bands are funded by the Athletic Department. That would explain a lot.
Click to expand...
If the band is funded under the school of music, then forget about it with costs these days. 320 band members is great to see but it is a big band so costs would add up in NYC going into New Years weekend. The cost of another hotel night would be like $24K if you figure 4 to a room X $300 plus the other band staff and food. There may not have even been suitable accommodations for that second night due to availability.

However if the band gets funded under the athletic department then an extra $30K or so is a drop in the bucket with the TV money. It’s justified since the band is part of the game day entertainment, they’re seen and heard on TV etc so they should be able to claim part of those $ for their expenses.
 






I think they bused it to the Citrus bowl....one option could be a smaller travel band for these bowls.
 



jonnyganas said:
Is the band still funded by the school of music? Other B1G bands are funded by the Athletic Department. That would explain a lot.
Click to expand...
Yes. I also think it's a mixed bag as for how it is funded at other schools. Odds that all 320 would go is doubtful as well, given the holiday school break. That said, even at like 250, that is still a large expense. The person tweeting has no idea the cost. Pretty sure you couldn't do four to a room since most rooms only have two beds. Thinking a minimum of 140 rooms, plus meals, ground transportation and airfare. It's a large expense.
 

I think the answer is somewhere in between. There's no need for a full 320 member marching band at the Pinstripe Bowl. The costs are very high, likely a lot higher than they would be for the football team itself.

Send a 30-50 member contingent of seniors and top performers so the Rouser can be played, there's entertainment for pre-game events, and the band is rewarded. Let them stay long enough that they can actually see the city for a couple days.
 




PMWinSTP said:
Yes. I also think it's a mixed bag as for how it is funded at other schools. Odds that all 320 would go is doubtful as well, given the holiday school break. That said, even at like 250, that is still a large expense. The person tweeting has no idea the cost. Pretty sure you couldn't do four to a room since most rooms only have two beds. Thinking a minimum of 140 rooms, plus meals, ground transportation and airfare. It's a large expense.
Click to expand...
Going 4 to a room was pretty standard for the band on Bowl Trips, perhaps things have changed over the years, but that's how it used to be.
 

It’s a problem for every school. The solution is in the bowl funding. Bowls should be paying this as part of game expenses. Atmosphere, appearance as it often isn’t a sellout. Plus, it should be about the kids. Giving 320 kids a life experience seems like a bowl committee priority to me.

All the things that get sponsored this should be easily solvable with some focus and prior planning.

Bowl organizers should have room blocks for both bands at different hotels.
 

As most comments on these things end up with people not understanding monies within the U(thinking the school is subsidizing sports) I'm sure the argument will be that since they are getting $100M here in a couple years that they should have plenty of money. I get that they should generally speaking and perhaps the AD could throw some their way, but I also would limit it to a smaller band and really only 1 more day. The bowl is not part of the CFP, and is something earned by the team itself. If part of the CFP, I would support them as part of the playoff process.
 

Iceland12 said:
The band complaining about, well just about everything, is truly a great Minnesota Tradition.
Click to expand...
To be clear, it is the mother of rookie band member that is complaining.

Band members themselves are excited for the trip. Each bowl has a different balance of travel time, rehearsal, bowl performances outside of the game (pep fests, parades, etc.), the game itself. Student will have a small amount of free time. They know it will be a quick trip and will enjoy what time they do get just like they have done for every previous bowl trip.
gopherjay said:
I think they bused it to the Citrus bowl....one option could be a smaller travel band for these bowls.
Click to expand...
Band flew to Citrus. The band has bused to Detroit & Nashville.
Ski U Master said:
Going 4 to a room was pretty standard for the band on Bowl Trips, perhaps things have changed over the years, but that's how it used to be.
Click to expand...
Correct. Band & Spirit Squad students are 4 to a room. Staff are 2 to a room.
Band + Spirit Squad = about 100 rooms this year.
Adding another night in the hotel, plus additional money for food and an extra day of buses adds up quickly.

All expenses for team, official party, band, spirit squad, etc. comes out of the bowl payout. But, with revenue sharing Athletics doesn't get all the money from the payout. Some goes to the B1G. (I don't know what that amount is for this bowl.)
fmlizard said:
The costs are very high, likely a lot higher than they would be for the football team itself.
Click to expand...
Yes, costs are high, especially since it's NYC. But, band and spirit squad expenses are far less than the team. Team is required to arrive on 12/25. They will have 5 nights in their hotel (I imagine they are 2 to a room), plus buses, food, etc.
mngolf said:
As most comments on these things end up with people not understanding monies within the U...I'm sure the argument will be that since they are getting $100M here in a couple years that they should have plenty of money.
Click to expand...
It will take Athletics several years to recover from losses due to COVID. Athletics took out a $21.5M COVID operation loan to cover losses from FY20 & FY21. In FY22 they were close to breaking even. In their FY23 projections to the Board of Regents they anticipate breaking even again (https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/2022-09/docket-bor-sep2022.pdf, p. 36). Their finances are recovering and improving, but they still need watch what they spend.
 



The Pinstripe bowl should pay for both teams bands.
 


BroncosGhost said:
They shouldn't even be sending the band.
Click to expand...
Worst post of the day. That's almost like saying Goldie shouldn't be there. The band is part of the team, and part of why the college game day is so much better than the pros.

For fundraising, the band should have a "sponsor a tuba" or whatever instrument you want to see in the game (with the caveat that once all the tubas get as much funds as needed the band can spend the extra money on whatever they need). Put brass vs woodwind and see who pulls in more cash.
 


BroncosGhost said:
They shouldn't even be sending the band.
Click to expand...
Absolutely!!! They should only have one set of uniforms too and there is no reason why they couldn’t practice and play in the same thing. The more you think of it, there really is no need for a marching band at all. And the MIAC coaches work hard all season for a lot less money. Why would the Gophers want all that upkeep with the stadium? They could save some major money just playing in US Bank stadium.

Think of all the electricity wasted by that big scoreboard. Cheerleaders can wear the same outfit for everything. There really is no need for more than four cheerleaders anyway.

With just these few suggestions (lots more where this came from), we could save enough money to get the budget more in line with Minnesota’s other college football programs.
 

How are dorms closed? Unless they are just closed for the holidays which I don’t think is a thing.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom