It’s been a few weeks since we were blessed by Honda with the 2013 participants for this season’s B.O.T.B. event in Atlanta. For posterity sake, I’ll re-post the finalists below:
Alabama State University (Mighty Marching Hornets)
Alabama A&M University (Marching Maroon &White)
Bethune Cookman University (Marching Wildcats)
South Carolina State University (Marching 101)
Univ. of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Magnificent Marching Machine of the Mid-South)
Winston Salem State University (Red Sea of Sound)
North Carolina A&T State University (Blue & Gold Marching Machine)
Morehouse College (Marching Maroon Tigers)
This looks to be an intriguing line-up of programs ready to make their mark in the ATL. It’s also been the focal point of the now traditional boo-hooing and sniping that comes to light as the results come to light.
“The Honda is too political”.
“The Honda plays favorites.”
“The Honda (insert random complaint here).”
Here’s a novel idea; DO something that’s never been done before and be GOOD doing it. It’s a good start to removing the stigma that’s beginning to move the event from respectable to “less” than respectable…Instead of complaining about whose got more stroke to get into the Honda, just do the simple thing and do your talking on the field and in the stands. Show your audiences something they’ve never seen before. Your shows will find more than enough fans and suitors to power you toward raising the Honda eyebrow…For those programs that put that work in to make this year’s event, Congratulations! Put on a show in the New Year and set the standard.
Now….On to other things, namely a Cliff Notes band review of one of the biggest football classics/parties of the H.B.C.U. football season, The Magic City Classic. Now, there are a few things the readers of this blog need to know before I go any further:
A) I am a MMH Alum (circa 1993-1996)
B) Most AAMU folks are ‘ok’ outside of Classic Week
C) I DON’T LIKE BULLDOGS during Classic Week…I DON’T LIKE anything MAROON & WHITE during Classic Week.
D) See letter ‘C” and Repeat accordingly.
Now that that’s out of the way, The Magic City Classic is one of the oldest and and most marketable H.B.C.U. Football event going. The Bayou Classic gets alot of ink; So does the Florida Classic…IMHO, this classic ranks right up there with them. Lots of camaraderie, lots of tailgating, and LOTS of friendly folks.
There’s nothing quite like it. It’s DEFINITELY a bucket list item for the H.B.C.U. fan and enthusiast.
Next Stop, The ATL for the Honda B.O.T.B.
Until the next entry…
Well said.
This year has seen a raising of the bar… and we as a collective entity did not raise it. We have to make it incumbent upon us to pick up the execution challenge laid out there by Ohio State, match it and go beyond.
And before the chorus of "HBCUs did shows like that before" starts to howl, let me say I'm not hating on the past. Rather, I'm saying that in the present no one did what they did and we need to be about showing them where innovation really began.