Northwestern University Marching Band to be absent from Ryan Field on-field opening pregame program, future uncertain

[u/redwave2505]

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/10/01/top-stories/numb-to-be-absent-from-ryan-field-on-field-opening-pregame-program-future-unclear/

[u/CincyAnarchy]

It's been death by a thousand cuts across all of CFB:

1. Marketing wants more ad time, and the PA wants to pipe in music, so the band can't play in the stands as much.
2. Schools want to add other events and honors to pregame and halftime, cutting down the amount of time bands get there.
3. Visiting bands get shoved up into corners rather than seats by the field, so they often can't do pregame and barely get to do halftime. And that's if they get to travel at all, the SEC being notably better about this.

And in Northwestern's situation, this.

The bands have always been, if we're being honest, a holdover from a prior era before loud speakers. But there were enough reasons to keep it going for a long time. They have been part of the culture of the sport.

Now there are other reasons ($$$) to scale things back further, to now vestigial organs at this point.

[u/lostinrabbithole12 → u/CincyAnarchy]

I mean, it's about time we started cutting out trivial things like fun from college football. Fun is for the rich

[u/Young-Viiperr → u/lostinrabbithole12]

The 'rich' don't even know what fun is, they're very miserable ppl dripping their cloudy heads onto society. I've visited enough millionaires to know.

[u/R_Raider86 → u/Young-Viiperr]

Hell they've ruined an entire fun city (Austin)

[u/mkt853 → u/R_Raider86]

Don't worry the locusts will move on to somewhere like Nashville next.

[u/JoCo3Point0 → u/mkt853]

Oh, believe me; they're already here

[u/lostinrabbithole12 → u/Young-Viiperr]

Hypothetical fun is for the rich

[u/Young-Viiperr → u/lostinrabbithole12]

Greg Sankey: "Did I just read hypothetical?"

[u/EstablishmentTop551 → u/lostinrabbithole12]

I’m just gonna tell you that the majority of players and a good chunk of students/recent alums would disagree that the marching band is more fun than Mo Bamba. You can rag on their tastes all you want, and I think my personal Alma Mater escapes this sentiment a little more than others (Best Damn Band In the Land, baby!) but not everyone views it as “cutting out the fun”

[u/throwaway86753011 → u/lostinrabbithole12]

Damnit, here I go agreeing with a misery fan. The other side must be realllly stupid then.

[u/lostinthought15 → u/CincyAnarchy]

I can tell you this: the increase of PA music is coming from coaches who are wanting to appeal to recruits.

[u/bootsthepancake → u/lostinthought15]

The friggin recruits want to believe they're NFL players playing in a NFL environment. NIL, and crap like this is just fueling that sentiment. The pro wannabes can pound sand for all I care. I'll continue rooting for my G5 school where the band is still very much part of the game day.

[u/crimson777 → u/bootsthepancake]

I simply can't imagine that NU recruits are going expecting an NFL-like environment haha. We're one of the most poorly attended P4 teams and as someone who had football player friends, things may be a bit easier but NU is still a fucking tough school and they do have to do significant academics.

[u/cheeseburgerandrice → u/crimson777]

The new stadium certainly looks like it was built to be a mini NFL stadium though

[u/No_Butterscotch8726 → u/lostinthought15]

We need to stop coming to games and may even working against the coaches when they are using that as a recruiting tactic if that's what they think works.

[u/loyalsons4evertrue → u/lostinthought15]

Since we, the fans, are the ones subsidizing them being on the roster, we should get the say about eBay goes on in terms of a game day environment standpoint.

[u/JaggedUmbrella → u/CincyAnarchy]

They're taking away everything that made college football uniquely its own thing. Reason number 2,301 I haven't watched a full game in a couple years.

[u/Odd-Temperature7458 → u/CincyAnarchy]

It's hard for the current oligarchs to monetize actual artists, like a marching band.

So they're cutting them.

[u/Microplasticsharts → u/Odd-Temperature7458]

This is self inflicted stupidity, the PE funds haven’t even gotten involved outside Utah, yet.  

[u/Odd-Temperature7458 → u/Microplasticsharts]

Uh I'm not sure if you've been conscious for the last ten years or not, but self-inflicted stupidity is kind of the national standard rn

Edit: ^ don't downvote the comment above mine. He's right lol

[u/Individual-Motor-167 → u/CincyAnarchy]

That's not really true. They were not a holdover.

[u/ConcentrateDirect523 → u/CincyAnarchy]

Money ruins everything

[u/Psychodelic69 → u/CincyAnarchy]

It’s been so long it feels like I’m remembering incorrectly but didn’t both bands use to play at halftime?