South Carolina State and Southern are battling in the 2017 MEAC/SWAC Challenge, the college football opening weekend’s HBCU showcase. One of the best parts of any HBCU game is the duel between the bands, which goes beyond just the famous halftime shows. These bands often play throughout the games, and ESPN2’s microphone priorities apparently went to the music over the stripes.
This kind of thing went on for the entire game:
I’m not sure how intentional this was or what kind of malfunction the head official’s gear suffered or what, but it’s totally fine. Most onlookers would rather listen to these bands than to details on exactly which lineman was the first one to commit the false start that could go against everyone but the center or the particulars of the defensive back’s personal foul near the sideline.
Here’s my favorite Southern band video. It’s unbelievably loud, almost painfully so, and I listen to it on loop every time college football season starts.