Today’s Guest Column
It has come to my attention that the West Virginia University’s Mountaineer Marching Band will not be permitted to perform for either pregame show or at halftime at the upcoming Terps and West Virginia football game on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. Your previous Athletic Director Deborah Yow never had this policy, and there is a history of each band performing on the other’s field.
This is not only a rude and petty action, it is a poor reflection on the state. I will be among 14 West Virginia alumni and friends from four states who will be traveling to Baltimore, spending two nights in area hotels, eating in area restaurants and otherwise spending the financial fruits earned after a West Virginia education. Three of the 14 individuals were Mountaineers’ band members during their college years, and this game was to provide them an opportunity to enjoy a presentation of the tradition of which they are a part.
It was made clear that refusal to provide field time to the West Virginia band was not a decision of the Mighty Sound of Maryland. I do not know if you or your office was a party to this decision, but I am confident that you have the authority and influence to right this wrong and ask that you do so as an act of respect and good sportsmanship to West Virginia University and those who love and support it. By the way, the Big 10 requires its member schools to allow visiting team’s bands to perform.
— David Kurtz, Parkersburg, W. Va.
