Hey everybody, it’s your boy back again, coming at you with another deep dive from my little corner of the internet. So, I was chilling the other day, flipping through channels, and bam – football game. And it got me thinking, you know, about the whole spectacle of it all. Not just the game, but the atmosphere, the music, the energy. That’s when it hit me: marching bands. Do NFL teams even have those? I mean, I see them all the time in college games, but the NFL? That seemed like a whole different ball game.
So, being the curious cat that I am, I fired up my laptop and dove headfirst into the internet. Started with a simple search, just typing in “how many NFL teams have marching bands?” into the search bar. First few results were kinda all over the place, talking about college bands and high school performances during halftime shows. Not exactly what I was looking for, but hey, it was a start.
Then, I stumbled upon this old Reddit thread. And let me tell you, it was a goldmine of random info. Some users were like, “Yeah, back in the ’70s, way more teams had bands. It was the thing before all these fancy jumbotrons and pre-recorded music.” Others were dropping names, like the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Redskins (yeah, they used to be called that), saying they still have their own marching bands.
And get this – found out that the Ravens’ band has been around since 1947! That’s like, ancient history in football years. Apparently, they even kept marching after the Colts left town. Talk about dedication, right?
I also read somewhere that becoming a Marching Raven is a big deal. They perform in front of 70,000 fans, so it’s not a small potato. They have auditions every April for the upcoming season. Sounds like quite the process.
- Dug a little deeper and found out most NFL teams just let local high school or college bands play during halftime. Makes sense, I guess. Keeps costs down and gives the local kids a shot at the big stage.
- Read some comments saying marching bands used to be the main entertainment before all the tech we have now took over. Makes you think about how times change, huh?
- There was also some talk about a few drumlines that support their teams. Not full-blown marching bands, but still pretty cool.
After hours of scouring through forums, articles, and some pretty questionable websites, I came to a somewhat underwhelming conclusion: it’s not really a thing anymore. Most NFL teams don’t have their own marching bands. It’s mostly a college and high school thing now. I guess the NFL’s got other ways to keep the crowds pumped up – like those giant screens, celebrity performances, and what not.
But hey, it was a fun little research adventure. Learned a bunch about the history of marching bands in the NFL and got a new appreciation for those that are still around. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll make a big comeback. Until then, I’ll just enjoy the halftime shows, marching bands or not.
What do you guys think?
Did you know about the Ravens’ band? Or any other NFL team that might have one? Let me know in the comments!
