And the band played on, and on, and on

[Atlanta Blue]

But if they're throwing snowballs AT THE VISITING TEAM ON THE FIELD, I don't need the visiting team's coach to tell me about it, I'm stopping the game right there (of course talking to both coaches about why we stopped it), and finding the AD, or making the head coach of the home team find the AD.

How am I supposed to know who the AD is to find him if he is not immediately available? That's what the home coach is for. In our area, we don't see an AD before most games. And they might be in the snack stand. I'm not leaving the field to wander through the press box, crowd, parking lot, etc. looking for an AD. That's ridiculous!

Basically, I'm telling the head coach of the home team that the game will not be played if the snowballs continue, and to get the AD/someone in charge for me. He can have an assistant scour the area for him. But if he does nothing, and says, 'Oh, well!' - he is not complying with an official's directive, and I can forfeit the game.

Will I 'forfeit' the game? Probably not, but will I 'suspend' the game, leave the premises and write up a report if the coach fails to get me an AD? Most likely. Again, all depending on the severity.

Thank God for our rules in Georgia!

Every game (other than tennis and golf) are required to have a "game manager".  ALL officials (the whole crew) are REQUIRED to meet with the game manager before the game.  I've seen baseball games delayed because the umpires had not yet met with the game manager.  The game manager CANNOT be any coach that is involved with the game.  That game manager is there for YOU.

The game manager is responsible for:
- crowd and spectator control
- comfort and security of all players, coaches and officials
- having in place sufficient security personnel to handle any crowd-control problems that might reasonably be expected
- security escorts for officials, before during and after the contests, including going to their cars
- providing a safe and secure changing area for contest officials, free from traffic by school staff, students and spectators

NONE of these things are the responsibility of the home coach.  The home coach has no more responsibility than the visiting coach.  Finding the game manager is the responsibility of the official, not the coach.  I have no more idea where he or she might be than you do, actually less, as where they will be is something you and they would have discussed before the game.  My job is my team, not the game manager.

If things are different in your state, then the state is doing a disservice to it's coaches.  Thankfully, the GHSA realized that and put the responsibility for these things where it belongs, and that's not with the head (or any) coach.

[ECILLJ]

Here in the cornfields, I can't remember ever having a problem with a band, most schools would be tickled if they had enough band members to make enough noise to be a distraction.

Friday nights are a big deal for a lot of students. Halftime is when the band, the flag team, the dance team gets to perform in front of a crowd. Make sure we handle all with care, these students are feeling the same butterflies and excitement that we feel when we take the field. Don't ruin their night by being the official who has to be a butt.

[HLinNC]

The band thing is still huge at a few schools around here.  They will sometimes skip the game to head out 600+ miles to go to a weekend competition.

[Atlanta Blue]

Halftime is when the band, the flag team, the dance team gets to perform in front of a crowd.

And that's great.  I promise not to play football during their halftime show.  I expect the same in return.

[ECILLJ]

AB, I have a hunch that your band director knows exactly his place on the food chain at AB High.

[JasonTX]

I've gone to games where there was a huge crowd that came to watch some high school football.  Boy was I wrong.  They came to watch the band.  Once halftime was over the crowd was gone.

[prab]

One of the things that I like about this forum is that it gives me a chance to read about how things are done in other parts of the country and different problems that come up elsewhere.  I have never worked a game where the band played during live ball or other inappropriate situations.  My crew has only had to involve game management on three occasions in the past 20 years.  Two were to correct problems with the field itself and one was to deal with an inebriated fan who followed us as we left the field after the game.   We have a law in Wisconsin which essentially prohibits schools from starting classes until after Labor Day.  That means that most school bands aren't even present until week 3 of our season.  Again, it is interesting to read about how things are dealt with elsewhere.

[bbeagle]

Wow. The American Pie song's line

'cause the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield

is actually a reality for a lot of you.   

[HLinNC]

And then there is Homecoming........

[Tom.OH]

I've gone to games where there was a huge crowd that came to watch some high school football.  Boy was I wrong.  They came to watch the band.  Once halftime was over the crowd was gone.

Since the Texas officials get paid as a percentage of the gate, you made out!

[Atlanta Blue]

A few years ago, I was asked to supply the stat crew for the Atlanta Football Classic.  For those of you that have never seen any of the "Classic" games, they are match ups of two Historically black college and university (HBCU) schools, and they are festivals.  There are everything from job fairs, to training classes, and many parties.  They take up an entire weekend, and football truly is secondary.

We had FAMU and Tennessee State.  The football was terrible.  At halftime, the leading rusher was anyone with zero yards, because everyone that had run the ball had lost yardage.  The score was 7-0 on an interception return for a TD.  Halftime is extended to 30 minutes to accommodate both bands.  Teams leave the field at the end of the second quarter, and then the show begins.

Tennessee State band goes first, puts on a great show, but takes 25 minutes.  Now the FAMU "Marching 100" band takes the field.  The name is a misnomer, as there are 440 people in the band.  They literally stretch from end line to end line, sideline to sideline, and then they move.  Not one of these stand there and play kind of bands, they are a MARCHING band.  Until their unfortunate hazing incident a few years ago, they were hands down, the best, most award winning college band in the country.  Look them up.  These two schools play this year in Nashville.  Due to financial hardships, FAMU says they can't send their band.  Tennessee State is willing to cover the $60,000 cost to bring the visiting BAND to the game.  Bands mean that much to the Classics.

Back to our game.  Since Tennessee State's band took 25 minutes, there was no way FAMU was taking any less.  All 440 were on the field putting on a SHOW.  It was one of the few times I ever remember keeping my seat in the press box at halftime to watch a college band.  Half of the press box (not our half) was being used for a cocktail party by the school presidents that day.  The party stopped while the bands played.

The teams returned, and the band did not move.  Players tried to warm up in the end zones and were chased out by game administration.  The FAMU band played for 30 minutes, and halftime took about 70 minutes.  It literally was the line from American Pie.  When the opposing band is playing, the other team's band sits on the sideline and watches (and cheers).  So when halftime ended, it still took a while to get all of those people and instruments out of there.

It took about half of the 3rd qtr to get both bands back into their seats.  Then the real party started.  Both bands began playing, simultaneously, and not the same songs.  It was a battle to see who could be louder, and play longer.  Neither stopped for the entire 3rd AND 4th qtrs.  and when the game was over, the drumlines moved onto the field and had a challenge, a "Can you top this?" going on.

The football was awful, and I have no memory of who won.  But I will never forget those bands.  Unfortunately, there are schools in Georgia that try to have their own versions of these bands. THAT is why we have the band rule in our state.

[bbeagle]

I love that story, Atlanta Blue!

Football is so different around the country. Where we are, many schools don't have football stadiums, but rather open fields with fans on one side of the field.

We have more of a problem with a Friday night football game going on right next to a Women's Lacrosse game. The sidelines are right next to each other, and we'll have lacrosse balls coming onto our field in the middle of plays, and whistles from the other game causing confusion.

Then we'll have 0 degree weather with blizzard conditions and we can't see the white lines on the field due to all the white snow. Many parts of the out-of-bounds lines are impossible to determine with the drifting snow. Of course, we'll play the game here. In Atlanta, you'd be tucked in your bed, snuggling by something warm thinking you'd be an idiot to go out in that weather.

[NorCalMike]

Most of the bands in our area suck so bad that they can't make a loud enough noise to interfere.

What about using rule 1-1-6?

[J12]

      In NJ, the bands do play during the game. They don't necessarily play constantly during the game, but they are playing while plays are live.  I don't have a rule citation for it, but I've always taken that to be part of the game experience. It's noisy at a football game -- fans yell, cheerleaders cheer and dance, and bands play -- and the teams should simply learn to deal with it. Blaring recorded music or "unusual sound effects" during the plays is not allowed but the band playing is generally considered part of the game experience.

       On the other hand, I have seen a few incidents where the band deliberately tries to interfere with other team's snap count. With the band director's approval, I've seen them try to hit the drum or blow the tuba a second or two before the anticipated snap (presumably) trying to draw them into a false start. Now, I would consider that potentially to be unsportsmanlike conduct. I've never seen it actually interfere with the game and consequently, I've never seen an issue being made of it at the game.

[AlUpstateNY]

A (thankfully) rare, and extremely broad, level of authority is granted to Referees by NF: 9-9-1 ("A player, or non-player or person(s) not subject to the rules shall not hinder play by an unfair act which has no specific rule coverage"), allowing, a Referee enormous latitude in judging to enforce, "any penalty he deems equitable", which obviously should be applied only to the most egregious situations, to deal with the unanticipated.

[Rulesman]

A (thankfully) rare, and extremely broad, level of authority is granted to Referees by NF: 9-9-1 ("A player, or non-player or person(s) not subject to the rules shall not hinder play by an unfair act which has no specific rule coverage"), allowing, a Referee enormous latitude in judging to enforce, "any penalty he deems equitable", which obviously should be applied only to the most egregious situations, to deal with the unanticipated.

Not just a slippery slope in this case, but rather, IMO, a free-fall down the side of the mountain.

[bbeagle]

Not just a slippery slope in this case, but rather, IMO, a free-fall down the side of the mountain.

Rule 9-9-1 is invoked for the case where the drone comes in and intentionally crashes into the game winning field goal attempt with :00 seconds.

Of course, if I saw this on the field, I would invoke 9-9-1 with no hesitation.

If a drone is dive-bombing players, I would definitely suspend the game. It's interfering with play, and the white hat can't just 'let game management take care of an issue' which is affecting the game.

If a drone is up there far away and not bothering me, the game would go on.

We suspend the game all the time for outside events. I hope everyone is suspending the game for lightning, thunder, a tornado, earthquake or power outage. Someone in the stands has a heart attack - we had to stop the game for this one time, so an ambulance could drive across the field to get to the stands - really only way to get there with the stadium set up they had.

[AlUpstateNY]

Not just a slippery slope in this case, but rather, IMO, a free-fall down the side of the mountain.

Absolutely agree, as related to Bands bad behavior, invoking 9-9-1 would likely be an excessive mistake, however understanding the power of that authority, and responsibility, hopefully instills the confidence and motivation to find a far less severe, but appropriate, practical and workable solutions, to totally unanticipated circumstances.

[NorCalMike]

We suspend the game all the time for outside events. I hope everyone is suspending the game for lightning, thunder, a tornado, earthquake or power outage. Someone in the stands has a heart attack - we had to stop the game for this one time, so an ambulance could drive across the field to get to the stands - really only way to get there with the stadium set up they had.

I did a game about 6 miles from the epicenter of the Napa Earthquake last Friday. I couldn't find the earthquake rule in the book. If the ball is live when the aftershock hits, do they get to replay the down?

[Atlanta Blue]

I did a game about 6 miles from the epicenter of the Napa Earthquake last Friday. I couldn't find the earthquake rule in the book. If the ball is live when the aftershock hits, do they get to replay the down?

Treat as an IW, but only of players knocked to the ground.  Otherwise, ride it out! 

[AlUpstateNY]

Do you spot the ball where the ground actually is, or where it might have been when the whistle blew.  A whole new concept of previous or subsequent spot.

[Ralph Damren]

Treat as an IW, but only of players knocked to the ground.  Otherwise, ride it out! 

If the earthquake moves the goalposts while a field goal attempt is airborne, the referee could apply 1-1-6 and rule on the kick based on their original location. If the earthquake caused the earth to open in one endzone, the game could continue with a "half court" adjustment, turning the teams around once they made to midfield heading towards the crater. The pylons should be moved to the 10 yard line at the crater end, allowing a breakaway touchdown on a 90 yard field. The event should be reported to your state association and the National Enquirer. Tommorrow we'll discuss a meteorite landing at midfield.

My favorite pep band songs :

                      Louie, Louie
                      All Rocky theme songs
                      Louie, Louie

[VALJ]

If the earthquake caused the earth to open in one endzone, the game could continue with a "half court" adjustment, turning the teams around once they made to midfield heading towards the crater.

Like the Northwestern-Illinois game at Wrigley Field a few years back!

[bbeagle]

Do you spot the ball where the ground actually is, or where it might have been when the whistle blew.  A whole new concept of previous or subsequent spot.

Ball spotted close to a first down, we bring out the chains for a measurement. Earthquake swallows up the ball along with the umpire.

Undoubtedly, we need a whole new section in the case book JUST covering earthquakes!