Wait…That Wasn’t Their Band?
Whenever you’re watching an NCAA game—football, hockey, basketball—there’s always that moment when the spirit of college sports comes out. The moment you see the band and the cheerleaders doing their thing as they travel around with their team/ schoolmates….
And you think about how cool that is…that these kids traveled all this way with their team…that they’re part of it. That the trumpet player up there in the stands might sit next to the starting defenseman in class. That the drummer banging away during a power play might pass the quarterback on campus every day.
They’re not just part of the show…they’re part of the same school…same community…same experience. And when a player looks up and sees a group of familiar faces—friends—blowing horns, chanting, ripping on the other team…that matters. That’s real. That’s college sports at its best.
I watched it firsthand in Albany.
I watched Penn State get eliminated by Minnesota Duluth…and as the final moments ticked away, every Penn State player seemed to look up to that second level behind the goal. That section was packed with their people…their band…their supporters…chanting their tails off and playing as hard as they possibly could, trying to will the Nittany Lions to victory. And you could see it—the connection. The acknowledgement. The understanding that those weren’t just fans…those were their people.
At least…that’s what we think we’re seeing. Last weekend , covering the NCAA hockey tournament, sitting in a press box with a group I don’t usually sit with. Not NHL people, but college hockey writers. Great group…really sharp…and they notice things the rest of us probably don’t.
So I started asking questions.
Michigan’s band was there, and their situation was interesting. Their band was split. Part of it was in Albany, and part of it was following the basketball team, which was also deep into March Madness and eventually heading toward the Final Four. That makes sense…this time of year gets chaotic. But then something else stood out.
University of Minnesota Duluth didn’t have a band there at all. None.
And if you’ve ever watched Duluth play, you know that’s not normal….so I asked about it. And the first answer was simple enough: they tried to raise the money to travel and couldn’t get there. It happens. Moving a band isn’t cheap. Buses, hotels, food, instruments…you’re talking tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes $50,000 or more depending on the size. But then the conversation kept going.
And this is where it started to get weird.
Because what I was told was this: sometimes the band you’re hearing at these tournaments isn’t actually from that school. They are local kids being paid to play their instruments and play srtudenrts from whatever college is paying them.
Now…I didn’t buy it.
Not at all. In fact, pretty much everyone I brought this up to early on had the same reaction. No way. That can’t be real. That’s not possible. And honestly, I agreed with them. It sounded like one of those stories that gets passed around and grows legs over time.
But the more I asked…the more it didn’t go away…..Instead, it kept coming up.
I was told how in certain situations—especially early rounds, neutral sites, or with smaller programs—schools will rely on local or host bands to fill in. To play the fight songs. To create the atmosphere. TO WEAR THE UNIFORMS……To make it feel like what you’re hearing is coming from that school…even if it isn’t.
I had to know…So I started digging…..and low and behold….
There are examples. Back in 2019, Colgate University used local musicians during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament instead of bringing their own band, which didn’t exactly go over well with their students. More recently, when Yale University couldn’t send their band to Spokane, the University of Idaho pep band stepped in and handled the music in that building. And once you start asking around, you realize this isn’t some one-off story people whisper about. It’s actually pretty well known in that world.
So I went back into the band world and spoke with Kushol Gupta, Assistant Band Director at the University of Pennsylvania. I love band people. He couldn’t have been sharper or more generous with his time, and he walked me through a lot of this…the Yale situation, the Colgate situation, and the broader reality behind the scenes. And what I came away with was this: not all of this is nefarious. Sometimes programs are just stretched in too many directions at once. Logistics get impossible. Timing gets tight. Teams are told where they’re going just days in advance. Bands are already committed…or split…or simply can’t get there in time. But Gupta was clear to note he was lucky at Penn and support wasn’t an issue…
But then my band contact gave me a sports fact I was completely unaware of….
When it comes to March Madness basketball, the NCAA pays the way and covers all travel—flights, hotels, per diem—for players, coaches, and usually up to about 29 band members. But even that gets complicated when schools like UConn are deep into multiple tournaments at once—men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and both hockey sides. The NCAA pays team expenses and limited band expenses for the College Football Bowls..but not the Football Championship Series Bowl Games..
Still looking for evidence that this practice exists… I went looking for something—anything—that would either prove it or kill it completely. And I found something…
And buried in the NCAA guidelines…there’s a line that says bands-for-hire—local bands brought in to gill in for bands not traveling—do not receive per diem.
Think about that for a second. That’s not a rule you write unless the situation exists. That, to me, was the moment where this stopped sounding like a rumor…and started feeling very real.
And I’ll be honest…the more I thought about it, the more it stuck with me.
Because I was a band kid growing up. I know how much time goes into it…how much pride is wrapped up in it. It’s not about money.
Gupta, who said at Penn this had never happened and they were well supported, did note, “No on in the band that we know of is pulling in NIL Money.”
Niote: I also reached out to Yale and Colgate for their side of this and haven’t heard back yet. If and when I do, I’ll add to this story.