Midway through the first half of a Syracuse basketball game, long-time fan Rob Schmidt had an epiphany: “We have a band?!” Upon hearing the news, thousands of members of the crowd had similar revelations. Shrieks of surprise like, “What?!” “When did this happen?” and, “That’s what that noise was?!” echoed through the Carrier Dome.
“I’ve been coming to basketball games for 17 years,” said Schmidt, “and not once did I notice that there was a band there playing music. It’s”¦mind-blowing.”
Members of the pep band, reportedly known as the “Sour Sitrus Society,” were not surprised to hear of their anonymity. “We’ve known for quite some time that no one has any idea we’re even there,” said band president Kyle McLane. “But we just keep playing, hoping that people discover that there’s music being played while most of them are off getting more beer before the game resumes. We’re thrilled that it finally happened.”
Schmidt, though, did not share McLane’s elation. When asked if he would pay more attention to the band, now that he is aware of their existence, Schmidt replied, “No, I still don’t give a shit. I’m there to watch basketball, not listen to 19 renditions of “Let’s Go Band.’ Why can’t it be more like football? No music, just sports. You’d never see some kind of band at a football game, that’s for sure.”
Looks like Schmidt is in for another surprise.
