One specific member of the University of Indiana marching band probably should have just stayed home on Saturday. There was no reason for him to be in attendance at the Hoosiers’ home football game against the Louisville Cardinals.
(Now, before we go any further here, let me be very clear that I’m not going to get into a discussion about the pandemic or anything of that nature. This isn’t about testing numbers. This isn’t about statistics. None of that.)
This is strictly about optics — and hilarious ones at that.
As Indiana quickly fell behind to Louisville during the first quarter on the Big Ten Network, the broadcast cut to the stands. There, it showed the Hoosiers’ marching band, known best as the Marching Hundred.
They were absolutely jamming out. Except for one trumpet player, who was not playing at all.
Rather, he was wearing an N95 mask and pretending to finger the notes right along with the rest of his section. It immediately caught my attention and I quickly sought out a clip on social media.
This was the best that I could find:
WHAT?! HOW?! WHY?!
There are so many unanswered questions here. It seems as though Indiana’s band would have been better suited without the masked trumpeter.
He served zero purpose. None. He was not actually producing a single note.
So why was he there? And why the mask?
If the hornist had the sniffles to the point that he had to wear a mask, he should have just stayed home. If it was something to do with numbers, surely there was someone else who could have filled in for the ill brass player. Literally anyone could stand amongst the band and not play a single note.
Was no one else available to take his place? There wasn’t a single other person who could fake it?
What an image. What a moment.
College football is the most normal sport in the world. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!