It is preposterous that the possibility exists to send the MSU football team to a bowl game without the 300-member Spartan Marching Band. A college football game deprived of a boisterous band is just another game - empty of spirit.
But despite this fact, the option exists to send the Spartan gridders to their Dec. 31 meeting with the Fresno State Bulldogs in San Jose, Calif., without their most inspired cheering section.
The band discussed Monday whether there is enough money to send the 300-member band to the Silicon Valley Football Classic. The university should show its band more respect than to make members wonder if they deserve a reward for their work this season too.
Perhaps MSU officials are leery about taking a hit in the pocketbook - too bad. They should have thought about that before accepting the invitation to a mediocre bowl on the other side of the country.
Yet there is no debate whether to send the whole football team. Spartan head coach Bobby Williams has said the entire team, complete with bench warmers and the injured, will be in Silicon Valley. And they should all go - they are part of the team.
It’s also not likely MSU will have a problem footing the bill to send trustees, top university officials and major donors to sunny San Jose.
But band travel plans are in limbo. That is wrong.
The marching band shouldn’t be left with the options of either sending a small pep band, or no band at all. Neither scenario is acceptable.
The whole band is the only option that should be considered.
The football team and marching band are part of the marriage that makes college football magical.
During the football team’s banquet Sunday, Williams said the band couldn’t play the MSU Fight Song enough, and when the Spartans put down Notre Dame this year, he waited in the tunnel to give band members high-fives.
A way should be found to get the marching band to Silicon Valley - even if it means football players and band members put on bake sales and car washes to pay for the trip.
Or, if financial times are really that tight, perhaps MSU bigwigs should bite the bullet by gathering at Cowles House to watch the game and donate their tickets to the band.
