Go Terps!

This blog has suffered through neglect of late. And it's not because I have run out of experiences or ideas (quite the opposite in fact). It's just that I haven't had the time for quiet reflection and recollection. I've been wanting to write about the US presidential race, my research ideas and my record collecting experiences, among other things. But with a rash of course assignments over the last two to three weeks and the recent passing of Ma Bartes, it's been difficult to find the head space to blog.

Until this weekend - that is - when I attended my first American football match (the University of Maryland Terrapins v Wake Forest) at Chevy Chase Bank Field/Byrd Stadium on campus. Well, when I say attended, I mean it in a general sense. I actually was working sound for a broadcast company, Raycom, which covered the match (see me holding the parabolic microphone to capture on-field sound). It was pretty mindless 'scud work', but at least it afforded me the opportunity to see the action as close-up as you can without being in the middle of a scrimmage. And I'll be pocketing $75 for my efforts!

I have to admit to being a little overwhelmed by this sporting experience. I figured it was a college game; it would draw a modest crowd. No way! Approximately 45 000 spectators turned out for this fixture. That's way more than usually turn out for international cricket fixtures in South Africa.

But the high attendance is only the tip of the iceberg in these events. In the build-up to the kick-off the Maryland band and cheerleaders (easily in excess of a couple of hundred members) rang in the game with marches, music and acrobatic moves that aren't really my thing. So dramatic was this build-up, I expected the second coming. I can only imagine what happens in preparation for NFL games...

Of course the match was about more than the on-field play (although Maryland performed well to rout Wake Forest 26-0). There also seemed to be an endless stream of sponsored competitions and special events, adding to and heightening the sense of spectacle.

When administrators and commentators speak of the need to professonalise (i.e. commercialise) sport in South Africa, I now understand what they mean and what they're aspiring to.