lsu PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: The Ohio State Buckeyes marching band waits on the field prior to the 96th Rose Bowl game against the Oregon Ducks on January 1, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

LSU is taking a hard stance against opponents’ marching bands.

Opponents marching bands will now be banned from performing at halftime of LSU games under a new policy by the school, reports Ross Dellegner of The Advocate. According to a team spokesperson, the ban was enacted due to safety concerns.

“It’s a safety issue,” team spokesperson Michael Bonnette told The Advocate. “We don’t have room down there for both bands. In order for bands to perform at half, they’ve got to come down to the field before the first half ends. That’s a lot of people on the sideline.”

The policy was reportedly implemented last season. LSU previously applied the bans to McNeese State and Auburn.

Bonnette didn’t cite any specific example of safety issues to The Advocate in the past that would suggest a ban is necessary. It’s an interesting decision. Is LSU banning really marching bands due to safety concerns? Because huge football venues like Tiger Stadium are flush with space. If it’s a case of having no room, how did they manage to find the room before? Has something changed? It’s a crummy decision for those school bands looking to make the trip to LSU to perform at halftime. LSU gains no competitive edge from the decision, so it has to come down to logistics.

If it really was a safety concern, LSU had no choice but to ban opponents’ bands. But, considering how teams have found the room for opposing bands before, the decision is a bit mystifying.

[Sports Illustrated]

About Liam McGuire

Social +Staff writer for The Comeback & Awful Announcing. Liammcguirejournalism@gmail.com