Bayou Classic 2018 a major success
3rd December 2018 · 0 Comments
With a near-capacity crowd and the national spotlight on what has been called the Black College Super Bowl,” Bayou Classic has been deemed a major success by Southern University, Grambling State University and City of New Orleans officials.
More than 67,000 people attended the Bayou Classic this year and sellout crowds of 73,000 and 32,000 were reported at the Saints-Falcons game and the Battle of the Bands/Greek Show respectively.
This year’s game between the SU Jaguars and the GSU Tigers was aided by gorgeous weather, a game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons that featured both HBCU bands at halftime and an influx of fans that sometimes have to choose whether to attend the Bayou Classic or the Saints-Falcons game.
For the first time ever, the Thursday night NFL matchup featured a mini Battle of the Bands with both Southern University and Grambling State University performing at halftime. GSU’s Tiger Marching Band formed a fleur de lis on the football field while SU’s Human Jukebox spelled out “Benson” and “Brees,” much to the surprise and delight of members of the Who Dat Nation.
“The only problem was you couldn’t see it on TV,” Kendra Watkins, a longtime Bayou Classic fan, told The Louisiana Weekly. “They didn’t show it on TV. Can you believe that?
“I was getting all these phone calls and texts about it but had to wait to see the whole thing on YouTube. It was awesome though.
“I just wish more people could have seen it performed live.”
Bayou Classic organizers tweaked the schedule a little bit this year with the annual parade moving from the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day to the morning of the game. Instead of wrapping up at the French Market, this year’s parade ended at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome just in time for the start of the Bayou Classic Fan Fest.
Also, the game kicked off at 4 p.m. CST instead of the usual 1:30 p.m.
Spotted at the Bayou Classic was none other than Saints star running back Alvin Kamara, who was shown interacting with Southern University football players on the sideline and hanging out with members of SU’s famed Human Jukebox.
When images of Kamara hanging out at the Bayou Classic were shown on the Dome’s big screens, the entire stadium erupted in applause.
The only complaint cited several times about the Bayou Classic this year was the Superdome DJ blasting music during timeouts rather than allowing the two bands to play songs. It seemed to irk longtime Bayou Classic fans more than current students and twenty-somethings.
“The young folks really don’t get it,” Darryl Smith, a Southern alum, told The Weekly. “They don’t understand the tradition of the two bands blowing songs back and forth at one another during timeouts and what that means to the overall Bayou Classic experience.”
Smith added that there was one magical moment when Southern was playing “Before I Let Go” by Maze that had everybody singing and brought the whole stadium together.
“That was cool,” he noted. “It almost felt like an Essence Fest moment.”
“I’m proud to say we had a phenomenal holiday weekend in the City of New Orleans, and even more proud to say it was a safe and happy one for all of our residents and guests,” said Mayor Cantrell. “Between celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with our neighbors and loved ones, welcoming the thousands of guests in town for the Bayou Classic, and watching our Saints take down the Dirty Birds — we had a lot to be thankful for. I’m especially grateful for the hard work of our first responders and public safety personnel, who kept us all safe while we celebrated.”
The NOPD reported that there were over 400 officers assigned to the downtown area over the holiday, and that there were no reports of gun violence during the course of the festivities. NOPD, working with undercover Louisiana State Police, made 72 arrests in total — including 27 gun arrests. There were no armed robberies, no shootings, and no discharge of weapons reported.
Southern ultimately won the game 38-28 and captured the Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division title. The Jags were preparing at press time to battle the Eastern Division-winning Alcorn State University Braves in the SWAC Championship. The winner of that game will earn a spot in the Black College Football Championship, which will be played in Atlanta.
This article originally published in the December 3, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
