Time To Downsize Blake-Middleton?

Middleton's 19-12 triumph Saturday against Blake at Raymond James Stadium reaffirmed two of my most enduring beliefs: (1) The Tigers and Yellow Jackets have no local peer in the marching band department; and (2) Some things in life - a Springsteen acoustical jam, anniversary dinners, prep football - are meant for intimate settings.

I attended the afternoon contest, teeming with both hype and humidity, anticipating an electric atmosphere. Instead, I found a cavernous one. The announced crowd of 9,003 - far shy of expectations - was sprinkled throughout the lower bowl, surrounded by approximately 56,000 empty seats.

Insert that same crowd into a large high school stadium on a Friday night, and that sparse audience would've been a boisterous throng (see Jefferson-Armwood game).

Of course, there are some drawbacks to scaling back: The kids would be denied the privilege of competing in an NFL stadium, and there isn't a local high school stadium large enough to accommodate the Blake-Middleton following, as the 2004 contest at Chamberlain proved.

I don't know how to rectify the former, but I've got a solution for the latter: temporary bleachers. Rent out Chamberlain's field for a night, put in some extra seats, and sell as many tickets as the county will allow.

Maybe it's just me, but a packed prep stadium seems to give off more energy than a mostly empty pro one.

Comments

Last time I checked, the paper was called the St. Petersburgh Times. Not the Tampa Times.....but there is a two page spread in Wednesday's paper about this game. Who cares? Put in in the Tampa edition, but people over here DO NOT CARE!!! I am sure that all of the reporters worked hard on the story, but no one cares. Surely there are local schools that have storied rivalries as well. VERY VERY disappointing to waste so much time to this non story......

If it ain't local, it ain't news! If I wanted to read about 2 Tampa teams I would buy the Trib!

This game is a Joke. The only good thing about this game is the kids get to play on a NFL feld other than that it is always a boring game. Yes some times the will score 3 or 4 touchdowns but you can see that on any high school field. The fans always cause trouble and they dont even watch the game they are there for the social gathering and to see who has the most gold teeth.

[BP]

Good Story...this is the reason SPT is #1. Well diverse, serving all.....Instead of just focusing on the Yuppie Private Schools. 9000 people are 9000 Subscribers...too bad the other readers (on the Blog) don't understand Marketing 101 ....Some understand the purpose of this article is to support the Athletes on the field that will someday represent Tampa Bay at the next level...let's face it.. alot of good Athletes come from this Rivalry regardless of the social aspect and "Gold Teeth"...that's what sports is all about...if you don't like what the Kids are wearing and their culture don't watch the NBA/NFL/FSU or Miami .... We can't continue to dress and act like "Others" would like....It is what it is and that's why you watch it religiously, because you LOVE IT....don't knock it...Good Ballers, Supporters and SPT

[BP]

Good Story...this is the reason SPT is #1. Well diverse, serving all.....Instead of just focusing on the Yuppie Private Schools. 9000 people are 9000 Subscribers...too bad the other readers (on the Blog) don't understand Marketing 101 ....Some understand the purpose of this article is to support the Athletes on the field that will someday represent Tampa Bay at the next level...let's face it.. alot of good Athletes come from this Rivalry regardless of the social aspect and "Gold Teeth"...that's what sports is all about...if you don't like what the Kids are wearing and their culture don't watch the NBA/NFL/FSU or Miami .... We can't continue to dress and act like "Others" would like....It is what it is and that's why you watch it religiously, because you LOVE IT....don't knock it...Good Ballers, Supporters and SPT

Steven Reynolds- Dixie Holllins High School