Florida Classic needs help

Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time of year to be a glutton of turkey and football, and not exactly in that order.

On the docket were a whole host of rivalry games but, in all seriousness, nothing beat the Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern University. For my money, it’s the best game between two black schools.

Yeah, that includes the Florida Classic.

While I have not had the privilege of going to the game yet, it’s on my list of athletic events to attend before I die.

The Florida Classic is a great atmosphere but bickering between two schools has left it the second-best classic. And, that is coming from a third-generation Rattler.

Two years ago, FAMU had a contract with the United Broadcasting Company but the Florida Classic was not aired nationally because the two schools could not agree on how much money Bethune-Cookman would receive from the airing of the game.

This year’s Classic was aired on ESPNU, and while it’s a step up from nothing, FAMU and B-CC can do better.

ESPNU has exclusive rights to the Florida Classic for the next six years, ruling out the possibility of trying to get a television deal with another network.

The gushing over the Grambling and Southern bands at halftime was hilarious. It was like the Bayou was the only place to see a real halftime show.

I still remember the halftime show at my first Florida Classic 11 years ago like it was 11 days ago.

When I interviewed the legendary Eddie Robinson a couple years ago, he said one of the things he was most proud of was starting the Bayou Classic.

If Jake Gaither knew that foolishness between the two schools kept the game from being televised he would turn in his grave!

There is nothing the Bayou Classic has that the Florida Classic does not on a similar scale.

If you want a good halftime show, the Marching 100 has you covered.

If you want a good atmosphere, Orlando will never compare to pre-Katrina New Orleans, but 80 degrees in late November and a host of theme parks couldn’t be that bad.

Players, coaches and fans of both schools, who do not have access to a satellite dish, should not be punished because the administrations could not co-exist long enough to broker a television deal.

Will Brown is a senior journalism student from Rockledge. He can be reached at wbrown19@yahoo.com.