Yes. Lots of moving parts. Glad to read that you understand a few of them and are willing to share your insight with everyone.
In the end, funding a marching band anywhere depends upon sustained giving. And TU has not invested in the structural architecture needed to ensure endowed gifts dedicated for that purpose meet continuing needs, as well as maintain unrestricted and dedicated alumni gifts for that purpose. In the end, that’s what you are talking about. They are working on it. It takes time.
Ohio State has 70 years of endowed gifts behind their band. Notre Dane is the same. At one point in the 90’s the Tennessee marching band had a larger budget than our entire football program.
TU’s sporadic dedication to funding the band and funding the people who can raise the money to pay for the band could be overcome with interested band alumni funding such efforts. To date, nobody has stepped up to do that. Band boosters are just as important as football boosters. Perhaps more so without a media rights deal. As for your highlighted problems with recruiting, if you build it, they will come.
