Fact check: Yes, every TBDBITL member had a seat at Michigan Stadium

Rumors on social media following Ohio State football’s loss to Michigan purported that members of the OSU marching band were shorted on seating and weren’t fed during Saturday’s rivalry game.

Some Twitter users claimed that The Best Damn Band In The Land was given 100 fewer seats than requested at Michigan Stadium, forcing some band members to stand in the concourse or outside the stadium altogether.

Others said that band members weren’t fed during the game. A few charged that TBDBITL was relegated to a nosebleed section of the Big House instead of closer to the field, signaling that perhaps the Big Ten rivalry had gone too far.

But the rumors aren’t true, said TBDBITL spokesman Evan Drexler.

“Rumors get spread really easily, and, honestly, it’s been pretty frustrating within the band to hear,” Drexler said.

Drexler said that all instrument-playing members of TBDBITL had a seat at Michigan Stadium and were fed during the game. A few students and staff stood in the concourse at times, he said, but it wasn’t for lack of seating.

As for their location in the stadium, Drexler said that’s where all of the away

teams’ marching bands were seated this season. The band normally is a little closer to the field, but COVID-19 protocols this season put the band farther away.

Drexler said he isn’t certain how exactly the rumors got started.

“People probably saw pictures on social media from the press box and made assumptions,” he said.

shendrix@dispatch.com

Michigan Wolverines fan Gerald Blanc of Chicago cheers after a touchdown during Saturday’s game against Ohio State, whose band members did have seats at Michigan Stadium, officials said, despite some rumors to the contrary.

PHOTOS BY ADAM CAIRNS/COLUMBUS DISPATCH Members of the Ohio State Marching Band stand in their seats high atop Michigan Stadium during the football game against the Wolverines on Nov. 27.