I had a wonderful time and a wonderful experience covering the 2023 Cricket Wireless Celebration Bowl.
I traveled from Washington to Atlanta not only as a graduating senior at Howard University, but also as co-founder and producer of Bison Burrough, a writer for the Clutchpoints x HBCU Pulse Content Creator Program and a sports critic on the outlook of Bison football for HUNewsService.com.
My responsibilities included interviewing people for Bison Burrough’s packages and social media page, as well as covering the game and Inaugural Band of the Year National Championships for the HBCU Pulse Internship.
My plan was to go down to Atlanta on Friday, cover the game on Saturday and fly to Las Vegas on Sunday for winter break and to celebrate the holidays with my family. I wish I had bought tickets to attend the Band of the Year Championships, because hearing the bands in person would have been such a life-invigorating experience.
However, I watched them on YouTube as soon as they were uploaded.
From the perspective of someone who used to be in the Howard University S.H.O.W.T.I.M.E. Marching Band, the four bands impressed the crowd with their musical selections and the formations on the field. Jackson State arguably had the most well put together show with a theme centered around Usher’s music.
The drum majors even dressed in suits unbuttoned at the top with shades on like Usher. The winners would not be announced until halftime of the Celebration Bowl.
On Saturday, I woke up bright and early to get to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in time for the Coca-Cola Fan Experience as there was food trucks, pop-up shops, DJs and finally a battle of the bands between two high school with the main event being Howard’s S.H.O.W.T.I.M.E. Marching Band versus The Marching 100 of Florida A&M University.
I captured many great moments from the tailgate as all of the bands were battling.
Both bands from Columbia and South Cobb high schools really brought it, and it was a sight to behold watching kids enjoy their element in their arts. It was a great precursor to the halftime battle. The Hundred sounded amazing in person, and Howard’s band did not waver, putting up a fight and playing extremely well, too.
The actual game was extremely fun. The atmosphere between the two fan bases lived up to the hype. The FAMU side was full of energy, while the Bison side had a lot of raw emotion, too.
It was more raucous on Howard’s side, because the Bison were up early in the game and had a 16-7 lead. But FAMU is not a team to be underestimated. Once the Rattlers started coming back, it was a noticeable momentum shift in the game and between the teams.
Sidenote: The halftime show battle was phenomenal between both collegiate bands. S.H.O.W.T.I.M.E. and The Marching 100 each had their best hits.
Howard played Usher and Glorilla, while FAMU played Annihilate with a picture of Spider-Man, a web and a picture of the Celebration Bowl trophy, which was interesting foreshadowing to say the least.
I interviewed a multitude of fans, including actor and Howard alum Lance Gross for the second time in the football season, and I got footage of quarterback Cam Newton doing card tricks.
Just the ability to capture the energy and emotion in person was truly amazing. The Bison lost the game, and I saw the energy for Howard leave the stadium. But my overall experience as a journalist at the Celebration Bowl was elating, because I got a true glimpse at what the professionals get to do for only the biggest of sporting events. And what I want to do in the future.
Gregory Lloydon Coleman is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.
