Kentucky sax player keeps 'crying band member' tradition alive
Crying band members are becoming a staple of the NCAA tournament.
The latest example occurred Saturday at the end of Kentucky’s loss to regional rival Indiana. Television cameras focused on a young woman in the Kentucky pep band crying while holding her alto saxophone in front of her face.
this is march. pic.twitter.com/zniKNwdK7s
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) March 19, 2016
[Indiana earns third Sweet 16 in five seasons by ousting Kentucky]
You can understand the emotion. Band members at schools across the country devote huge amounts of time to their craft and often are some of their team’s most ardent supporters.
Last year, the tournament introduced us to Roxanne Chalifoux, a piccolo player in the Villanova band who became an Internet sensation when television cameras focused on her crying at the end of the Wildcats' loss to Villanova. You could understand her tears, too. It was her final game in her senior year and the Wildcats were the first No. 1 seed eliminated from the tournament by N.C. State.
Some of you might be all up in arms about people making fun of these raw emotions with memes and social media commentary, but it's just another aspect of the tournament that makes it fun for some. No harm, no foul.
Let's not feel too bad for these band members. They know they run the risk of being caught on camera at some point whether they're crying or doing something over the top to support their teams. And remember, Chalifoux ended up sitting in with "The Tonight Show" band, The Roots, and eventually had a bobblehead made in her honor last year.
— Sports Comedy (@SportsComedy_) March 19, 2016
— John Nabors (@TheForumJohn) March 19, 2016
Kentucky saxophone girl has nothing on Villanova piccolo
— Natalie Breneman (@nataliebreneman) March 19, 2016
My vote is easily Villanova Piccolo Girl. She kept playing thru the tears like a champ. Kentucky saxophone girl stopped. #TeamPiccoloGirl
— Patrick Quaife (@pquaife) March 19, 2016
Saw this coming a mile away. RT @darrenrovell: Kentucky Crying Band Member > Villanova Crying Band Member pic.twitter.com/XT6fS5w6Qv
— AR. (@aahren_) March 19, 2016
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo