By Harry Minium
Norfolk, go. – Ricky Rahne was in the former football locker room Dominion by talking to his players at halftime of the first match of Thursday evening of the ODU last season, and therefore missed the show that everyone left the stadium to speak.
At halftime of the TV victory at the national scale of the ODU on Georgia Southern, more than 350 drones got up behind the Atlantic Bay football complex and for nine minutes, presented a show unlike all that is seen in Hampton Roads.
The drones paid tribute to the soldiers and the ODU and met to represent tanks, ships, planes and even an aircraft carrier land a jet.
There was a virginie card surrounding the “757” figures, a regional code for most of the Hampton road region. The training was created as the ODU group played in the background.
The fans applauded while watching the show, which attracted a thunderous ovation when it ended.
“I wanted to see him live,” said Rahne, the ODU football coach.
For all these fans who missed the show and wanted to be able to see it, we have good news.
The Drone Show, partially sponsored last season by Odu Global, will return this season. Odu Global, the university’s online learning division, will partially spare the Drone Show once again.
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We hope to announce in the coming weeks in which game we are going to put the Drone Show.
The Drone Show is the last of the elements in play added to ODU football which are designed to entertain the fans in a way that was not envisaged years ago.
Decades ago, watching a university football match and entertaining by the fanfare was sufficient for most fans. Music could be played on the speaker, but the game itself had to be sufficient entertainment.
But as university athletics has evolved, the same goes for the interests and tastes of fans. Fans are now expecting to be entertained during dead time and other long breaks in action.
The NFL, the NBA and the big colleges across the country have long increased their entertainment at stake, and Odu is part of this group.
The authorities consider each minute of time to be died of time to fill, but a chance to hire and energize the fans.
Alyshia Allison, ODU assistant sports director for marketing and promotions, leads the group in charge of entertainment.
And that goes from pre-match fireworks, while the team runs on the field; Music, light shows, the cannon held by ODU Rotc students and the camera teams that constantly splash the faces of hundreds of fans’ faces on the dashboard.
“We have the impression that our job is to keep fans engaged throughout a match,” said Allison.
And from my point of view, Odu did a much better work to entertain fans in 2024 than during the 16 previous seasons.
The music was clear and in time. Mandatory announcements have been reduced to a minimum. The cameras crossed the crowd, looking for people to put the dashboard.
“Sweet Caroline”, Neal Diamond’s song which has become a kind of anthem for the Boston Red Sox and the Panthers of Caroline, has become more popular with ODU fans, who sing with Neal Diamond at the end of the second half of many games.
The ice cream and the cake, the singing and the dance routine that only ODU fans would understand, of course, remain a must for monarch football and male and female basketball.
The light shows, in which the lights of the stadium and the laser combine with music, have become more complicated and more entertaining.
When my girlfriend from Germany visited the SB Ballard Stadium last fall, she did not understand university football, but she loved shows and music.
Good entertainment, it turns out that language and culture transcend.
If you like what you see, it’s not an accident. We ask our fans after each season, and we really take into account your comments.
“This is an essential step for us every year, to study our fans and carefully examine their comments,” said Joe Rafanelli, ODU associate sports director for the generation of income and external operations.
“We care about our fans and try to welcome them in any way possible.”
ODU fans, you have indicated that you liked the Drone Show and that we bring it back.
You have indicated that you wanted to see more from ODU’s fanfare and that we are looking for ways to involve the group more frequently.
In recent years, we have added races on the field involving fans, and you have loved the races as well as the kick competition on the field. You will see more this season.
Everyone seems to love overflights, whether it involves jet-jet fighters or helicopters, and we intend to keep them to come next season.
You asked for a more diverse musical selection, that you do not want to hear the same 10 songs over and over and we have heard you.
You like the national anthem as it is, so we do not plan to change things.
If you have suggestions, complaints or compliments, send me an email below and I will make sure that the right people see them.
And next Friday, come back to www.odusports.com, Where I will preview everything we do to entertain the fans before the games, including interesting changes that we have planned for 2025.
Renewals of football season tickets have started and tickets are also on sale for new ticket holders. Buy season tickets by clicking here.
Minium is ODU’s main executive editor. Contact it to hminium@odu.edu or follow it Twitter,, Facebook Or Instagram