[Tom Line]

I disagree with the original poster.

I'm not trying to sound glib or mean - but if it hurts please put in earplugs. I absolutely love the electrified feel of the event. In our events (districts in Michigan) we don't have the super-high-tech sound systems anymore - we provide more than enough noise just via the crowd, and it still gets very noisy at times.

Even when we DID have the big sound systems I can't remember a time when it was truly loud enough to bother most folks. But if it does, they are free to take action.

Frankly, if sponsors don't understand how loud a sporting event is, perhaps it's time to educate them. I don't believe in changing an event just to appease a sponsor. Sponsorship is wonderful but I don't believe their sponsorship allows them to dictate how we play our game. That seems a bit of a straw-man argument to me.

Oh - and you really haven't heard what loud is until you get a single bleacher section filled with Rush, Code Red, Pi, and Wings of Fire Members. You DO need hearing protection for that. (WE have spirit... yes we do....)