As Missouri gets set to clash with Kansas in the annual Border War football game, the marching bands square off against each other as well.

Call it capitalizing on competition for charity. Many consider the MU-KU game the biggest football game of the season. Why not exploit the passions of the rivalry for a good cause?

Marching Mizzou is competing with its Kansas counter-parts to raise money for the ALS Association. Marching Mizzou Director Brad Snow reasons that if the football teams are going to go after each other, the bands might as well, too.

“That’s right,” Snow says with a laugh, “And, you know, again a chance to do something good in the process. We just think it’s nothing but a win-win for us.”

Marching Mizzou will dedicate its half-time performance at Arrowhead to those living with ALS, popularly known as Lou Gehrig disease. Snow says it’s an appropriate cause for the band to champion. ALS slowly paralyzes the muscles and attacks breathing. Snow says members of a marching band understand the importance of breath.

Snow says the competition with KU seems to have worked as a motivator…but in the end, it isn’t about the two schools.

“It’s not about MU-KU. That’s just a vehicle to do something good,” according to Snow. “Ultimately, our goal is to…maybe the funding that we help provide is going to put the research over the top and they can cure this disease.”

The two schools had raised nearly $25,000 earlier in the week, a nice chunk of the $160,000 raised nationwide in the Marching for Hope campaign. Marching Mizzou is one of the 21 college marching bands taking part. You can view online Marching Mizzou’s progress by clicking here.

AUDIO: Brent Martin reports [1:15 mp3]