Have you ever started a chant in The Big House (or elsewhere)? Which, and how?
Friends and fellow loudmouths, one of the greatest experiences a person can have is to start an enthusiastic chant followed by 100,000 friends! The psychological effect of joining together for shared chant at full volume and in such a dense crowd is one of the most intense and interesting to behold firsthand.
One of my fondest memories is of when Dad and I were visiting Iowa stadium with our beloved team, and Dad mentioned how quiet it was in a usually very loud 3rd quarter. I’m not sure who’s idea it was, but it was somehow telepathically understood that being seated in the first 3 rows of the packed visitor’s section granted us some sort of freedom to guide the enthusiasm for our section’s fans. I’ve been told I have a decently powerful voice, but I’d never been so bold to use it before as it’s usually kinda intimidating and I’m a peaceful person.
I remember I had imbibed a bit more than usual and couldn’t handle anything complex, so it was decided that “Go / Blue” was the way to go. I stood up at a particularly quiet moment, turned around to face my fellow hooligans, and shouted at the top of my lungs “GOOOO!!!”
At first it was only Dad (Dad has a pretty good voice too, and the loudest whistle if you’ve ever surprise-bled from the ears in the stadium) and a few rows that caught on and responded immediately with the appropriate “BLUUUUUUE!”. After a few more rounds, the entire visitor’s section was in unison, and matching my full-volume intensity. It was especially fun to be the only person screaming the first few Go’s by myself, I don’t remember if others joined me in the Go’s later because I couldn’t hear over the sound of my own voice. It was a glorious 30 seconds, and I had certainly never screamed harder in my life, (despite 4 years as an infantry marine, which is saying something). I think it took 3-5 days to get my voice back fully.
I don't honestly think it made any difference whatsoever in the game (more than a "wow, the Michigan fans are really into it today" or just a mutually-accepted attempt to stay warm) but I'll bet the home crowd of Iowa fans - and for sure our Michigan fans who joined in - at least remember our enthusiasm that day. Dad may have to join in the story to determine which year it was exactly, but I remember it was in the "dark years" of coaching when we didn't win at Kinnick for awhile.
I’d love to hear your stories about your favorite chants and stories, I’ve never sat in a place where I felt I could start an appropriate chant at The Big House (you kinda need to be in a place at the center of attention and I’m usually in the top rows), but I’ve always wanted to.
How does one start a chant at The Big House? What’s the most satisfying one to start? Is starting “the wave” it’s own category and does it compare? Most importantly, what’s the ideal amount to imbibe to prepare properly?
GO BLUE
I started a CAN'T READ/CAN'T WRITE and then later SMOKE GREEN/SNORT WHITE in the student section at the same MSU game one particularly drunk saturday. it is easiest if you are in or in some proximity to the student section, and you kinda gotta look for a mark in the section over to become your compatriot in yelling lol. These are the only two successful chants i've started. It was my own personal Michael Jordan Finals flu game, if you will.
Yeah I don’t know if I would have been successful without Dad there to help as my “compatriot in yelling” (which is a splendid title to bestow on someone actually)
"You can't just start a slow clap any old time. You have to wait for the right moment."
Very underrated movie.
Back in the 90s, me and my group of friends started to chant the Michigan FG kicker's name before each field goal attempt. I think it started when Remy Hamilton went through a cold spell and we were trying to help pysch him back up. It "worked" (he hit a couple in a row) so we continued to do that with each kicker for about 7 or 8 years. We had about half our section chanting for a while.
Another one is that we always yell "watch the fake" before each opponent punt. Silly but we get a quick laugh out of it.
I remember being a part of the student section in '82, and we would start the wave. But we got chastised for making noise when we had the ball. So we prefaced the next one with "SHHHHHH" and did a "silent" wave.
You must have really incredible nonverbal skills or crazy long arms to be able to silently start a wave! I wouldn’t know how to even attempt something like that if I weren’t naturally gifted in some way:
And the slow motion wave.
and the counter-rotating wave.
Student section got a wave going in both directions. The first time they met, they canceled out, and we booed. When people got that they needed to keep it going, and the waves met and continued, that was something.
I was at that game but I think it was in 1983 because I don't think we started doing the wave until 1983. It was the Purdue game. We were making loud noise so that the quarterback's signals couldn't be heard and in those days the refs could charge you with a time out if your fans didn't quiet down and penalties if you ran out of time outs (or is it times out). The initial response is too cheer louder but when you lose your time out and Bo wants you to quiet down you need to resort to something else.
No only did we do the silent wave (it was relatively new back then) but we did all of cheers without sound and it went on for quite some time. We were up by a boatload of points so the outcome of the game was not in doubt and we were just there to have a good time.
I thought the Gregorian chant, "Christe Redemptor", was an honest effort, but the fans around me thought I was a Notre Dame fan.
ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!
Michael should know better than to leave Fredo in charge of things while he's out.
At the "Fire Dave Brandon" rally about a decade ago, a friend of mine (who didn't even really follow football and just wanted to attend for fun) started a "Dave Sucks" chant to the tune of the Temptation "You Suck" chant. He was pretty proud of himself for that one
I forget the year, maybe 2013, i was in the Big 10k in Chicago and we ran under a tunnel in the first 1/2 mile. It was quiet and I never do this thing but just started yelling "Go!" Similar to OP with it ringing through the tunnel.
I was thankfully met with "Blue!" And after a few rounds of just that, other schools started piping in with their chants.
Good honest B1G fun
This and the original post remind of something I often see at Michigan football games when waiting in line outside the gates before the game:
A guy in the age range of 25-35, with an unknown amount of alcohol and drugs on board, will scream "GOOOOOOOO!." He'll sound like he's in extreme pain and he just barely got it out. A few fans will respond with a less intense "BLUE!" He'll do it again and you can sense the vocal cords bleeding.
Anyone else have this experience? I usually go through the SW gate. Maybe it's the same guy every game? :)
In hindsight "Overtaking Ass" wasnt the best choice as it doesnt roll off the the tongue.
Still I kept trying to get it going every commercial break.
It was just me at home with the dogs but there were a few howls before they finally gave up and went upstairs.
Back in the late 70s I and a couple buddies did so.
We were in Ann Arbor hitting the bars and parties on the Friday night before The Game. We found our way to the annual Mud Bowl pep rally on the lawn of one of the fraternity houses where Bob Ufer was going to address the crowd, then we proceeded to start a chant of "U-FER! U-FER! U-FER!" that quickly got the entire crowd going. Ol' Bob Ufer took it from there!
I wish I could have been around in Ufer’s time, what an easy guy to chant for! Who else could have matched your crowd’s enthusiasm back with only the power of his words and character?
Bless your cotton pickin' heart.
a couple weeks ago I was at a Jrs hockey playoff and the officials were horribly inconsistant in the championship game...... penalties were 8-2, I started the "Ref you Suck" when we were called for a questionable penalty with less than 2 minutes left in the third holding a 4-3 lead and the opposing team's goalie pulled. It seems, although I was surrounded by fans of the same team (many were parents and billet parents of players), I was the only one that thought it was a good idea. I got several 'side eye' glances...
we held off the powerplay and completed the championship tournament sweep.
This is how to start a blog chant.
I went to Detroit Catholic Central in the late ‘90s. All we did was create cheering sections. Some of best cheering sections and cheers were during hockey games.
I was a hockey cheer guy in my student years (96-2002). I was responsible for the "expanding ass pants" chant when the linesman would bend over for a faceoff in front of the student section. I was the "<goalie name> sieve" guy in 2000-2002. My roommate (Jeff the Flyin Hawaiian) led the "AOOOGA AOOOGA DIVE DIVE" chant in 98-99. Good times.
I started the goalie sieve chant at the start of the period on the road against ND (I believe the goalie was Cey) and we scored a goal when I hit the long yell
My dream is for the stadium to chant "Third Base" at the end of this years game towards Ryan Day while we are pulverizing the buckeyes for the third time in a row. I think I could die happy right then and there.
Mad - you need to connect with the DJ. Your comment provoked a thought…over the years, we have witnessed Michigan Stadium “split”.. with one half cheering “Go!”, as the other half followed it with “Blue!”.
I recall the penultimate regular season game - in the fourth quarter - using that same rhythm - using the words “Beat!” and “Ohio!”.
Should the opportunity present itself this fall.. “Third!” and “Base!” would be exceptional. And, a couple of others might be “three” and “peat”, or “Tri” and “Fecta”…
I'd be able to start an ole fashioned "USA" chant at random bars, parties, sporting events. That ones too easy when beverages are involved.
I also like to root for “Earthlings” at the Olympics because I tend to find unique or likable characters rather than just follow certain teams or nations. I haven’t gotten much response on that one yet, it’s hard to be tribal when it includes everybody
Tiger Stadium in the outfield seats in right.
"Give me a B" section chants "B"
"Give me a B" section chants "B"
"Give me a B" section chants "B"
"What's that spell...BBB *wiping finger across lips at same time* Think looney tunes
I was 13 and thought it was funny, so did everyone around us.
At the Big House.. oh.. must be 13-15 years ago (pre-kids), I was at the game before all the lazers and blazers and djs.. and they did the M > I > C > H... chant around the stadium, things that got people excited back in the 1950s. Anyway, as they went around, of course the student and alumni sections were loud, but my tix were a few letters away from them and as always with the Big House, you can only really hear the people across the stadium from you.
After the first 2 rounds, you could only hear a few letters as most were bored with the chant and pretty docile.
As it hit the 2nd I.... i just stood up and yelled I (to line up with the other side of the stadium) who wasn't doing their job, and got a lot of golf clap/chuckles for it in my section.
Never understood people who go to games to be quiet and act like its golf. Get the F Up and get into it.
I think that's all I got...
When Michigan played Nebraska in 2011 (on 11/19, my birthday) I was sitting 6th row in the end zone we were driving toward and the scoreboard behind me shorted out. I started counting down the play clock as loud as I could and then everyone around me realized the scoreboard was out behind us as well and we had ourselves a useful chant.
Denard actually called it out after the game. About the coolest thing I've ever done.
That’s about as much of a positive impact you can have on a game as a fan!
I will say this for maybe the 1000th time. The big house is a fun, mixed-age, mixed interest group who are just looking to have a good time at a sporting event. Even with 50k die hards, there are 50k who are thinking about getting out early to beat the traffic.
That said, we are not a "jump around" crowd like wisky. We are a fun crowd though and a welcoming one to other fans - and I think after the 3rd quarter, there should be some classics that old/young would all love singing together. Maybe just pick 2-3 songs... Or maybe just 1. My choice is "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie. Everyone knows it. Put the lyrics on the board and the place would rock.
Maybe save that for night games. The place would be electric.
I know everyone here loves the killers song but that doesnt really relate for a lot of older folks. Make it for everyone. Young drunk kids will sing anything. Similar to the Journey song they do .. but they only play a bit of it. Do it at a quarter when you can play a 5 min song.
We don't need thumping techno and nonsense at all times. Just play a song, get the crowd singing - and for a night game, put your phones up and sing!
Stuff like that has to just kind of randomly happen. If it’s forced it’s lame. Mr. Brightside started in the pouring rain against MSU and I actually like it.
I guess - i think its just fun to create a party like atmosphere. Jump aruond is forced every end of 3Q and its not lame. The wave at Kinnick is forced but not lame.
I agree it CAN be lame, and im not telling them to make it a sing along.. im saying.. make the atmosphere fun without forcing?
We're kinda saying the same-ish thing.
agreed! i’m personally not wild about “mr brightside,” but i loooooooove how much the students get into it, partially BECAUSE it doesn’t seem like a great “pump it up” song. unlike, you know, “pump it up.’
Memorial Stadium (Cal Berkeley) 2003
Students rushed the field after handing USC their first loss in 2.5 years or something ridiculous. Was standing next to Aaron Rodgers and started yelling “Whose house? Our house!” the whole field was chanting it in about 5 seconds.
Pretty sure Rodgers took credit for starting it in an interview years later. What a dick.
totally checks out, right?
I started Fuck The Irish at Pancheros on a Friday night before a home game with them about 20 years ago. It got pretty loud TBH.
I hope you were enjoying an El Gordo the time.
I lived on Pancheros in the 1990s but IIRC they went from a gut-bomb Mex concept to a fresh Mex concept.
I haven't had Cottage Inn pizza in maybe 20 years, I wonder if I would still like it.
A slightly different take. We were playing at home against a non-conference team. Their point guards name was Brasswell. He missed a couple of shots pretty bad early and our fans started chanting "Ass smell". The guy ended up going off for 35 feeding off the increasingly louder chants of "Ass smell". He wouldn't listen to anything we said. He was so focused on showing up our fans. We won so I can look back and laugh now. That is the only crowd chant I can remember, mainly because of how much that dude thrived on it. Later I found out one of my friends started the chant. I made it very clear, the next time they get on a guy, once he tops 15 points, pick someone else to harass!
I started 'na-na-hey-hey goodbye' in the south EZ against PSU several years ago as M pulled away. Fun evening game.
Back when I was a counselor at Camp North Star, during the intercamp Olympics I gave a rousing speech to the assembled staff. Talked about Trinidad & Tobago, girls preferring dudes with money, standard stuff. But I ended it with a chant of "It just doesn't matter!" Seemed to work pretty well.
At the 1998 Rose Bowl, I noticed the Wazzu band uniforms seemed a bit second rate, so I started a "High School Band" chant. Not sure how original that was, but it got a few rounds out of our area of the student section.
Tried to start a "one more year" chant in 02 against MSU (Bobby Williams last year as coach for MSU), but it didn't take. Fun game though, we won 49-3.