O.T: Silent Night
One night every December, students at tiny Taylor University pack the school's gymnasium and participate in a phenomenon that's completely out of place in modern sports: silence.
The fans in the standing-room-only crowd are as loud as a library for as long as it takes Taylor's basketball team to score 10 points. But once that happens, there's no shushing them. As soon as Taylor hits double digits, the students erupt into bedlam, and they don't stop screaming and dancing until it's time for the post-game Christmas party on campus.
Friday's racket known as "Silent Night"—the game ends with a student singalong of the Christmas carol—is very, very quietly a tradition unlike any other.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014241278873246401045781634539954999…
December 6th, 2012 at 11:53 PM ^
December 7th, 2012 at 5:41 AM ^
since they pledge chasity, no homo stuff, etc. kidding aside, great tradition, good for them, and after seeing that and the USU insert that was added, would be fun to see Michigan develop our own tradition that is as tightly wrapped as one of those.
December 7th, 2012 at 9:33 AM ^
I went to Indiana Wesleyan for my undergrad (Taylor's main rival), but we never played them while this was going on unfortunatley. Went to every game against them whether it was home or away. Would have been cool to see it in person
December 6th, 2012 at 11:54 PM ^
That would make me very nervous as a player. So much pressure to score quickly.
December 6th, 2012 at 11:54 PM ^
Also the school that has moses part the red sea is good too
December 6th, 2012 at 11:55 PM ^
These are the types of traditions that college sports should be about.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:06 AM ^
December 7th, 2012 at 12:21 AM ^
December 7th, 2012 at 12:31 AM ^
This is sorta like a mass Vipassana mediatation.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:38 AM ^
That is exactly what I was thinking.
December 7th, 2012 at 12:54 AM ^
If we are appreciating other fans traditions, utah state has the best college basketball fans I can find, just awesome.
December 7th, 2012 at 6:17 AM ^
The "Winning Team/Losing Team" chant is my all-time favorite. It's the perfect college chant.
December 7th, 2012 at 10:06 AM ^
December 7th, 2012 at 1:01 AM ^
I want to hang out in a room full of 2000 people eating cookies and making gingerbread houses!
December 7th, 2012 at 1:19 AM ^
If Taylor University was relevant at all, this would be awesome.
December 7th, 2012 at 6:00 AM ^
It's still awesome.
December 7th, 2012 at 11:02 AM ^
/s
December 7th, 2012 at 1:24 AM ^
We had this tradition at basketball for like the entire Amaker era. Except we set it at 80 points.
December 7th, 2012 at 5:46 AM ^
Every place and group has its own traditions. I remember seeing the rock at Washtenaw and Hill painted and repainted, a Michigan tradition. Ohio has swimming in the Oval before the MIchigan game. As a student, I remember students being passed up the Michigan stands, a tradition that has since been outlawed, from my understanding. (I don't think passing up students would work anymore anyway, because from the pictures I've seen posted here at mgoblog, the student section is no longer crowded during games. Apparently football games aren't as popular at Michigan as they once were.)
At any rate, I'm glad the Taylor students have something like this to celebrate the end of the term and enjoy some fun and craziness. Those are the kind of things that make for great memories. I remember all the alumni who would come to Ann Arbor on game days. You could see, as they looked around and walked around, the remembrance and reliving of a time long past. Now I am in that position myself, and I'm thankful for good memories of dorm and fraternity game day traditions. Good times, good traditions, and good memories.
December 7th, 2012 at 5:51 AM ^
Any story on student basketball fans that doesn't involve Dick Vitale and the DUKIES (!!!) is OK with me.
December 7th, 2012 at 6:13 AM ^
This is very cool. It'd be fun for the Maize Rage to try that once. Then again, we should probably come up with our own thing.
December 7th, 2012 at 7:58 AM ^
/worst idea ever
December 7th, 2012 at 8:27 AM ^
December 7th, 2012 at 9:06 AM ^
...I'm surprised the entire student body can pull off the silent act. You'd think there would be at least one asshole who would shout out something lewd about halfway through that would send everybody into giggles.