Question Brian cant answer
This was from the mail bag. Brian did not have an answer, so I will copy the statement and give my $0.02
"I was at the Eastern/UM game Saturday and noticed the student section doing a chant where they extend their arms at the opposing team and wiggle their fingers... sort of like they're "jinxing" them. It sounds like the students are saying, "boo" or "ooh." At first I thought it was the "key play" chant where they shake their keys, but there were no keys in their hands. Can you enlighten me?"
my $0.02: I believe this started last year and it is a chant/cheer/ritual along the same lines as singing "You Suck" along with the song "Temptation" on 4th down, except this is done quite consistently preceding opponents 3rd down plays, and only on 3rd downs. The band plays a 4-6 bar intro that is supposed to be loud, strong and intimidating, then, led by the band director, the band and students "extend their arms at the opposing team and wiggle their fingers" several times over, and give a repeating OHHH! until the huddle is broken and it turns into a loud continuous roar. It is not oooh, or boo. I dont believe this to be a jinx anything, but rather just another band/ student section ritual in order to increase involvement and raise the noise level.
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:48 AM ^
I don't like it. It sounds even more annoying then "you suck chant".
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:09 AM ^
I think it's better than the "You Suck", more classy, and from what Boerma described, he weaves in portions of The Victors at different pitches. He calls it the Intimidation Cheer:
http://michigandaily.com/content/video/blue-2-marching-band-puts-pressu…
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:20 AM ^
Initially, this was an extension of "Key play" third downs. Done with keys attached to your hand: finger through a key ring, fist the keys, punch out and extend your fist while jiggling keys.
edit: most still do it without keys attached now. it's pretty effective when everybody had pom-poms (MSU last year), or if everybody had a towel.
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:21 AM ^
there was already an entire post explaining and discussing this chant earlier today.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:05 AM ^
Sorry young buck you need at least 300 points before you can be the repost police.
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:13 AM ^
I can't quite make out what you are saying. There is no MS Paint attached. You have ruined me. I can't comprehend anything in plain English anymore. I need a visual.
September 23rd, 2009 at 6:18 AM ^
Watch Duke fans on any opposing team free throw. Same thing. Makes sense in hoops, not in football. Nothing intimidating about that.
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:56 AM ^
It's not the same thing. We have 3-5 "arm thrusts" forward with the aforementioned "OHHH!".
Duke has a consitent point and "ohhhh...."
September 23rd, 2009 at 7:40 AM ^
He would do the mock tomahawk chop deal then wiggle his fingers at the end of the arm extension. I don't remember him making any noise during it. I do remember him talking to the guy next to him at the same time though.
The whole act seemed silly to me, but the there was probably something to it. When one guy in a section does it, it looks a little off.
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:34 AM ^
I think the "You Suck" chant during the band playing Temptation after a 3rd down stop needs to come to an end. I don't remember the chanting during the arm chop growing up going to games, and from my recollection it started sometime in the 2003 season when they were also pushing the "Claw" thing instead of the arm chop (that claw thing was overrated too). Seriously though, chanting "You Suck" is pretty tasteless and I think makes us look bad, I mean, that's the best thing we could come up with?
I'm all for starting new traditions in addition to the old ones, but this is one that I think needs to go. Anybody else get kind of embarassed when we make a big 3rd down play and then tarnish it by chanting something you would hear on a playground over and over? Just wondering if other people felt the same way, GO BLUE!...
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 AM ^
First of all, the 'You Suck' song doesn't include a 'tomahawk chop' ala FSU. Its supposed to be a "Wolverine Claw'. It really annoys me when I see vertical tomahawk chops. Much less intimidating.
Secondly, the 'You Suck' is here to stay whether you like it or not. There is no way you will ever be able to pry that one from the students. Sure, it isn't the most classy thing to do, but its not like we say "First Down, B*tch" (a la little brother) every time our offense moves 10 yds. So ya, since nothing can really be done (its in the student section to stay - and thats where the noise comes from) dont let yourself lose sleep over it.
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:19 AM ^
you suck
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:23 AM ^
My freshman year (2002) in the student section we didn't have the claw or the "You Suck" chant during the 3rd down stop, the band played Temptation and we did the arm chop. The arm chop, from what I understand, was to signify a turnover on downs or show that we stopped (chopped) their series. So to say "its supposed to be a Wolverine Claw" is a little exaggerated since before the '03 season it had been the arm chop since I can remember...
My problem really isn't with the "Claw" anyway, keep that if you want, it's with the "You Suck" chant. Temptation is a classic tradition and chanting "You Suck" over it only takes away from that tradition. And since when did we gauge our fan base based on what MSU does? Please never compare us to little brother again. Don't worry, I'm not losing any sleep over this as much as I'm concerened with your overall distaste for a fellow fan just posing a question. I'm sure we can both agree on this, GO BLUE!...
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:25 AM ^
The arm chop dates at least to the early 90s. I don't know what the claw is, but it sounds dumb.
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:04 PM ^
I don't know when the hand motions started for Temptation. What I do know, is that while it may have originally looked like the FSU chop, it was not something we just copied from them. The claw thing was started around 03 because the current students no longer understood what they were actually doing and thought we were copying FSU and they wanted to UM-ize it and make it Wolverine relate (this also happened to coincide with the disappearance of the traditional foam finger and the beginning of it's replacement, the foam Big House claw). In actuality, the hand motion that once looked like the FSU chop is supposed to be a first down signal that is being mockingly displayed towards the other team since they failed to achieve it on 3rd down and now have to punt. This is why Temptation is played after 3rd down. If the band director is actually paying attention and following tradition (which this one usually isn't), when it is obvious the other team is going to go for it on 4th down, Temptation will not be played after 3rd down. It should then be played following the 4th down play, provided that they do not get the first down, so that they can be mocked with the first down signals that they failed to achieve.
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:16 PM ^
roasted.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:00 PM ^
No; it's supposed to be a closed fist. It has nothing to do with a first-down signal. That's a bit of revisionism that has recently arisen.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:36 PM ^
Unless you consider 15 years ago to be "recent". Like I said, i don't know exactly when the whole motion started, but in my nearly 20 years of going to games, I have never seen a closed fist.
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:59 AM ^
I agree, the "You Suck" can definitely be changed to "Go Blue".
It would take a while and some consistent pressure from those that can make the point (ie Daily writers).
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:46 PM ^
Er, uh, Daily writers having an impact? Unless it is sudoku related, students don't care what the Daily has to say.
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:27 AM ^
I'll deal with the "You Suck" given that Texas' (which a lot of UM fans like for whatever reason) fans have changed their official fight song to end with "Give 'em hell, Give 'em hell, make 'em eat shit."
Classy...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Fight
(look at the bottom - it happens at every game and has pretty much become the official student lyrics at this point)
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:56 PM ^
First, you should know the name of the song. It's a teaser from the MMB classic "Temptation."
Second, the motion is supposed to be a closed fist, not a chop or "claw." The idea is that the D is putting the hammer down. Ask anyone in the band.
Third, saying "You suck," besides being lame and not very fitting for Michigan Stadium, is not part of the tradition. It only started a couple of years ago. It should replaced with something else.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:38 PM ^
I've never heard anyone bring up anything about a closed fist. What era band member should I be asking?
September 23rd, 2009 at 6:25 PM ^
Any era. Ask someone right now.
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:03 PM ^
Not a claw? Really? I think all the students might like to talk to you.
September 23rd, 2009 at 6:32 PM ^
Then there are a lot of confused students. Do you seriously think that the purpose of that motion is to contort your hand into a claw? It's more laughable than intimidating.
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:32 AM ^
Wouldn't it be great if the entire stadium did this "intimidation" chant with 100,000 towels waving at the opponent before their 3rd down play? It might really help get the crowd really loud when the other team is still in their huddle instead of just when they get up to the line. Hopefully this cheer will catch on outside the student section.
Also, I agree that this is much better than chanting "you suck" when the band plays temptation or jingling keys.
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:18 AM ^
Woh there. I doubt anyone's losing sleep. But as for "it's here to stay," the "you suck" chant isn't that old. It's not some timeless tradition - it started popping up, IIRC, around my junior year (2002). I'm quite sure that it could go away if there was a critical mass of energetic/creative students in the student section. Cheers evolve/change all the time. But yes - I won't lose sleep over it, regardless.
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:19 PM ^
If you recall, the "you suck" chant originated from the pre-game introduction of the opposing team. The students would yell out "you suck" after each name.
I believe this is how "you suck" found its way into Temptation -- just another opportunity to say it.
Those of you who have been at this year's games may have realized player introductions are no longer emanating from the PA system. Instead they are posted on the video board.
Which brings me to my conclusion. It may be that Michigan is trying to scale back the opportunities for the "you suck" chant. I think they may have made it worse. What will people between the ages of 18-21 do if they are told they can't do something? They do more of it.
"You suck" may be here for a while.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:02 PM ^
I don't remember students saying "You suck" during announcements. It was always "Who cares?"
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:03 PM ^
I'm not sure what the other dude is smoking, but jmblue has it correct.
It's "Who cares?" Ideally you also have a newspaper you read while they're announcing the opposing players names, and only look up to yell "who cares?!"
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:51 PM ^
I'll second those that think this new "chant," or whatever we want to call it, is lame. Witnessing this thing come into existence my senior year, I was first perplexed, then disappointed. From the perspective of the student section, it looks silly. From watching on TV, it, well, doesn't look like much of anything. I have no idea how the rest of the stadium views it.
Is it better than using keys? Yes, but so is AIDS. Intimidating? To who? An 8 year old maybe, but I don't think we're exactly scaring the other team. Just start yelling the second the other team gets into the huddle.
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:40 PM ^
Unfortunately, the crowd often does not get really loud until the other team has broken the huddle and is already at the line. I know that this is the most critical time to be loud, but the chant is a good way to stir the crowd into a frenzy before and up to the third down play.
Aren't coordinated cheers what make Yost so much fun? It's nice to see some efforts in this regard at the football games as well.
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 PM ^
Coordination is indeed what makes Yost great. But many of those cheers are clever and just a bit complicated. This one doesn't require very much thought and isn't particularly clever.