Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

It's five year from now. You're wearing your best suit and sitting for the third interview for an important job in your field. You feel like you've got this gig locked up. Your hopefully-soon-to-be boss glances up from your resume, then looks you up and down, then buries his head back in your resume. After a moment, he sighs, puts your resume down on the desk and says, "I'm sorry, Bob. I'm afraid we just can't hire you. Your qualifications are excellent, but you went to KU and we just can't have that kind of low class trash around this office."

Somehow, I don't this is going to happen. Chants in the student section have no bearing on the education that you receive or your opportunities in the job market after you graduate. Trust me on this one. We hired UCF grads all the time. (I'm from Florida originally.) Don't get so bent out of shape. It's only a good time.

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• Posted by Gray on October 20, 2008 at 11:38 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

You call it tradition, but it's only been around for 10 years. That's not tradition.
It's different to say the word in the privacy of your own home and friends, but to scream it in public on national television. Very classy (note extremely heavy sarcasm).

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• Posted by jayhawkmom on October 20, 2008 at 3:06 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

Come on, Ben. You can do better than that.

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• Posted by Hendrix321 on October 20, 2008 at 5:14 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

Ben,

Lame. It doesn't make you trashy if you do the chant. The chant is simply trashy.

Just look at the people who do it next game, they'll be the ones in dirty tshirts, with unshaved faces and look like they've been drinking too much Natty Light.

It's a fact.

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• Posted by hawks101 on October 20, 2008 at 5:21 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

I agree with this LTE. Why after 10 years is this chant becoming a huge deal? Someone answer me. Why wasn't it a problem last year, or the year before that, or the year before that.

I think this chant will continue along, regardless of what the athletics department says. Students go to the game to have fun, and "the man" keeping them down won't stop them from yelling and screaming this chant. I think what the point of this article is that "traditions" are not designed or engineered by the UDK, Student Senate or the Athletics Department. They just kindof happen, and students go along with it. It's like those muck fizzou shirts- they just seemed to happen. Student's haven't really caught on to whatever the new shirts say- hell, even I can't remember what they say. My point- students will make up their own chants, regardless of what lame chant we try to force upon them. There's a certain anarchy and chaos to football fandom that makes it fun, energetic and wild. When people attempt to control that, fans become alienated and don't have a good time, and might not come to the next game.

If we are going to make up a chant, it's going to have to come from the student section, not from Lew, McGonigle or the UDK.

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• Posted by sjschlag on October 20, 2008 at 7:04 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

It's a huge deal now because it's louder than ever before, and people's kids are hearing it from across the stadium. It's so clear that it can be picked up on national TV and even from across the Campanielle. I went to some games, in the student section, back in '02 and '03 and definitely don't remember anyone screaming, "Rip his f*g head off" then.

Besides, it's lame and mostly ripped off of a movie. Sure, the "Rip" part and the absence of, "You can do it!" makes for a slight bit of originality when compared to The Waterboy quote "You can do it! Cut his f*g head off!" So either it's slightly original, or it's a lame attempt to replicate the quote.

We don't need to make the censors come to our football games to bleep out the chant - how lame would it be if someone were watching the game on broadcast TV, and they hear at kickoff, "Rip his BEEP head off!" - keep in mind that the broadcast station could be fined for not beeping out the cuss word!

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• Posted by ebenavid on October 20, 2008 at 9 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

The chant makes our school look bad on the national stage. The coahces have worked hard to get our football program where it is and we should be respectful to them and to our University. You can have fun and relax at the game without embarrassing the University with immaturity. My parents read about this chant in The Wichita Eagle and networks have threatened to stop broadcasting home football games because of it. This chant goes way beyond Lawrence and "tradition".

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• Posted by ebrown426 on October 20, 2008 at 9:10 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

Also, the chant is a problem now because the football program is receiving national recognition. Last year was a historic year for Kansas football and now more attention is being paid to the program, as it should be. This attention should be beacause of the athletes, not the student section's immaturity.

I have never said this chant and I have had plenty of fun at all the games. I agree that the UDK or the student body president could likely not end this chant. However, students should take it upon themselves to come up with something better.

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• Posted by ebrown426 on October 20, 2008 at 9:15 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

hahahaha, no network will stop airing our games because of the chant. As long as Kansas is winning and the broadcasting of our games is profitable, we'll be on TV.

Networks don't care about naughty language, they care about cold hard cash.

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• Posted by KUChiefsFavreFan on October 20, 2008 at 9:49 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

This chant is not a tradition. It was not truly heard until this year. "Rock Chalk Jayhwak" is a tradition and actual time and thought was put into it. No wonder it has lasted so long. No one disputes the effectiveness of the word f# when used wisely. I personally love the word... except at a family event and on national TV where I feel it represents who we are.

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• Posted by irun4fun on October 20, 2008 at 10:24 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

I'm glad to see so many people speaking out against the chant. I'm glad to see you understand the responsibility you have. No one is trying to oppress the students who want to continue with the chat. And God, there is no way the UDK is in cahoots with anyone. This is just a way to bring some civility back to the fans and keep the school from looking like hooligans.

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• Posted by Abita on October 21, 2008 at 8:06 a.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

i'm not sure where people are getting the idea that the chant has been around for 10 years. i remember coming to games when i was in high school which was less than 10 years ago and the chant wasn't around then.

tradition was the wrong word for ben to pick. a tradition is generally something that is original and unique to those who partake in it as well as being relevant to those people (i.e. the Rock Chalk Chant), taking a line from a movie is by no means original and the line is not at all relevant to KU or to football.

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• Posted by missmia on October 21, 2008 at 11:12 a.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

Ben, oh Ben, where to begin?

The Athletic Department and coaching staff who built this team long before you were old enough to drive, and will continue to do so long after you've walked down the hill, have every right to ask for a certain standard of class from its fans.

The chant is not a tradition. Ask any KU alum age 24 and older.

I can't imagine your only stress release is yelling the f word at 7 home football games every year.

But I do agree that yelling one obscenity does not make a person "trash" like Missouri. Whether or not that person is "trash" was determined long before the obscenity left his or her mouth.

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• Posted by jayhawktattoo on October 21, 2008 at 12:31 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

I think what's being lost in all of this is when and why this chant started. It was the week we played Nebraska and Bill Callahan had the week before made the famous throat slit gesture on the sideline.

It was funny that week when it was chanted (for which I did participate) and tolerable the rest of the year. Now it's annoying and dumb. I go to games now and ask students 'why are you yelling that' to which the response is almost always 'i dunno...cuz its cool.' Sounds like a good reason to do crack or heroin 'everyone else is doing it, and its cool I guess.' Guess what, it's not cool or funny anymore. There was only one game that it was. Please stop doing it. You all look like idiots.

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• Posted by carguyshu on October 21, 2008 at 12:40 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

nicely said carguyshu! i had no idea when or why it started. now it makes SLIGHTLY more sense why it started, why it continues, i have no idea.

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• Posted by missmia on October 21, 2008 at 4:17 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

Just throwing it out there because I am indifferent on the issue.

1.) If tv broadcasting is so worried about it all they have to do is mute their on-field mics for the kickoff and it will not be heard.

2.) I firmly believe that this would not be nearly as big of issue if the KU administration had not brought it up. All this did was get it more attention through the media. Eventually it would have wore off on its own and that would have been that.

3.) Most of what I hear is non students complaining about the chant. If these people want to do something about it, all they have to do is make some noise. Believe me, if the 45,000 other people in the stadium are making noise throughout the kickoff, the 5000 students who decide to go on with it will be drowned out and therefore the chant will die.

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• Posted by dominatindj11 on October 22, 2008 at 12:20 a.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

Dear Misguided Students,

The chant has not been around for 10 years. It started two years ago. You sound dumb for yelling it. If you are trying to stick it to "the man", through a football chant, you're incredibly mistaken. This will have consequences on the football field. It made PTI. Do you think the national spectrum cares how much you want to "stick it to the man? " You're not only hurting your university now, you're hurting its future.

What most people don't realize is the immaturity of your actions. Whether it be the officials throwing a 15yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty each time it happens, or we don't get the quality bowl game, you are all idiots for continuing. Have you seen the gentlemen from the different bowl committees here? Because they have been. They look for several things. The classiness of the university (or lack there of), how well the university students and fans travel, and the quality of the program. Last year, we were chosen for the Orange Bowl. Missouri was more deserving because they beat us mercilessly. However, our "chant" and or trashiness wasn't on the national stage that it is now.

Some day, you'll have to grow up. If you are always looking to "stick it to the man", I’m sure you’ll have an easy time looking for a lot of new jobs, good luck on trying to keep one, idiots. Welcome to the real world, and understanding that the world doesn't revolve around you. When parents get to explain to their gets what "rip their f*cking head off" means during a family day at Memorial Stadium at Kavisto Field, that's really sticking it to the man.

Ingrates.

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• Posted by hawkchalk on October 21, 2008 at 10:43 p.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

As a three-year old, my dad and grandpa started teaching me the real KU chant: "Rooocccckkkk, Challllkkk, Jaaaaayyyy Haaawwwkkk"

I really look forward to the day I can teach my son and daughter this new "KU tradtition" -- I'm so proud! And for the record, it has not been around for 10 years, probably five at the most.

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• Posted by 01KUgrad on October 22, 2008 at 8:33 a.m.
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Letter: Why we should keep the kickoff chant

I knew my article wouldn't make the Kansan. It conflicts with their agenda.

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• Posted by KUChiefsFavreFan on October 22, 2008 at 1:56 p.m.
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