Editing Cheering (section)

== Chants in North American sports ==
{{Update-EB|section=y|date=January 2022}}
Rhythmical cheering has been developed to its greatest extent in America in the [[college yell]]s, which may be regarded as a development of the primitive war-cry; this custom has no real analogue at English schools and universities, but the New Zealand rugby team in 1907 familiarized English crowds at their matches with the [[haka]], a similar sort of war-cry adopted from the [[Māori people|Māori]]s. In American schools and colleges there is usually one cheer for the institution as a whole and others for the different classes.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=22}}

The oldest and simplest are those of the [[New England]] colleges. The original yells of [[Harvard]] and [[Yale]] are identical in form, being composed of rah (abbreviation of hurrah) nine times repeated, shouted in unison with the name of the university at the end. The Yale cheer is given faster than that of Harvard. Many institutions have several different yells, a favorite variation being the name of the college shouted nine times in a slow and prolonged manner. The best known of these variants is the Yale cheer, partly taken from ''[[The Frogs]]'' of [[Aristophanes]], which runs thus:{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=22}}

: ''Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax, Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax, O-op, O-op, parabalou, Yale, Yale, Yale, Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, Yale! Yale! Yale!''

The first-known cheer from the sidelines was [[Princeton University]]'s "rocket call", which was heard during the first-ever intercollegiate football game, between Princeton and [[Rutgers University]] in 1869.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Davis|first1=Park H.|title=Football – The American Intercollegiate Game|date=1911|publisher=Scribner & Sons|page=46}}</ref>

By the 1890s, Princeton's original "rocket" had been modified into its distinctive "locomotive" cheer:
: ''Hip, hip!''
: ''Rah, rah, rah!''
: ''Tiger, tiger, tiger!''
: ''Siss, siss, siss!''
: ''Boom, boom, boom! Ah!''
: ''Princeton! Princeton! Princeton!''

It is called the "Locomotive" cheer because it sounds like a train engine that starts slowly then picks up speed. Princeton University also established the first pep club. All-male "yell leaders" supported the Princeton football team with cheers from the sidelines. (cited:: Valliant, Doris, pg 15)

The railroad cheer is like the foregoing, but begun very slowly and broadly, and gradually accelerated to the end, which is enunciated as fast as possible. Many cheers are formed like that of the [[University of Toronto]]:{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=22}}

: ''Varsity, varsity,''
: ''V-a-r-s-i-t-y'' (spelled)
: ''VARSIT-Y'' (spelled staccato)
: ''Var-si-ty,''
: ''Rah, rah, rah!''

Additionally, a non-traditional cheer has been demonstrated by [[The New School]]. In the style of American actress and singer-songwriter [[Christina Milian]], modeled after one of her more popular [[single (music)|singles]], "[[Dip It Low]]", the students' chant dips low and is picked up slow, towards the end.

:Take him by the hair
:Let him know what's on
:If you understand me
:Y'all come on
:Yeah, yeah, yeah

Another variety of yell is illustrated by that of the School of Practical Science (since 1906, the [[University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering|Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering]]) of [[University of Toronto]]:{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=22}}

:''Who are we? Can't you guess?''
:''We are from the S.P.S.!''

The cheer of the [[United States Naval Academy]] is an imitation of a nautical siren.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=22}}

The [[Royal Military College of Canada]] cheer is:

: Call: ''Gimme a beer!''
: Response: ''Beer! Esses! Emma! T-D-V! Who can stop old RMC! Shrapnel, Cordite, NCT! R-M-C Hooah!''

The [[Amherst College|Amherst]] cheer is:

: ''Amherst! Amherst! Amherst! Rah! Rah!''
: ''Amherst! Rah! Rah!''
: ''Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Amherst!''

The [[Bryn Mawr College|Bryn Mawr]] cheer (in a form of [[Greek language|Greek]]) can only be started by seniors:<ref>{{cite web|title=Student Activities. Traditions|url=http://www.brynmawr.edu/activities/traditions.shtml|website=Bryn Mawr College|access-date=4 April 2014|archive-date=4 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804101712/http://www.brynmawr.edu/activities/traditions.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>

: ''[[Anassa]] kata, kalo kale''
: '' Ia ia ia [[Nike (mythology)|Nike]] ''
: ''Bryn Mawr, Bryn Mawr, Bryn Mawr!''

(I.e. ‘{{lang|grc|Ἄνασσα [[wikt:κατά|κατά]], [[wikt:καλέω|καλῶ]] [[wikt:καλός|καλή]]. Ἰαὶ ἰαὶ ἰαί, [[wikt:νίκη|Νίκη]]}}’, "Queen, descend, I invoke you, fair one. Hail, hail, hail, Victory.)<ref>In Greek kata, {{lang|grc|κατά}}, is not a verb and {{lang|grc|ἰαί}}, [[Ancient Greek phonology|pronounced]] /i&#815;a&#814;i/, would be more properly [[Romanization of Greek|transliterated]] as ''iai''. See {{LSJ|kata/1|κατά}}, {{LSJ|i)ai/|ἰαί|ref}}.</ref>

Besides the cheers of individual institutions there are some common to all, generally used to compliment some successful athlete or popular professor. One of the oldest examples of these personal cheers is:{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=22}}

: ''Who was George Washington? First in war, First in peace, First in the hearts of his countrymen.''

...followed by a stamping on the floor in the same rhythm.

College yells, more informally known as cheers and chants, are used particularly at athletic contests. In any large college there are several leaders, chosen by the students, who stand in front and call for the different songs and cheers, directing with their arms in the fashion of an orchestral conductor. This cheering and singing form one of the distinctive features of inter-collegiate and scholastic athletic contests in America.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=22}}

Organised [[chant]]s in North American sports are rarer then in their European counterparts, but some teams have their special routines. Common chants include "Let's go – [team name] -, let's go (''clap-clap clap-clap-clap''); or in case of a single syllable nickname, "Go – [team name] – Go". Spectators also use derivatives of these to chant the names of particular athletes. A notable example of this is the [[Derek Jeter]] chant, where fans chant the name of the then [[New York Yankees]] shortstop and employ a similar clapping rhythm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2014-09-26/derek-jeter-chant-breaks-out-fenway-park-new-york-yankees-boston-red-sox|title='Derek Jeter' chant breaks out at Fenway Park|first=Jasmine|last=Watkins|date=26 September 2014|access-date=29 June 2017|work=Sporting News|publisher=Sporting News Media}}</ref> In some contexts, spectator chanting may also be used derisively to chide athletes or contestants.

Most teams have a scoring song played on the PA system, and some professional [[American football]] teams sing a fight song after scores. The use of [[fight song]]s after a score is universal in [[college football]]. Since scoring in [[basketball]] is more frequent, and does not generally cause breaks in the game action, scoring songs are not employed in that sport. However, in [[college basketball]], fight songs are universally played during prolonged breaks in game action (timeouts, halftime, and overtime breaks if any). [[Baseball]] fans traditionally sing "[[Take Me Out to the Ball Game]]" in [[seventh-inning stretch|the middle of the 7th inning]]. After [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9/11]], many professional teams chose to use "[[God Bless America]]" during that break, either supplementing or replacing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".  A very loud cheer at sporting events is usually called "Do Yay".

In High School Basketball games, if the score was a blow-out and approaching the end of regulation, fans of the winning team would chant "This Game's Over" or "This One's Over." If the losing team makes a play, and that team's fans chant for that, fans of the winning team will start chanting "Scoreboard", indicating that even after the one play, the other team is losing.

=== Sis boom bah ===

The term [[sis boom bah]] is a term popular in U.S. high school and college cheers. It was used by [[Johnny Carson]]'s character [[Carnac the Magnificent]]:

: ''(Carnac holds the sealed envelope up to his turban)''
: CARNAC: [[Sis boom bah]].
: ED McMAHON: Sis boom bah.
: ''(Carnac rips the envelope open and removes the card)''
: CARNAC ''(reading)'': Describe the sound made when a sheep explodes.

It has also been used by [[Bugs Bunny]] in the iconic cartoon, "[[Super-Rabbit]]"

: '''Bugs:''' Bricka bracka firecracka [[sis boom bah]]! Bugs Bunny! Bugs Bunny! RAH RAH RAH!
: '''Bugs, Smith and his horse:''' Bricka bracka firecracka [[sis boom bah]]! Bugs Bunny! Bugs Bunny! RAH RAH RAH!
: '''Smith and his horse:''' Bricka bracka firecracka [[sis boom bah]]! Bugs Bunny! Bugs Bunny! RAH RAH RAH! (×2)

''[[Pogo (comic strip)|Pogo]]'' had a recurring character named Miss Sis Boombah, an athletic [[Rhode Island Red]].