All student sections have their own quirky little traditions. At the University of Connecticut, they have the U-C-O-N-N chant after a timeout is taken whenever the Huskies go on a run. That may not sound all that clever, but when you mix in the fact that the chant has been led by the same fat, red-headed guy named Big Red for the past decade it’s pretty cool to be a part of. Most similar traditions are well-received by coaches and players, but there is one particular act that the Kansas students perform that head coach Bill Self could live without.
Before Kansas City Chiefs home games at Arrowhead Stadium, Chiefs fans sing “and the home of the Chiefs” at the end of the National Anthem in place of “and the home of the brave.” For whatever reason, Jayhawks fans have adopted the tradition. Self is not amused.
“I don’t think it’s anything we should be proud about as students to carry that on, because I don’t see the place for it when you are honoring your country,” Self told the Lawrence Journal-World. “That’s one tradition that in my opinion certainly we could do without. I think it’d be more respectful toward the anthem and what that stands for to go ahead and use the actual words to it than putting in their own. I think they should stick to Francis Scott Key’s words. I think that would be more appropriate.”
The Kansas coach has a point. There are plenty of other ways to showcase school spirit. Not only that, but singing “the home of the Chiefs” doesn’t even make sense for the Kansas basketball team. If you want to personalize the National Anthem, at least come up with something original.
H/T The Dagger
