SEC Limits South Carolina Rooster Crows
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James Joyner | Thursday, November 2, 2006 |
The SEC has limited the number of times USC can annoy people during football games.
The rooster won’t crow as much at South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium. The Southeastern Conference has told the Gamecocks they can only play a rooster crow during timeouts, after a score, before the game, during halftime and when the game ends. South Carolina had been playing the rooster crow before critical third downs and other times to pump up the crowd. The SEC told the Gamecocks they were breaking conference regulations about when artificial noise could be played.
“We are certainly disappointed that we have to limit the Gamecock crow, as we know its a crowd favorite, but obviously we will comply with the Southeastern Conference rules and regulations,” said Jeff Crane, the university’s athletics marketing director.
I was unaware of the controversy and consider it immensely silly. Still, I must say that artificial noise during athletic games is one of my pet peeve as a fan.
Football is much less of an offender in that regard than basketball and hockey, which have a WWE level of contrived hoopla. Beginning with the introduction of players with laser shows and variants of “Let’s get ready to rumble,” constant blaring of rap “music,” dancing gorillas, and so forth, one wonders if the hosts deep down believe that fans need something to entertain them other than the game. Yes, there is “Are you ready for some football” and other nonsense associated with the NFL, but that’s mostly a television thing, not part of the stadium experience.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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Yeah, one pet peeve I always had about Wizards games is when the other team has the ball on offense, the speakers blare out "DEFENSE" and we get all the graphics on the scoreboards all around the arena.
And then the music that is played when the Wizards are on offense. It would not hurt to tone it down a bit...
When I saw this headline I thought SEC stood for Securities and Exchange Commission. LOL.
Still, I must say that artificial noise during athletic games is one of my pet peeve as a fan.
Amen to that. I second Mark's comments on the Wizards game, nonstop noise before, during, and after play. I can't have a conversation with the person next to me. I think it only stops when the Wizards are shooting free throws.
I think it only stops when the Wizards are shooting free throws.
But remember - we get that jingle if they make it!
The NBA isn't in the Basketball business. It is in the entertainment business.
Read Mark Cuban sometime about "silent nights". People complained there wasn't enough "energy" in the arena. So he turned the noise back on.
Next, could the NFL ban the Vikings' obnoxious blaring horn they pump through the Metrodome?
My favorite is the Panther growl after a tackle. It seems especially appropriate after stopping the guy for only a 13 yard gain.
Cuban knows more about running a basketball operation than I do. I know *I* find it damned annoying, though, to have all the blaring. You want energy, get ahead of the visiting team.
You want energy, get ahead of the visiting team.
Yeah. Last Wizards game I went to they played a dreadful first quarter and no amount of techno music was going to get the crowd back up. But when they eventually caught up and took the lead, everyone was jazzed. The NBA used to have a rule of no music during play, IIRC, but it got violated so many times I think they gave up on it.
Also, I went to a few games back in the old Chicago Stadium, and the crowd was plenty fired up without all the nonsense (though having MJ helped, of course).
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