our cheers are melodic

and organic.

I’m not saying Cal fans are unique in making up their own cheers, because we’re not. And we’ve certainly borrowed our fair share from elsewhere, such as the band’s debt to tOSU. But in my experience, we’ve got more home-grown traditions than average, and we tend to shy away from the generic staples you hear at most stadiums and arenas and gyms across the country—stuff like, “DE-fense, clap-clap”, or “Let’s Go (Hoy-as/Oi-lers/Bad-gers/Bru-ins/etc.)”.

I went to grad school in Madison, and they’ve got a very good band and spirited student section as well. But it always bugged me that one of their trademark bits consists of singing, “When you say WIS-con-sin, you’ve said it all”, to the tune of an old Budweiser commercial. I am, of course, fine with the whole beer thing, but Budweiser? Shit beer that’s not even brewed in your state? Isn’t there an old Schlitz, Pabst, Old Style, or Leinenkugel tune you could have borrowed? Beyond that, you’re getting all riled up to a corporate jingle?! Create your own authentic culture; don’t borrow crap fed to you by Madison Avenue. The sad thing is, it’s been so long since Anheuser-Busch ran that ad campaign that most of today’s students probably don’t even know the tune’s origins.