This letter is in response to a sports column by Krista Latham (“Student section is becoming unoriginal” SN 10/9). I’m not sure Latham gets the idea behind what it is she is writing about, so I’d like to clarify a few things for her.
Latham, the very things you are complaining about and deem unoriginal are quite the opposite - they are what true football fans at MSU consider tradition. As much as the Spartan Marching Band kick-step is a tradition at Spartan Stadium, so are keys being rattled during third down plays. As far as I can remember, it started back in the early 1980s and continues to this day as a rallying point for fans. Rowing in the student section has also been a tradition at MSU for quite a while. Who really cares if some row better, faster and slower than others? And if some choose not to row, then I guess they are missing out now aren’t they?
Latham, traditions are one of the redeeming virtues of college football. For as much as big business has found its way into the ranks of college football, fans still have traditions to hold onto while cheering on their team. Where would Notre Dame football be without the Irish Guard? What about the script Ohio State formed by the Ohio State marching band at every Buckeye home game? How about chants of “bear down, bear down” heard at University of Arizona home games? Keys and rowing may seem minor in comparison, but in the end, they are all tradition.
Rather than chide the student section about what have become MSU football traditions, why not ask the cheerleaders why they consistently start the wave when we have the ball? The idea behind the wave is that the constantly moving noise - as the wave revolves around the field - upsets the rhythm of the team on offense. Why not ask the person behind Spartan Vision why he or she doesn’t pay better attention to MSU’s band when it is trying to play? I’d much rather have heard the percussion section between the third and fourth quarter - another tradition - than a very poorly recorded version of the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” theme promoting some sponsored trivia question I cared nothing about. Considering how much MSU has invested into that new speaker system, it sounds horrid from just about every corner and crevasse of the stadium.
If you want to complain and write about those things, feel free. I claim no copyright to the ideas. Otherwise, you might want to spend a little more time understanding college football traditions and less time heckling the referees.
Craig Carlen
telecommunication senior
