(This conversation comes up every few months...here's the latest installment.)
Sooooo...
I've always disliked the "SHOUT" tradition prior to the fourth quarter at football games. It's clearly a watered-down rip-off of Wisconsin's great tradition, "Jump Around." Many have surmised that I think that way because Purdue was out of so many games by the time the third quarter came around...but my disdain for this song goes back to its inception.
-Now, do I think it's a bad idea to have a song that gets fans into the game for the final quarter? Absolutely not. It'll still be a rip-off of Wisconsin, but Wisconsin has it right- it's raucous at Camp Randall when that song plays. It HAS NEVER been raucous at RA during "SHOUT" because the song is a fun song for people like my Mom to enjoy...nice sentiment. BUT, fans like Mama Boilerdowd (never used that one) aren't the ones that make Ross-Ade tough for opponents.
-Should we throw the baby out with the bathwater?
No way, I like babies...and throwing a tub full of bathwater would probably cause me to go into spasms. I really like guys like Neil Armstrong, Drew Brees, Robbie Hummel, David Boudia, Gene Keady, etc. sticking their heads out of the box and getting involved; that's a great thing. The announcer was the thing that got me excited more than that damned song.
-Is now the time to move on?
Hells yes it is! Very few Purdue football fans have a good taste in their mouth about the Danny Hope Era. I believe the idea of "SHOUT" was an effort to try to invigorate a weary fanbase. In 2006 it began...Basketball on grass was a memory, the autumn of Joe Tiller's time at Purdue was upon us and the product on the field had slipped. Sure, the offense would still bludgeon bad teams, but during big games versus ranked teams, Purdue wasn't giving fans much to cheer for.
That tradition continued (with the exception of games v. aOSU, for some reason) during Hope's tenure...
New coach, new era...time to move forward.
Here are some of the songs that I think would be better than "SHOUT!" during the break between third and fourth quarter:
Kinda easy.
Better than "SHOUT!"...encourages people to get up...
Colors are close...love the song; not perfect though. Still better than "SHOUT!"
Hey, it mentions one of Purdue's colors often...it's catchy and people like my Mom might like it.
Used to be played during pre-game of Purdue games back when the teams kicked ass...is a good breaking stuff song.
Have video of big hits at the same time...it's tongue in cheek, I think works well...
This one revolves around Purdue's primary color...probably not quite "up" enough...
Probably the best song ever...no other reason for it on this list really.
Good one to go along with the new name of Ross-Ade (which I don't like much; but it's done)...
Same as above...more white of a song, but less white than "SHOUT!"
To me, this is the best song...cheesy? sure! Fun? youbetcha! Fitting? Absolutely.