I think we can all agree that head football coach Bill Snyder has made Kansas State football one of the best things Manhattan has to offer. Under Coach Snyder, the Wildcats have had over 200 wins and countless amazing memories.
However, there are some things that have worked their way into K-State football that not all of us are happy to see. I refer to two things here: the “F*** KU” chant and the way many of us choose to finish singing the national anthem before football games.
Let’s start with the obvious one first. Chanting “F*** KU” has become a sort of tradition at K-State sporting events. While it’s usually a tradition to have some sort of chant to belittle our rivals, I think we could have a bit more class when doing it.
In my lifelong experience as a sports fan, I have found that the most enjoyable insults are the ones that are clever and don’t involve swearing. Resorting to a two-word chant that begins with the queen mother of dirty words isn’t exactly creative.
Unfortunately, the chant isn’t even limited to when we play the University of Kansas. Many football and basketball fans hear the dreaded three syllables at games where KU isn’t even present.
How does a chant targeted at our in-state rival have anything to do with a football team from another state? And why, just why do people insist on using the chant when the Wabash Cannonball is being played? The Wabash is a beloved piece of K-State history, and has been called one of the greatest pregame traditions in the Big 12. There’s no need to drag that reputation through the mud just to express how much we hate our rivals.
On the topic of songs, let’s talk about the pregame national anthem. I absolutely love the fact that K-State has the entire football stadium join in to sing the national anthem. However, I have noticed a pervasive problem with the singing of my peers.
Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star Spangled Banner” to end with the lyrics, “and the home of the brave.” A multitude of K-State fans, however, choose to change the last word to “Chiefs” in reference to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for supporting the Chiefs. I’ve been a Chiefs fan since the day I was born, and I was part of the crowd that broke the record for the loudest outdoor stadium in history.
The problem that I see with this pseudo-tradition is that we aren’t the Chiefs. We’re the Wildcats, and we’re in Manhattan. This isn’t the home of the Chiefs.
No matter what kind of lunacy we decide to participate in, we’re still one big K-State family. At the end of the day, Bill Snyder is still the greatest coach ever and Willie the Wildcat still does an insane amount of push-ups. As long as we can keep Bill Snyder Family Stadium and Bramlage Coliseum packed, K-State will continue to be a home for all of us who love our Wildcat sports.
Jason DeFisher is a junior in animal sciences and industry. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Collegian. Please send comments to opinion@kstatecollegian.com.
