McDermott letter to Students...

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
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jtd9046

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2006
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Chicago
The "you suck" chant has been around for years and honestly I think the band started it in the first place. There's nothing wrong with it and if that's the worst the opponents hear out of the fans all night then they got off pretty well in my opinion.

I heard a few ppl say it in my years ('01-'05) but it was not prominent. I think the "you suck" is pointless and the opposing teams expect something like it. All other stadiums simply boo the opposing starting lineup. I like that fact that ISU has a tradition with the 5 claps as teams don't expect something as simple as it. Aslo, the whole stadium is quiet and focused on this moment. And though "you suck" isn't vulgor, I am sure the majority of fans and especially ones with children would love not to hear it. My two cents.
 

ISUFan22

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
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Denver, CO
For the record, I can hear other patrons yelling "you suck" when the other team's starters are introduced.

It's very prominent in Cyclone Alley - but everyone else isn't immune to it.
 

cydsho

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Apr 10, 2006
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So if Kevin Durant comes into Hilton next year (big if) is yelling "you suck" going to make any sense at all? I always thought the 5 claps was enough. Acknowledge the other team is there but only enough to let you know we don't like you that much. I guess subtlety is dead and that is not "in your face" enough......
 

clonez

Member
Sep 14, 2006
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Scottsdale, AZ
i agree with this letter tegardless of who wrote it.....I sit in the student section and almost laugh at how dumb some people sound saying you suck and other random chants they try to start. just try and save it all for when steve welmer comes back and does his pattented sucking at reffing
 

aeroclone

Well-Known Member
Oct 30, 2006
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I would love to see the you suck thing go away and get back to the go state. Treat the guests like they should be treated: a savage 40-minute beat down, some temporary hearing loss, several weeks of Hilton induced nightmares, and a big fat L. By then they will get the idea that they suck, and we won't have to sacrifice our class to tell them.
 

moater

Member
Apr 10, 2006
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Des Moines
I have always felt that the five claps was the only thing the our opponents players deserved for recognition. No mor no less. Silence is the best statement you can make about an opponents ability.
 

AirWalke

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2006
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Des Moines
I personally hate the "Bullsh_t" chant, but I find nothing wrong with a friendly little "you suck!" tagged on to the end of the claps. I like the silence after the claps, but honestly, there are worse things to be said.
 

isuno1fan

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2006
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Clive, Iowa
I don't know where the "Go State" or "You Suck" thing started after the 5 claps, but in my era and when Hilton Magic was at its height (89-93), all we did is 5 claps and then silence.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I wish it would go back to the 5 claps only.
 

06_CY

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
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I never heard the you suck chant after the five claps until they started cyclone alley. As for what a&m did, cyclone alley doesnt need to be stealing more ideas from rival schools.
 

83Clone

Well-Known Member
Apr 27, 2006
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Ankeny, IA
I'm amazed that anyone can find any fault with this letter. Whether someone yells "BS" doesn't have anything to do with whether yelling "you suck" is childish, and because someone else might say something more offensive doesn't make it any better. I am quite honestly embarrassed when I hear it and you can rip me all you want for that-but the facts remain the same, it's childish.

We are there for our team, not the other team. Cheer for our guys and give the opponent silence
 

ornryactor

Well-Known Member
Jun 3, 2006
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Ames
Uh, for the record, the 5 claps thing wasn't "stolen" by Cyclone Alley from anyone. The only other school I've ever seen do that is Iowa, and they started doing that LONG after the ISU students did. It's only been around for 4 or 5 years there.

burn587 said:
The "you suck" chant has been around for years and honestly I think the band started it in the first place.
Though I don't have any empirical evidence, I can basically guarantee that this is wrong. I don't know of a single collegiate band program who encourages- or ever has- its students to shout even mildly offensive things. Marching and pep bands usually get in big trouble pretty quickly if they are shouting anything even as mild as "you suck", because they are funded by the university and are therefore official representatives of the school and its administration.


Finally, I know for a fact that this letter was not inspired primarily by the "you suck" tag. It is directed at a group of only 12 or so Cyclone Alley members who... do their research, shall we say. They are known to find out incriminating/embarrassing incidents from a player's or coach's past, and heckle or create signs referencing that. I know a good number of them (two are music majors with me) and they are never vulgar or offensive (in the traditional sense), but I think they do cross the line into needless insults sometimes. Since there was obviously no way to address them privately, the problem was "solved" by sending out an email to all of CA, and bringing up another peripheral "problem" that would justify a mass mailing to the whole group.
 

06_CY

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
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Uh, for the record, the 5 claps thing wasn't "stolen" by Cyclone Alley from anyone."

If your refering to what I said, I never said Cyclone Alley stole the 5 claps, just the ideas for when the other team is shooting free throws. I started as a student in 2001 and we did the 5-claps back then, well before Cyclone Alley.
 

clones11

Active Member
Apr 2, 2006
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Marion
five claps and silent i like that a lot i can remember when that was the case it acknowleges the other team but silence can be the most deafening sound
 

C.John

Pondering Phobophobia
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Mar 23, 2006
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but silence can be the most deafening sound
Agreed. Five claps and nothing else. If anything add 'Go State' but 'you suck' or worse is not really necessary.
 

Fletch

Member
Apr 10, 2006
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Let me just say this, I love my Alma mater and the state of Iowa, but you know you are in Iowa when… this becomes an issue.

First, I think Coach might need to worry more about what is going on, ON THE COURT. And if the PR dept. actually wrote it then they need to be worried about the same thing. (Unfortunately I think this is something Mac Carney and is cronies never really understood – Do not get caught up in factors around the game , PLAY THE GAME AND FINISH ON THE FIELD/COURT) This letter is an absolute joke. They might want to be careful of who they alienate, they haven’t won anything yet.

Now am I telling the student section to go out and rip an opponent’s dying mother? No, but you are at a college basketball game. Key word COLLEGE, I think you are still allowed to have a little fun there are you not? (And make sure its creative) I was there for the two years we never lost to anyone and let me tell ya, we weren’t the nicest people, AT ALL;) But did we have a huge impact on the outcome? well at least I would like to think a little bit, but I hardly think Larry and Crew were worried about us in the stands.

Take a look or listen to the yahoos at Duke and they pull and say some of the funniest and most uncalled for stuff in the country. Is it right? Probably not all of it, but it is part of the game.

Furthermore from knowing a majority of the team when I was there…don’t worry we are no where near one of the most uncouth places to play. Take a poll of anyone who has sat on that ISU bench for 2 years or more and they will say it is Mizzou hands down.

Oh yes…and by the way…they might not tell you, or admit it, but all of the players on the floor can definitely hear you.
 
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isucyfan

Speechless
Apr 21, 2006
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Saint Paul, MN
You can be creative without being vulgar or profane. Moreover, I think people are more creative without playing the easy "profanity card." This goes for comedians, fans, etc. The band used to come up with some hilarious chants that never crossed the line. (Do they still do this?)

I admire the desire of Gmac (or the PR people) to keep things clean. I have a 5 year old and 2 year old that I would rather not have to explain what Bullsh*t and even "You Suck" mean. Some might say not to bring them to games then, but being in Hilton is cool for them (as it is me) and will hopefully make them as big of Clone fans as we all are.