Smitty's Hurricane Thursday: The Seven Nation Army Debate

First of all, this is not about disparaging the stadium production staff. WVU has always really prioritized fan interaction and nothing can/will ever come close to the pinnacle that is John Flowers teaching West Virginians how to Dougie. It was a masterpiece. The sequel attempt Meetin' with Keaton took a bit of a downturn when the basketball program stopped winning games and the featured player transferred. Whoops. But that's not on the production staff. The point is they are usually really good about stuff like this and Seven Nation Army is now, to take note from Casazza, a Thing.

While it makes me have PTSD flashbacks to Morris Claiborne running to the house (Note: Seriously, guys, it was Mo Claiborne. Not the Honey Badger. I've watched that game tape way more than any victory we've ever had.), SNA is something that most of the fan base can agree with and get behind as a whole. The problem is that we have been using it after every kickoff and the law of diminishing returns is inevitable. It's not like WVU doesn't have a great playlist to their disposal. "Kickstart My Heart" made a few appearances the other night and "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys usually sneaks in every once and a while. Hell, a few years ago, Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People" would occasionally get on the ringer (Bring it back.) I'm down with playing all of these, but make Seven Nation Army as its own special Thing. There are plenty of instances in sports that programs have adopted songs that don't technically have anything to do with the team or the area. We should take those models and put it to good use.... even if we don't necessarily like the people we are emulating.

This is just the best. A key to a lot of this is that everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. Between the third and fourth quarters, Wisconsin knows it is Jump Around time. The anticipation acts as its own build up. I have no idea of any background between this program and House of Pain, but I'm pretty sure Jump Around has nothing to do with Madison, cheese, Wisconsin, or the Badgers. Also, they play it only once.

I know..... I know. Trust me, I know. No, really, I know. Hear me out. It's their Thing. It's nationally known. Lane Stadium goes nuts over it. I am not a Hokie, so I had to find out how often Blacksburg enters said sandman. According to sources, VT hits it during the first half and second half entrances and sparingly during games. However, when they do go back to the well during game time like against Miami a few years ago featured above, it was awesome enough for Clarksburg's own Mike Patrick to give them credit. It got the job done. I'm moving on because I have nothing else good to say about Virginia Tech. Buzz Williams sucks.

I know a lot of the Mountaineer faithful hate anything that has to do with Pittsburgh. It's understandable, honestly. That aside, I think Renegade is exactly what we want to shoot for. Heinz Field reserves their Styx fix (sorry) for the second half usually during a TV timeout right before a drive starts where the Stillers need a stop. I was at that Ravens playoff game. The crowd was begging for their anthem and, as you heard, they got it. Pandemonium. There is such a storied tradition around it, NFL Films made a video about this Yinzer phenomenon. Again, once-a-game feature.

I vote we keep Seven Nation Army, but with moderation. Build a video around it so it can be even more special. It's not like Chris Ostien and Doug can't put out some quality mixes. SPONGEBOB, MILHOUSE, AND RIC FLAIR. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

But, hey, I'm only one guy. Tell me what you think below. I do know one thing: if Milan Puskar Stadium played Fancy against OU, I would have went insane.