Seven Nation Army.

It is a song that has been made popular in the sports world because of its ability to get people pumped up and on their feet during a game. It is a song that Ohio State started playing in the Shoe several years ago and its popularity has sky-rocketed since. Whether the Buckeyes started this tradition or not, Seven Nation Army has been a staple at Ohio State games and has defined the atmosphere surrounding all of their games.

Coming from a fan whose absolutely enjoyed this tradition to its fullest, I’m here to tell you that this song needs to go.

If you don’t know what song Seven Nation Army is by name, you will once you hear this…

You’re probably thinking, “Why would you stop playing a song that gets the entire crowd amped and jumping up and down? Isn’t that what you want out of a home team fan base?”

The answer is yes, of course that is what you’d like to have out of your fans. But, speaking on behalf of thousands of other fans out there, this song is greatly over played and is starting to have a negative effect on fan involvement. What made me realize this boils down to two things: My first game experience this year and the expansion of the song into professional stadiums.

Let’s start with my first game experience of the year…

Night games at the Shoe are second to none in that they provide for some of the most electric crowds you will ever encounter. To quote Bradley Roby, “The crowd will be nuts. They have all day to get drunk”. Sad, but 100% true. Students rally themselves for as long as 8 hours up until gametime in order to get as crazy and supportive as they possibly can. It is spoiling to go to these night games because they are simply more fun than any other game day.

Given that, why would I be complaining about the atmosphere at a night game?

The answer is this: Seven Nation Army is so overplayed that I found myself actually getting less hyped than I previously was by the time the third quarter rolled around. At kickoff, I was digging it. Like every other student there, I was jumping around and shaking the little pom pon that they gave out and I loved it. But by the third quarter, I was absolutely sick of hearing the White Stripes and would have rather had no music playing at all after big plays (or every play for this matter).

I found myself thinking, “Man, they’ve got to find a new song” time after time… and I’m not alone.

The other reason that Seven Nation Army needs to go is because of how it has infiltrated the professional realm.

Originally, this song was played in stadiums to get both the fans and the team hyped, which it did… fans and players that are 18-25 years old and all collectively sitting in one area of the stadium. Now, you hear the song being played during kickoffs and big moments in professional NFL stadiums, where the average fan is older than 25 and sitting in a random seat.

ITS TOO MUCH.

At what point will we finally get to hear a new pump up jam? There has to be more than 2-3 songs that get everybody going. If I keep hearing the same jams over and over again, what is unique about that?

I understand that Seven Nation Army has been a tradition in Columbus for several years, but it is no longer “our” song. It is not unique and it no longer gets me more excited or more willing to cheer.

Stadium DJ’s, find something new. We’re all getting sick and tired of the White Stripes.