Popular Football Traditions And Their Meanings
Football is a sport that is steeped in tradition. This is especially true on the college level where the teams have been playing for hundreds of years. The fact that the players are playing for free builds an even bigger sense of community. The Midwest has some of the longest traditions in football because of how long their teams have been playing. Some of the rivalries have been going on for years.
One of the longest traditions is the singing of Carmen, OH after every football game. All the players, coaches and fans gather at the end of the game to sing the school son in unison. This has been a tradition since around 1909. The song was written in 1906 by Fred Cornell after a loss to their rival The University of Michigan.
One of the most intense traditions in all of college football is the “Play Like a Champion Today” sign at Notre Dame. This sign hangs at the end of the tunnel the players take out to the field. Each player slaps it with his hand on the way out of the locker room before they enter battle. Lou Holtz had the sign put up in 1986. It’s not the oldest tradition in football but it may be the most hallowed.