Standing on the upper deck of Death Valley at the first football game of my freshman year, I did not expect to hear the sudden expletives in the middle of a very familiar and beloved chant. As the daughter of an alumna of Clemson University, I grew up dressing in orange and purple and learning all the chants and cheers. Because I lived in other states, I did not often attend games in person, but my family and I still passionately cheered on the Tigers from my living room. So, you can imagine my surprise when my first game as a student was tarnished by unexpected vulgarities shouted from my fellow student body after every big play.
A few weeks ago, The Tiger published a feature on the jarring profanity within the iconic Clemson fight song, which is played consistently during the game. Despite the commonality of the phrase at football games (particularly the student section), the internet is scrubbed clean of the words. The only apparent connection between the F-word and the Clemson community is the recently-released article from the Tiger and a Reddit thread posted 10 years ago, titled “What’s up with these idiots and Tiger Rag?”
The lack of search results on Google is consistent with Clemson’s values. As The Tiger reported, most attendees of sporting events at Clemson have heard the public announcer come over the speakers and discourage those in the crowd from participating in profanity, saying, “The NCAA and the Atlantic Coast Conference promote good sportsmanship by student-athletes, coaches and spectators…. Profanity… will not be tolerated.” However, some fans still can’t help but throw out a few vulgar words in the heat of the moment.
The F-word obviously stems from the student section, and there seems to be a correlation between how much time students have to pregame and the volume of the profanity yelled during the games. To the average spectator in Death Valley, the muffled word slipping between the “O” and “N” is just above a whisper. If they aren’t familiar with what the students are saying, they often lean over to the person beside them to ask what the students are yelling. To those aware of the trashy tradition, the swear is obvious.
Students should start phasing out the swear mid-fight song. Not only is the expletive jarring and trashy, but it also is not representative of the Clemson Family (and family-friendly) atmosphere that we proudly boast of on every pamphlet and tour.
The shouts of profanity are uninviting and the opposite of southern charm, which is all about hospitality. The expletives deter the unifying of students, alumni and general spectators, which should be the goal of such an event. If anything, the shouts of the F-word divide us more.
The Tiger’s Dawson Baker posed the question: “Should [C-L-E-M-S-O-motherf-ing-N] stay or should it go?” I say, toss it.